Vieira chosen as Couric's ‘Today’ successor

NEW YORK - A day after Katie Couric announced she was leaving for CBS, NBC announced it had chosen Meredith Vieira as Matt Lauer’s new partner on the “Today” show.

“Meredith's vast experience as an award-winning journalist, as well as talk show host, make her the ideal candidate for this job,” said Jeff Zucker, CEO of the NBC Universal Television Group.

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Vieira, a co-host of “The View” and a former “60 Minutes” correspondent, brings decades of journalism experience to her new job, as well as a personal touch honed by years on morning television. That mix should serve her well as she steps into a job that blends hard news with Hollywood interviews and cooking segments.

The network confirmed the selection at a Thursday afternoon news conference, but she announced the news herself in an on-air statement on “The View,” saying that her time on the mid-morning talk program had played a crucial role in her getting the job.

“I could not possibly be in this position today if it had not been for all of you,” she told the show's audience and crew.

Vieira said she expected to leave her “View” post in May, and will join Lauer on “Today” in early September. It will be the first anchor change on morning television’s top-rated program since 1997.

NBC VIDEO Vieira is new 'Today' show co-anchor April 7: Meredith Vieira announces that she has been chosen as Matt Lauer's new co-host. Today show

“Meredith is a real pro, and I think it speaks volumes that NBC has brought her here to ‘Today,’” said Lauer, whose on-air chemistry with Couric made the show an unbeatable force in morning TV. “She has the perfect background and personality to make a real mark on this show and in morning news in general. I'm thrilled to welcome her aboard.”

Couric announced Wednesday, her 15th anniversary on “Today,” that she was leaving next month to join CBS News. She’ll become anchor and managing editor of the “CBS Evening News” in September.

She turned down an offer of about $20 million a year to stay at NBC in order to take CBS’ five-year deal at near her current salary of about $15 million, according to people close to negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because networks do not speak publicly about salaries. She’s also agreed to do “60 Minutes” stories and prime-time specials for CBS.

Vieira herself was among those congratulating Couric on the move. “I think she will do a phenomenal job,” she told viewers as “The View” began Thursday morning. Co-host Barbara Walters, who moved from NBC to ABC in 1976 to become the first female evening news co-anchor, said she'd called Couric “to tell her I thought she did the right thing.”

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