The cast and crew of Today welcomed Craig Melvin with open arms as he assumes Hoda Kotb’s empty seat, but the broadcaster now finds himself under enormous pressure to deliver after network bosses ponied up an eye-popping $7 million salary to lock him in, which is a big step up from his previous paychecks, a source exclusively tells Closer.
“Nobody’s questioning whether he’s worth it, he’s a very talented guy who’s worked very hard for this opportunity,” the insider says. “The entire team is on board with him taking on this role, but of course, the pressure is really on because he’s got huge shoes to fill.”
Craig, 45, began his career as a local anchor and reporter for WIS-TV in his native South Carolina. He eventually made it to a Washington D.C.-based network before signing on with NBC in 2011 as the MSNBC Live weekend anchor. The veteran broadcaster climbed the ranks at the network, ultimately landing the role of fill-in host for Today before getting his stripes as a full cohost.
Fellow cohost Savannah Guthrie said the move to bump Craig up was received warmly by his coworkers. “The staff found out this morning, and people broke into applause,” Savannah, 52, said of the latest change to the show’s roster. “This is one of the most popular decisions NBC has ever made.”
While everyone may be cheering Craig on for the moment, it remains to be seen exactly how execs at NBC will feel about him as a main host in the future. The source notes that, even though he has support from everyone up and down the ladder at the network, the ultimate test will be changes in viewership.
“Hoda is a total legend,” the insider continues, “The audience loved her and so did the network. Craig has a lot of goodwill and no doubt he’ll throw himself into the job and give it everything he’s got, but ultimately it will come down to the ratings.”
“The bosses are going to be watching with eagle eyes,” the insider adds. With Hoda, 60, lighting up her last Rockefeller Tree as her final farewell on Wednesday, December 4, any change in viewership trends will be chalked up to the change in hosts, which means “if things appear to be slipping, all the fingers will be pointing at Craig.” Without a doubt, the baited breath Craig is now waiting with before bigwigs check the numbers has got him under “a huge amount of stress.”
Still, hopes are high for the new pick, especially among his cohosts. Savanna even played an important part in getting Craig the gig, the source says. “She had a big hand in picking him for this job, but the audience is going to have the final say.”
“Everyone seems to be confident that he’s up for the challenge and he and Savannah have a natural chemistry, if they start to tune out his job will be on the line, there’s just no getting around that. He’s definitely going to be in the hot seat for a while.”
