Ann Curry - Professional Career

Professional Career

Curry began her broadcasting career in 1978 as an intern at then NBC-affiliate (now CBS-affiliate) KTVL in Medford, Oregon. There she rose to become the station's first female news reporter. In 1980, Curry moved to NBC-affiliate KGW in Portland, where she was a reporter and anchor.

Four years later, Curry moved to Los Angeles as a reporter for KCBS-TV and received two Emmy Awards while working as a reporter from 1984 to 1990.

In 1990, Curry joined NBC News, first as the NBC News Chicago correspondent then as the anchor of NBC News at Sunrise from 1991 to 1996. Curry also served as a substitute news anchor for Matt Lauer from 1994 to 1997 at Today. From 1997 to 2011, she served as news anchor at Today, being the show's second-longest serving news anchor, behind Frank Blair, who served in that capacity from 1953 to 1975. During this time, she also served as a substitute anchor for Today. In May 2005, Curry was named co-anchor of Dateline NBC with Stone Phillips; she remained as the primary anchor when Phillips left in June 2007 until she replaced Meredith Vieira on Today in 2011. She was the primary substitute on NBC Nightly News from 2005 to 2011.

Curry has reported on major international stories, filing stories from places such as Baghdad, Sri Lanka, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Albania, and Darfur. Curry hosted NBC's primetime coverage and highlights of the Live Earth concerts on July 7, 2007 and also contributed with interviews for the special with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Vice President Al Gore. Curry reported from the USS Theodore Roosevelt during the invasion of Afghanistan in November 2001, and had an exclusive interview with General Tommy Franks. She reported from Baghdad in early 2003, and then from the USS Constellation as the war in Iraq began. Ann was also the first network news anchor to report from inside the Southeast Asian tsunami zone in late 2004.

On December 17, 2007, Curry bungee jumped off the Transporter Bridge in Middlesbrough, England to raise money for charity. Her jump was shown live on the Today show at about 8:13 am.

In 2011, Curry appeared in the first PBS Kids Sprout "Kindness Counts" PSA.

It was widely reported in June 2012 that Curry would be replaced as co-host of Today. Curry hired attorney Robert Barnett to represent her in her discussions with NBC.

On June 28, 2012, Curry announced in an emotional broadcast on the show that she was leaving Today. NBC executives asked her to resign because of lower ratings and other factors including the way she dressed and her refusal to cover her gray hair. She signed a new multiyear contract with the network as NBC News National and International Correspondent/Anchor and "Today" Anchor at Large. She leads a seven-person unit producing content and reporting for NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, for which she also is a regular substitute anchor, Dateline NBC, Rock Center with Brian Williams, Today and MSNBC. Curry also anchors for multiple NBC News primetime specials.

On August 9, 2012, Curry made her first post-departure appearance on Today when she reported a story during the show's coverage at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The reunion with her former co-anchor, Matt Lauer, was described in the media as "tense", "awkward" and "chilly".