Beltway oracle Mike Allen comes bearing news on this Monday morning.
According to Politico’s most famous (and best-connected) reporter, NBC’s White House correspondent Chuck Todd has been tapped as the likely replacement for the much-maligned David Gregory on “Meet the Press.”
SIREN: Chuck Todd, a political obsessive and rabid sports fan, is the likely successor to David Gregory as moderator of “Meet the Press,” with the change expected to be announced in coming weeks, according to top political sources. The move is an effort by NBC News President Deborah Turness to restore passion and insider cred to a network treasure that has been adrift since the death in 2008 of the irreplaceable Tim Russert. Although Todd is not a classic television performer guaranteed to wow focus groups, his NBC bosses have been impressed by his love of the game, which brings with it authenticity, sources, and a loyal following among newsmakers and political junkies.
Allen crammed several other “Meet”-related nuggets in Monday’s edition of “Politico Playbook,” his daily newsletter of name-drops and Washington gossip.
And there was some hedging.
After reporting that Gregory will likely move on from NBC, Allen noted that his sources have cautioned that “nothing is definite or decided.”
Nevertheless, it’s been widely believed that Gregory has been on thin ice as “Meet the Press,” once the Sunday morning standard-bearer, has suffered in the ratings.
The New York Post reported last week that Gregory met with CNN president Jeff Zucker recently.
If Allen’s scoop does come to fruition, it will mean that fellow Politico scribe Dylan Byers gets to take a victory lap. Byers was already basking in the development on Monday, tweeting a link to a piece he authored at the beginning of the year.
In the piece, Byers offered three predictions for 2014: White House press secretary Jay Carney would step down by year’s end; CNN would elevate Jake Tapper to a primetime slot; and Todd would be named as the new host of “Meet the Press.”
Two out of three ain’t bad.
Carney, check
Todd, check …
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) August 11, 2014
That’ll go over like… a David Gregory.
Edit: The next person who says "Liberal Media! to me gets a punch on the nose.
Chunk’s slim-down another clue but he’s just Dave without the high school cool kid panache
Great. Just what we need; another Beltway villager sucking up to power and chasing a conservative audience. Get someone in there who can actually formulate and ask a real journalistic question.
Well, it will be easier to hide Chuck’s high chair, being behind the table at least.
I think Maddow would be a perfect choice, but I can understand why they wouldn’t want to pull her…she is killing in her time slot right now.
Plus, Todd is much more compliant with the right wing agenda that MTP has dedicated itself to supporting.
I feel unclean just for having read that.