Ann Curry
Ann Curry is an American television jouralist who once anchored Dateline NBC, and co-anchored NBC’s Today program from 2011 to 2012.
Synopsis
American television journalist Ann Curry graduated from the University of Oregon's School of Journalism in 1978. After interning, she became the first female news reporter for KGW in Portland. Curry started with NBC in 1990, moving up to anchor Dateline NBC. In 2011, she began co-anchoring NBC's Today program. Nearly one year later, NBC executives were crafting a plan to replace Curry due to Today's falling ratings. She officially left the show in June 2012.
Early Life
Ann Curry was born on November 19, 1956 in the U.S. territory of Guam. Curry's father was an American of predominantly French and Scots-Irish descent, who met her Japanese mother during the U.S. occupation of Japan following World War II. Her childhood followed her father's military career, and she was raised in San Diego and Alameda, California, Japan, Virginia Beach, Virginia and Oregon. She graduated from the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communication in 1978.
News Career
In 1978, Curry began an internship at KTVL in Medford, Oregon, eventually becoming the station's first female news reporter. In 1981, she took a three-year post as a reporter and anchor at KGW in Portland. She then moved to Los Angeles, where she was a reporter for KCBS-TV from 1984 to 1990. While there, she won two Emmy Awards.
In 1990, Ann Curry signed on with NBC news, first working as the network's Chicago correspondent, and then anchoring NBC News at Sunrise from 1991 to 1996. She also served as a replacement anchor and newsreader for the Today show. In 2005, she joined Stone Phillips as a co-host of Dateline NBC, while continuing as news anchor at Today. By that time, Curry had earned acclaim for her coverage of global humanitarian crises from such hot spots as Baghdad, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Albania and Darfur.
In 2011, Curry replaced Meredith Viera as a full-time anchor on the Today show. Nearly one year later, in 2012, NBC executives were crafting a plan to replace Curry due to Today's falling ratings. According to a report by The New York Times, an executive from NBC indicated that Curry's one-year stint on the show caused Today to lose a significant ratings lead to ABC's Good Morning America. On June 28, 2012, Curry officially left the show, giving an emotional farewell speech before her departure. "I am so greatful, especially to all of you who watch," she said, "because Matt and I and everyone who sits on this couch, we often call ourselves a family, but you are the real Today show family. You are why I have ventured into dangerous places and interviewed dictators, and jumped off of planes and off of bridges and climbed mountains, and landed in the South Pole, and convinced the Dalai Lama to come live in our studio. I have loved you and have wanted to give you the world. And I still do."
Curry also spoke about her future with NBC: "They're giving me some fancy new titles … We're going to go all over the world and country in a time when this country needs clarity … These stories will air on all the platforms of NBC, including Today … For all of you who saw me as a groundbreaker, I'm sorry I couldn't carry the ball over the finish line but, man, I did try." Savannah Guthrie took over as co-host of Today in July 2012.
Throughout her career, Curry has landed several exclusive interviews, including with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Chadian President Idrsiss Deby. She also conducted the first exclusive interview with General Tommy Franks, prior to the outbreak of the war in Iraq. Curry's other notable interviewees include Liberia's Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first female to be elected president of an African nation; Thomas Hamill, the Halliburton truck driver who escaped captivity in Iraq; and accused spy Wen Ho Lee, who was cleared of all charges of espionage against the United States.
Curry has continued to have some success landing major interviews, even after leaving the Today show. In September 2013, she beat out Christiane Amanpour to become the first western journalist to talk with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani. This interview was considered a major professional triumph for Curry.
Personal Life
Curry is married to software executive Brian Ross. The couple lives in New York City with their two children, McKenzie and Walker.
