Ann Curry begs NBC to let her join CNN

NBC’s host, Ann Curry is begging to her bosses to free her from her contract so she can fill in the 8 p.m. slot vacated by Anderson Cooper at CNN.

Curry has been offered with an attractive offer from the rival news channel by her former “Today” show boss, Jeff Zucker, who has been promoted to CNN Worldwide president position. Curry cannot just leave her job, because a clause in her contract with NBC forbids her from joining any other news outlet.

“Ann wants out of her contract, big time,” a source close to the situation told Radar Online. “She has formally asked her attorney to explore exit options from the network.” The website claims her NBC bosses are unwilling to release Curry without a fight. “If Ann were to just quit, there is a non-compete clause, which would prohibit her from working for another news outlet for two years,” the insider said.

CNN has been experiencing some rating problems for the past couple of months, even with Anderson Coopers’ 360 and Piers Morgan’s show. While personalities such as anchors can be partly blamed for the losses, more recently it’s been observed that those networks that feature sharply polarized viewpoints have been viewed more, especially during the election season.

Curry’s lawyer argues that her dramatic demotion from “Today” in April was a breach of contract by NBC itself. “Ann's lawyer feels that there is a very strong case to be made that NBC has breached terms of the deal because Curry was demoted from ‘Today,’” the source told Radar Online. “Furthermore, Ann has basically been sequestered from appearing on the network. Yes, she has been doing some work that has been assigned to her, but it hasn't been steady.”

NBC suffered depressing rating after firing Curry from the show and the tumble only worsened as days passed. The insider said that Ann wasn’t responsible for the poor ratings of “Today”; instead, her firing caused the channel even less viewership in the days that followed. “As long as Ann remains at NBC, it will be a constant reminder to everyone of how badly the situation was handled. It would be so much better for NBC, Ann and CNN if she was let out of her contract. It would be a new beginning and a chance for all parties involved to move on, once and for all,” the insider said.