NBC Peppered by Online Critics in Shuffle of Hosts

Same outrage, same channel, different co-host.

The “Today” show's Facebook page lit up this weekend when Erica Hill became a co-host of “Weekend Today,” the Saturday and Sunday offshoot of the NBC morning show. Hundreds of fans said they were dismayed by the network's decision to bump Jenna Wolfe, the previous co-host on Sundays, out of the job.

The angry comments called to mind Ann Curry's departure from “Today” in June, which also stirred up resentment of the show on social networking Web sites. “First Ann Curry, now Jenna Wolfe getting the short end of the stick,” read one of the dozens of Facebook comments comparing the two situations.

There were hundreds on Twitter, too; one commenter there used Ms. Curry's name as a verb for demoted, saying that Ms. Wolfe had been “Curried.”

Ms. Wolfe agreed to stay on “Weekend Today” as its news anchor, generally considered a lesser role than co-host. Previously she co-hosted only on S undays; now she reads the news on both weekend days.

Many viewers thought she looked unhappy in the new role. Wrote one viewer, “I felt so bad for Jenna, looking very uncomfortable. It's like seeing Ann Curry all over again.”

Other commenters complimented Ms. Hill, who came to NBC from CBS, where she co-hosted the weekday edition of “CBS This Morning” until July.

But most of the feedback was on Ms. Wolfe's demotion, and unkind to NBC. “Why does the ‘Today' show keep messing around with their anchors. Isn't viewer loyalty worth anything?”

NBC called the changes an improvement to the overall show. No network wants to feel as if it can't try anything new for fear of online outrage. But it is awkward when that outrage is scrawled all over a show's Facebook page.

Ms. Wolfe tweeted last week that she was staying at “Today” because there was “more to be done here.” Hinting perhaps at her displeasure, she added, “Mom once said ch ange is good, but I think she meant my diaper.”

On Sunday, asked about the angry postings, Ms. Wolfe said through an NBC spokeswoman that she's still “very much a ‘Today' show anchor” and added, “our ‘Today' family got stronger this weekend with the addition of Erica to our team.”