Today Show news anchor Natalie Morales is moving to Los Angeles this summer, where she will become the NBC morning program's West Coast anchor while adding hosting duties on NBCUniversal's Access Hollywood and Access Hollywood Live.
At the same time, current Access Hollywood anchor Billy Bush is expected to leave the syndicated entertainment series to become part of Today, where he will fill a role in the morning show's third hour.
Staff at New York-based Today were notified of Morales's impending job change Wednesday in an e-mail that said she also would continue to play "a prominent role" in Dateline NBC. Morales, 43, joined Today in 2006. Morales would not necessarily appear every day on Today, which she joined in 2006 and has been the news anchor since 2011, when she replaced Ann Curry. Access tapes mid-afternoon weekdays in Los Angeles.
Senior vice president Noah Oppenheim, the executive in charge of Today, explained the reason for the move in the e-mail.
"As you all know, Natalie has already been spending a lot of time in California, reporting live from special events like the Oscars, Golden Globes and Latin American Music Awards, conducting celebrity interviews and set visits, and spearheading two big series spotlighting women who are leaders in Silicon Valley and Hollywood. With our show’s increasing focus on West Coast stories, it became clear to me that having a permanent anchor presence in L.A. would be of enormous value," he wrote.
NBC Broadcasting chairman Ted Harbert, whose division oversees syndicated programs such as Access, praised Morales in a statement.
“Natalie is an accomplished broadcaster and host with extensive experience interviewing celebrities, covering entertainment news and hosting red carpets and we are thrilled to have her on board at Access Hollywood and Access Hollywood Live, which are the perfect vehicles to showcase great energy and personality,” he said.
Today has been enjoying a ratings resurgence in recent months with a first-place finish among the core audience of adults 25 to 54. GMA still leads in total viewers this season, but the two shows are locked in a tight battle. And GMA bolstered its ranks by announcing plans to add Michael Strahan as full-time anchor in September.
