The Today show has tightened security at its New York City headquarters after the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie heightened fears among employees who already felt exposed.
NBC began strengthening its security procedures after a July breach in which an intruder, identified as Andrew Truelove, allegedly entered the building while looking for the network’s longtime weather anchor, Al Roker.
Truelove, 41, instead came across Craig Melvin and lunged at the host while spitting racial slurs on July 16. The incident saw one security guard fired after one had stepped away and the other ‘missed the intruder,’ Page Six reported.
Additional safeguards have now been introduced at the 30 Rockefeller Center studio, with the goal of blocking unauthorized access and protecting everyone working inside.
“It’s a relief,” an insider told Page Six. “It was long overdue and took longer than many people wanted, but things feel significantly better now.”
A second source said Today show staff members have generally accepted the stricter rules, even though the extra checks can sometimes be inconvenient.
“Staffers are more than willing to follow the new protocols,” the source said. “No one has viewed them as a burden.”
NBC has reinforced security at the 30 Rockefeller Center studio after a July breach left employees shaken
Truelove confronted Craig Melvin, center, and allegedly lunged at the host while shouting racial slurs on July 16
Truelove, 41, allegedly entered the building while searching for NBC weather anchor Al Roker
Soon after the incident, Our News Outlet was told that officials were already working to address security vulnerabilities, with one insider comparing the studio’s new defenses to “Fort Knox.”
“Nothing is being left to chance,” the source said.
Guests are now being asked to arrive at least an hour ahead of time because security screenings are taking longer. They have also been urged to keep entourages as small as possible as officials work to close every potential gap.
‘If your name is not on the security list you are not getting in. Even Christopher Nolan and Brad Paisley needed to be on the security list.’
The breach came after host Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother Nancy was cruelly snatched from her home in Tucson, Arizona, on January 31.
Savannah, 54, found the studio breach ‘incredibly triggering’ after her mother’s disappearance.
‘The timing couldn’t have been more heartbreaking,’ an insider told Our News Outlet at the time. ‘How much more can one person take?
‘After everything Savannah has endured with her family, this happened just moments after she walked off the set. It hit everyone hard, but it hit differently for her.
The breach came after host Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother Nancy was cruelly snatched from her home in Tucson, Arizona, on January 31
Sources told Our News Outlet that Savannah’s own personal security was increased, a testament to ‘how seriously everyone is taking the incident.’ Pictured: Savannah at LaGuardia airport the day after the Today studio breach
‘She’s been carrying an enormous emotional burden, and this was another shock. The feeling inside the show is that everyone wants her to put herself first.’
Sources told Our News Outlet that Savannah’s own personal security was increased, a testament to ‘how seriously everyone is taking the incident.’
Insiders said that the emotional fallout is expected to last far longer than any of the new security protocols.
‘This has been a huge wake-up call,’ one Today show source claimed. ‘Nobody inside the building feels like this was just another routine security incident. It has everyone looking at safety in a completely different way.
‘This wasn’t just a security failure – it was a reminder that nowhere feels completely safe anymore,’ a well placed insider added. ‘Everyone is asking the same question: if this could happen here, what happens next?’
Another said staff were ‘freaking out’ and left questioning, ‘what if he had a gun?’
For colleagues who have watched Savannah endure an extraordinarily difficult year, the July scare only heightened concern for the beloved anchor.
‘The whole newsroom is protective of Savannah right now,’ one source told Daily Mail. ‘People are worried less about the show and more about her. They just want her to be okay.’
For colleagues who have watched Savannah endure an extraordinarily difficult year, the July scare only heightened concern for the beloved anchor
Savannah’s mom was last seen alive on January 31 before a masked individual wearing black latex gloves was seen outside Nancy’s home disabling the doorbell camera at 1.47am
The Guthrie family is offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to her recovery.
Savannah’s mom was last seen alive on January 31 at her home following a dinner with her daughter, Annie and son-in-law Tommaso Cioni, who dropped Guthrie back off at her home at around 9.50pm.
Hours later, at 1.47am, a masked individual wearing black latex gloves, a backpack and what seemed to be a holstered gun was captured outside Nancy’s home disabling the doorbell camera.
Guthrie’s pacemaker monitoring app disconnected from her home less than an hour later. Investigators now believe that could be the moment she was forcibly removed from the house.
There are still no suspects, according to local police and the FBI.
‘The FBI and its task force partners have received several ransom notes over the course of this investigation,’ the Phoenix FBI office posted to social media.
‘Some have been deemed to be extortion attempts without legitimacy. Other ransom demands may potentially be legitimate, and are still being investigated as such.’
The agency added that it is continuing to investigate Guthrie’s disappearance ‘as a kidnapping for ransom case.’
Our News Outlet reached out to NBC News Studios for comment.
