The Today show has strengthened security at its New York City headquarters after concerns surrounding Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping left staff members feeling exposed.
NBC moved to tighten its security procedures after a July breach in which an intruder, later identified as Andrew Truelove, allegedly entered the building while searching for longtime network 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.
Protections at the 30 Rockefeller Center studio have since been expanded in an effort to prevent further unauthorized access and safeguard employees working inside.
“It’s a relief,” an insider told Page Six. “It was much-needed and took longer than people would have liked, but it does feel a lot better now.”
A second source told the outlet that employees have accepted the heightened measures, even when the additional procedures create occasional inconvenience.
“Staffers are more than willing to oblige with the new protocols,” the source said. “It hasn’t been seen as a [burden].”
NBC stepped up security procedures after a July breach at its 30 Rockefeller Center studio rattled staff members.
Truelove encountered Craig Melvin, center, on July 16 and allegedly lunged at the host while shouting racial slurs.
Truelove, 41, allegedly entered the building while looking for NBC weather anchor Al Roker.
Soon after the episode, the Daily Mail was told that NBC had already begun addressing security issues, with one insider comparing the studio’s defenses to “Fort Knox.”
‘Nothing is being left to chance,’ they said.
‘Guests are being told to arrive at least an hour early because security screenings are taking longer. They’re also being asked to keep entourages to an absolute minimum. They’re tightening every possible loophole.
‘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 the Daily Mail 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 the Daily Mail 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
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‘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 the Daily Mail 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.’
The Daily Mail reached out to NBC News Studios for comment.