 NBC News has issued a statement, which it emailed to Poynter, about a report in The Washington Post that it hired a “psychological consultant” to talk to David Gregory’s friends and family about the declining ratings of “Meet the Press,” which he hosts. “This is certainly not unusual for any television program, especially one that’s driven so heavily by one person.” 
 
 Politico’s Hadas Gold writes Paul Farhi, who wrote the Post story, told her he “checked with NBC twice on Sunday about the term ‘psychological’ and that they had no objections at the time.” Reached by email, Farhi tells Poynter those conversations were via telephone. “Last year Meet the Press brought in a brand consultant—not, as reported, a psychological one—to better understand how its anchor connects,” NBC News says. "Gregory’s job does not appear to be in any immediate jeopardy, but there are plenty of signs of concern,” Farhi wrote.  NBC News last year hired a "psychological consultant" to interview David Gregory's friends and family, part of an effort to get greater insight into the "Meet the Press" host's personality, according to a new report. The idea, according to a network spokeswoman, Meghan Pianta, was “to get perspective and insight from people who know him best.” But the research project struck some at NBC as odd, given that Gregory has been employed there for nearly 20 years. Even as everything else on TV has lost viewers over time, the Big Three have held steady and even gained viewers.
– A long Washington Post article on David Gregory and the troubles he faces as moderator of NBC's Meet the Press has quite a few people wondering what's going on at the show. As the Post explains, the longest-running television program has been declining in the ratings for three years, and is currently the No. 3 Sunday talk show. Last year, the network brought in a psychological consultant to talk to friends and family members of Gregory, who took over the gig after Tim Russert's death in 2008. As the Post puts it, that seems "odd" to some, considering Gregory has been at NBC almost two decades. Multiple blogs picked up on that tidbit, and NBC quickly gave Poynter a statement insisting it actually hired "a brand consultant," not a psychological one, "to better understand how its anchor connects." The network also says the move is "not unusual." But the article's writer tells Politico he checked the term "psychological" with the network twice, and it had "no objections then"—and it remains in the Post story as of this writing. As for Gregory's job, Post reporter Paul Farhi writes that it "does not appear to be in any immediate jeopardy, but there are plenty of signs of concern."