"FILE - This April 24, 2012 file photo shows NBC ""Today"" show co-host Matt Lauer attending the TIME 100 gala, celebrating the 100 most influential people in the world, at the Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York. The ""Today"" show's top producer is speaking out against stories portraying anchor Matt Lauer as being difficult to work with during the show's slide in the ratings.  Executive Producer Jim Bell said Wednesday that Lauer is the heart and soul of NBC's morning news show and that negative stories about him have been hard to deal with. ""Today"" has slipped behind ABC's ""Good Morning America"" in the ratings recently, particularly since Lauer's former co-host, Ann Curry, was replaced by Savannah Guthrie. That's led to a wave of bad publicity, much of it focused on Lauer. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)"