Sarah Palin beats Katie Couric in morning-show ratings showdown

Sarah Palin and Katie Couric went head-to-head Tuesday on competing morning shows, but their uneasy history went largely untouched.

Palin guest-hosted on NBC's "Today," bantering about politics and entertainment with host Matt Lauer, while Couric, who was on "Today" from 1991 to 2006, is filling in on ABC's "Good Morning America" all week.

Palin's only reference to Couric came when a camera panned to Palin alongside a stack of newspapers, a subtle nod to Couric's 2008 interview with the then-VP candidate, who failed to name a single newspaper she read.

Couric referenced her old show only once when she visited Al Roker's wax statue at Madame Tussauds and asked it, "How's the weather in your neck of the woods?"

The two morning shows have long battled for the No. 1 slot in the morning, but Tuesday Palin and "Today" edged out "GMA" by about 330,000 viewers, The New York Times reported.

(with Newsday)