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Katie Couric’s ‘Today’ return scratched

Katie Couric’s much-anticipated guest return to “Today” has been scratched after she insisted on a longer run of a few weeks, which NBC chiefs flatly refused, sources told Page Six.

The former “Today” and daytime talk-show host, who is now the “global news anchor” at Yahoo, was asked to be a special guest host for one day alongside Matt Lauer while Savannah Guthrie is on maternity leave. Guthrie gave birth last week to her first child, Vale.

We hear NBC offered one-day stints to Couric and other special guests, including Jane Pauley and Barbara Walters. But Couric turned it down, saying she wouldn’t accept a one-day role.

Well-placed NBC sources say Couric insisted on a longer relationship of up to two weeks. One insider said, “Katie wanted a longer stint on ‘Today’ to help promote her Yahoo role. But it wasn’t what NBC had in mind, and they refused.”

Another source, who insists Couric never made a formal demand for a lengthier stint on “Today,” said, “Katie and Matt discussed the opportunity, but a one-day appearance didn’t make sense . . . She remains focused on her Yahoo responsibilities, and Stand Up to Cancer, and is figuring out her long-term TV options.”

The Post reported in May that Couric was one of several names mentioned to fill in for Guthrie during her maternity leave. Couric first joined “Today” in 1991, when then-host Deborah Norville left on her maternity leave, and stayed with the program until 2006.

Couric then left NBC to anchor “CBS Evening News” for five years, and launched her talk show, “Katie,” but it was canceled after two seasons.

Temporary fill-ins for Guthrie while she’s on leave include Natalie Morales, Tamron Hall and Hoda Kotb, along with a few surprise guest hosts. Meredith Vieira, who has her own daytime talk show launching Sept. 8, will fill in on “Today” that same morning.

A rep for Couric said, “She loves the folks at ‘Today’ and is flattered by the speculation, but nothing has changed.” Reps for “Today” had no comment.