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NBC’s Couric makes jump to CBS official
Same blog, second verse …
Yesterday we predicted, that by week’s end, “Today” host Katie Couric would announce that she’s heading to CBS.
This morning, on the occasion of her 15th anniversary with NBC’s top-rated morning show, the 49-year-old Couric did exactly that. What had long been planned as a celebration of Couric’s stint on “Today” suddenly turned into The Big Announcement with sad faces all around.
“I wanted to tell all of you out there who have watched the show for the past 15 years that after listening to my heart and my gut — two things that have served me pretty well in the past — I’ve decided I’ll be leaving ‘Today’ at the end of May,” she told viewers.
Couric didn’t come right out and say she’ll be anchoring the “CBS Evening News” and reporting for “60 Minutes,” but that’s the plan. I guess NBC was willing to let her break the departure news on “Today,” but it wasn’t going to let her promote her future on a rival network.
The move has been expected for so long that the announcement was a big yawn, which is a shame since the woman most often described as “perky” is going to make history in September when she becomes the first solo female anchor of an evening network newscast.
Why did Couric decide to make such a drastic change and abandon her comfort zone? As Couric pointed out on “Today” this morning, “Sometimes change is good.” And as she heads toward her milestone 50th birthday, Couric undoubtedly would like to re-establish herself in serious news.
People who only know her grinning face from “Today” may not know that Couric covered real news for ABC and CBS before shifting to the sometimes goofy morning slot. She covered political conventions, government agencies and all manner of breaking news stories. She can do it again — but it will take a while for her to lose her cloying image as a flirting, giggling chatterbox with Hollywood stars.
Couric sure isn’t leaving for the money. Her CBS salary reportedly will be in the same $15 million annual range as her current NBC contract. But she is said (by all those New York tabloid papers) to have turned down a $20 million salary to stay at NBC.
What will happen to “Today” at the end of May, when all the tears and memories are wiped away?
Meredith Vieira of “The View” is the leading contender to partner with Matt Lauer, but Ann Curry and Campbell Brown also have been mentioned.
If Couric’s jump from the top-rated morning show to the third-rated evening news show boosts CBS out of the basement, she’ll be heralded as a hero. If, however, her hard-news anchoring skills come up short and the program declines or (worse) is ridiculed, Couric could face an unhappy end to an otherwise brilliant career. It’s a risky move.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: News coverage
Comments
By THE OC
April 10, 2006 02:44 PM | Link to this
Finally they got it
By Bill
April 5, 2006 08:32 PM | Link to this
She will have to change significantly to survive on the evening news. Her past interviews have been anything but interviews. Making assertions and simply asking closed ended questions is her norm...the news watchers will expect more. Maybe it's acceptable for the cutesy, perky Today show hostess but it is not acceptable for a journalist.
A couple of my most liberal friends have sold their televisions because they couldn't stand watching her on the Today show (and being the institution that they were brought up watching couldn't just not watch the Today show as long as they owned a TV.) That does not bode well for the most liberal of the three major networks.
By AMS
April 5, 2006 04:05 PM | Link to this
I agree that this is quite the gutsy move for Couric, but probably a good career choice, despite the salary cut. I'm sure she'll do just fine minus the extra $5 mill. However, I must say she is a big part of the reason I watch the Today Show every morning, and if Meredith Vieira or Ann Curry take her position, NBC will lose my viewership and I'd venture to say quite a few other people's as well. I can't think of two more controversial newswomen in the industry today, and I think NBC will be setting themselves up for disaster. I wish Couric the best at CBS though-strong decision by a strong woman.
By brenda
April 5, 2006 01:53 PM | Link to this
Is Couric sick? she looks like she had gain weight?
By B. Linan Austin, TX
April 5, 2006 10:22 AM | Link to this
It certainly is a gutsy move for Couric, but one that I can see as probably the BEST for her overall. We, the public, tend to be VERY unforgiving of the aging process (especially for women) and the position she is leaving at NBC is designed for a young, vibrant personality. If she stays any longer on the "Today" show she risks looking almost foolish as she continues to age. It's "make it or break it" time for Katie! Kudos to her for making this [I'm certain] VERY TOUGH decision to leave at this particular time when the show is at it's peak. Although I'm sad she's leaving "Today", I'm looking forward to seeing her in a new light at CBS.