KATIE COURIC LIKELY TO LEAVE CBS EARLY: REPORT

[j.wer 12]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04092008/tv/katie_couric_likely_to_leave_cbs_early___105766.htm

[Amra 130]

About damn time

[j.wer 12]

If she wanted to be a newsreader, she should have gotten Ann Curry on the side and asked if she wanted to trade places, as Ann wants to be the co-host of The Today Show anyway..

[ib-td 1]

too bad, so sad, ok I'm over her.

[Les Tremayne 2]

Ann wants to be the co-host of The Today Show anyway..

Oh, dear God, please don't let that happen.

So will CBS have to pony up $15M per annum for the balance of Katie's contract?

She never should've been hired in the first place.

And they lost the great John Roberts because of this move.

[newsie 11]

If she wanted to be a newsreader' date=' she should have gotten Ann Curry on the side and asked if she wanted to trade places, as Ann wants to be the co-host of The Today Show anyway..[/quote']NO! Remember, "Good morning, good morning everybody, in the news this morning, good morning."

[Les Tremayne 2]

NO! Remember, "Good morning, good morning everybody, in the news this morning, good morning."

Of course I do. How could one forget? It happens every damn day.

And why in hades am I seeing her sub for Brian Williams sometimes?

[Sam Horn 78]

It's important to note that the Post article is misleading.

 

Most reports are indicating that Couric is negotiating with CBS to be "reassigned" either to another position within CBS News or out of the news division but still inside the CBS family -- think syndicated talk show or some such.

[Les Tremayne 2]

Most reports are indicating that Couric is negotiating with CBS to be "reassigned" either to another position within CBS News or out of the news division but still inside the CBS family

Making her the highest paid cleaning woman in the history of our world.

[WWSBfan 0]

4 Stories on www.tvnewsday.com about Katie Couric-

 

#1

 

 

Couric’s Fate Was Topic A in CBS Suite

 

A wide-ranging discussion in February about Katie Couric’s future as the anchor of the “CBS Evening News” threatened on Thursday to turn her into a virtual lame duck in the job.

 

The discussion took place in New York on Feb. 28 and involved four people: Ms. Couric; her agent, Alan Berger of the Creative Artists Agency; Sean McManus, the president of CBS News; and Leslie Moonves, the chairman of CBS. The meeting took place in Mr. Moonves’s office.

The conversation included what one participant said was some “idle talk and musings” about the big question hanging over CBS News: should Ms. Couric leave her position as the news anchor after the presidential election, a development that had long been rumored.

 

No one involved in the meeting or briefed on its particulars would be identified for attribution because of the delicate nature of the talks. But Ms. Couric discussed several things she might do if she left the anchor post, according to the executives, including a daily talk show to be syndicated by CBS, or replacing Larry King in a prime-time position on CNN. (Ms. Couric was said to have dismissed out of hand the suggestion that she could return to morning television on the network’s perennially troubled “Early Show.”)

 

But the conclusion drawn from the meeting, the executives said, was that no decision about the anchor job would be made until after the presidential election and inauguration.

 

However, rumors from CBS News and reported in the news media may have, inadvertently or not, done what the meeting failed to do: ensured Ms. Couric’s early departure.

 

Though some people close to Ms. Couric, as well as some professional associates, said Thursday they believed that it was now likely she would not remain as anchor through the election, and might even leave in the next few weeks, that point was adamantly denied by the senior executives closest to the decision.

 

“Katie is absolutely going to continue as anchor until the inauguration and very possibly beyond that,” one said.

 

The executives involved in the situation said that no discussions of Ms. Couric’s future had taken place since the February meeting. Yet the news that she and CBS were even considering an end to the first effort to have a woman as the primary anchor of a network news division surfaced in press reports in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and elsewhere on Thursday, creating a situation that appeared to leave Ms. Couric vulnerable.

 

“She’s not a definite lame duck,” a senior executive who has been close to the situation said. “Nothing is decided.”

 

But after the great fanfare that accompanied her arrival at CBS (with a five-year contract at a salary of $15 million a year) and then a year and a half of disappointing ratings, even the hint that Ms. Couric might depart was hardly a development that CBS News needs.

 

The news division has been buffeted by a string of bad decisions and strange turns over the last several years, beginning with the firestorm over a report in 2004 on the weeknight edition of “60 Minutes” about President Bush’s National Guard service, and most recently including a near-revolt by staff members over the hiring of an executive producer on the “Early Show” — which resulted in her firing and yet another reassessment for that program.

 

Lawrence K. Grossman, former president of NBC News and of PBS, said CBS’s confirmation that it was discussing the possibility of replacing Ms. Couric was disconcerting and disruptive, and needed to be viewed in a broader context.

 

"It suggests the decline and fall of network news, which should come as no surprise,” Mr. Grossman said.

 

While networks have replaced evening news anchors in the past — including Peter Jennings (in his first incarnation as an anchor on ABC in the 1960s), as well as Barbara Walters and Harry Reasoner (who failed as an ABC anchor team) — Mr. Grossman noted that the future of those broadcasts, as well as the priority of news for the television networks, was never in doubt.

 

That is no longer true, he said, amid budget cuts at all the news divisions and recent reports that CBS News (as well as ABC News) had, at least on one occasion, discussed contracting out some news-gathering operations to CNN.

 

It is now assumed by most television executives that network news divisions cannot survive long term on their own, and may be compelled to strike partnerships with a cable news operation along the lines of television’s leading news division, NBC, which now relies on its sister cable network, MSNBC, for most of its news gathering.

 

One of the big reasons Mr. Moonves sought to hire Ms. Couric after her long success as an anchor on NBC’s “Today” show was the hope that her star power would revive the diminishing franchise of the network evening newscast. Ms. Couric has not shortchanged CBS in terms of star power — as the media uproar surrounding her rumored departure from the anchor chair proved.

 

But the audience levels have been, by any measure, disappointing. For the season the CBS newscast, already a distant third, has lost about 11 percent of its viewers.

[WWSBfan 0]

Oh well. Nobody likes her anyway.

[cbs2idiots 21]

I didnt watch her on the Today's show and I sure dont watch the CBS Evening News. All the best to her though and I hope the media does not embarrass her because she did not ask CBS to pay her all that money.

 

I hope CBS News learn from their mistake that offering someone a bag of money will not immediately fix the problem.

[Les Tremayne 2]

she did not ask CBS to pay her all that money

Actually, yes, she did. Or her agent did.

[stevieboy247 42]

I honestly think that she should have stayed on The Today Show. She made a bad choice by jumping to CBS, and look where it got her.

[ElliotJones 52]

Somewhere, Rodney Harris is screaming out a window.

[cbs2idiots 21]

Do you all notice reporters or anchors who had a higher profile at their prior station, when they move to another station trying to increase ratings they end up destroying their careers. It is happening very often now both local and national.

[Amra 130]

Katie should join the fluffballs at The Early Show and bring back Bob Schieffer to bring back the viewers and find a *suitable* replacement.

[lazynetjunkie 34]

Do you all notice reporters or anchors who had a higher profile at their prior station, when they move to another station trying to increase ratings they end up destroying their careers. It is happening very often now both local and national.

 

 

It's because there's alot more people with big egos so full of themselves that are in it just for the money in this business now.. I won't say names.

 

 

I personally know one anchor that has gotten offers left and right for quite a bit more than what he makes at the station he's currently at. He has no plans of leaving where he's at. He knows what he makes now is already enough for himself and his family. He's at the market's #1 station and he has job security there for pretty much until he retires or the rest of his life. Why would he want to risk it all for a contract that may pay him more for the next 5 years but if he "doesn't work out", he's out of a job and his previous station won't take him back because he's already been replaced. It's just stupid.

 

Some may say that this could be the way to really "make your high mark" in the business, but really, it isn't. All you're telling people is that your a buyout. There's a real way to grow and make your way up in this business. But the lure of alot more money from a station/network in desperation is not the way because you'll just end up falling to the bottom at the end whether it's getting canned or developing a reputation that has nothing to do with job performance. When the headline is that you took a job at another station because you were offered X amount of dollars, you're pretty much finished.

 

Some people forget too that a TV anchor/reporter is not a job that's widely available and it's not a growing job anymore. There is really a very limited number of positions of these TV anchor/reporter jobs altogether compared to almost every other line of work out there. The number of these TV anchor/reporter positions are really going down everyday. Unfortunately, there are alot of TV news talent are just too stupid or so full of themselves to realize that. I see it all the time in the line of work I do.

 

 

Plus, if Katie Couric got canned from the evening news and didn't get a job anywhere else at CBS or any other network, I really could care less. If she hasn't blown it all off already, she should still have most of the 15 million dollars a year she's already been paid and that's enough to last her the rest of her life or until she gets retrained in a new line of work. I care more about the ATA airline workers (or any regular joe worker for that matter) living paycheck to paycheck that has gotten layed off from their job.

[cityprod 9]

I think we have a case of overkill here. It's a RUMOUR! It is even confirmed fact yet, and here you guys are, celebrating someone possibly losing their job, who hasn't lost it yet!

 

People, get a grip here!

 

And besides which, Katie Couric is nowhere near as bad as you guys make her out to be. I used to watch her on the Today show, when it was on NBC Super Channel/NBC Europe, and I am able to watch her via podcast and Sky News. She's adjusted to the differing demands of evening news very well, and I think she can still continue anchoring the CBS Evening News for the remainder of her contract. I think she'll be contributing more to other programmes, such as 60 Minutes, in order for CBS to be getting better value for the money they've spent.

 

Should she go, then my choice to replace her would be Harry Smith, a CBS veteran who has covered on the Evening News many times and has shown himself to be excellent on evening news duty.

[WWSBfan 0]

Katie Couric's successor should be Scott Pelley

Commentary: Meanwhile, she might be better suited for Larry King's spot

 

 

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- In her relatively brief tenure as anchor of the "CBS Evening News," Katie Couric has survived more predicaments than "The Perils of Pauline."

 

 

Her show has consistently trailed its counterparts at General Electric's

 

NBC and Walt Disney's ABC. Whether Couric projected severity or used the breezier style that served her well as the co-host of NBC's "Today," she simply couldn't garner a significant audience for her nightly news broadcast.

 

For example, "CBS Evening News" wooed an average 5.9 million viewers in the week of March 31, compared to 8.3 million viewers for NBC's "Nightly News with Brian Williams" and 8 million for ABC's "World News with Charles Gibson," according to The Wall Street Journal.

 

Now, it appears, Couric will leave the anchor post before her contract expires in 2011, The Wall Street Journal noted. If the speculation is true, CBS shouldn't hesitate to announce that Scott Pelley will succeed her.

 

 

An ideal replacement

 

Pelley has been a top CBS reporter and a respected "60 Minutes" correspondent. He has the -- heaven help me -- gravitas for the anchor spot, known for displaying the straightforward narrative style of Brian Williams and Charles Gibson. Viewers want that from an evening-news anchor, and judging from the ratings debacle of "CBS Evening News," they haven't been getting it from Couric.

Pelley excelled when he covered President Bill Clinton in the late 1990s. He also was on the scene in Iraq, at the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the Branch Davidian standoff near Waco, Texas, and the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

 

Before CBS hired Couric in 2006, Pelley was regarded as one of the finalists for the job, along with John Roberts, who has since left CBS to join Time Warner's CNN as a co-host of its early-morning news show.

 

 

Of course, CBS could again take a nontraditional route if it has to replace Couric. There's no shortage of possible successors, including such well-known names as Diane Sawyer, co-host of "Good Morning America," and Lara Logan, who has made her mark at CBS by covering the war in Iraq. Plus, you can bet critics will be calling from successors ranging from Bob Schieffer, who acted as the bridge between Dan Rather and Couric, and even Comedy Central star Jon Stewart. Another worthy candidate for the job would be Russ Mitchell, another CBS News veteran.

 

This time, though, I believe CBS will stick to the script. There's just too much at stake for it to experiment again. The ratings battle among the television networks is as wide open as the 2008 presidential run.

 

Given the novelty factor alone, a fresh face at the CBS anchor desk could give the network an edge in the ratings war. If viewers like what they see in Pelley, they might stick around for the long run.

 

Taking Larry King's seat?

 

And whither Couric?

 

The Journal speculated that she may go on to replace Larry King on his popular CNN prime-time interview program. This is a fascinating scenario on many levels.

 

For a few years, CNN has toyed with the idea of replacing King. Although he's the network's most recognizable star, CNN is also under pressure to find a new host.

 

In the early 1990s, Phil Hartman routinely did a hilarious impersonation of King on "Saturday Night Live." Sadly, King now occasionally resembles that caricature. He stands out among talk-show hosts as one who isn't always prepared to ask his guests tough questions, preferring instead to pursue sensational, gossipy angles.

 

The television world, especially on news shows, is all about having star power. Stars garner publicity, and publicity often translates into high ratings (though it certainly didn't do that for Couric on CBS).

 

Yes, Larry King is a big star and he has had a fabulous career. But Couric is an even bigger star. She may have been a bad fit for the "CBS Evening News," but she remains a TV icon. CNN would be counting on that.

 

MEDIA WEB QUESTION OF THE DAY: Would you want to see Scott Pelley replace Katie Couric on the "CBS Evening News," and, in turn, Couric take over for Larry King on CNN?

 

FRIDAY STORY OF THE WEEK: "CBS News, Katie Couric Are Likely to Part Ways" by Rebecca Dana (Wall Street Journal, April 10). Read the story. (The Journal, like MarketWatch, is owned by News Corp.)

 

READERS RESPOND to my First Take commentary on Couric. I wrote that people shouldn't judge her ratings flop at "CBS Evening News" as a failure. Here are two heartfelt views on the subject, one effusive and the other succinct:

 

"Excellent article! I have been a Couric fan since she debuted on the 'Today' show. I thought it was a mistake for her to try the CBS anchor position, but who could blame her for giving it a shot? Still, it was nice to see someone put the facts out there without dragging her through the mud as some like to do."

 

-- Rick Tindal

 

"She failed, and you're an idiot."

 

-- Ron D. Beal

 

 

 

Well, what do you think?

[Ntropolis 593]

Scott Who?

 

I agree about Harry Smith... he's pretty good...

[WWSBfan 0]

Visit:

 

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/story.aspx?guid=%7BA0664772%2D7D44%2D4339%2D9113%2DCFE395998F15%7D&siteid=rss

[newsie 11]

AOL reported that she may go to CNN and Anderson Cooper may come over to CBS. We'll just have to see.

[ib-td 1]

CNN's loss.

[WAVY 10 Fan 232]

Whoever mentioned John Roberts had a point. He had basically been groomed for over a decade to succeed Dan Rather (much like NBC preparing Brian Williams to take over for Tom Brokaw).

 

IIRC, the newscast had actually managed to climb to a consistent 2nd place the last few months of Bob Schieffer's time as the "interim" guy; partly because ABC was in turmoil over Peter Jennings' death and the injury to Bob Woodruff.