Even if that were their plan they certainly wouldn’t spin it that way.
Instead, the brass at the eye network would make it appear to viewers that Katie Couric herself made the decision to leave her cushy anchor job for greener pastures.
Enter the Wall Street Journal.
The paper recently ran an article in which it quotes CBS News executives and a select group of Couric’s inner circle saying what insiders predicted was bound to happen sooner rather than later: The former “Today” show host is expected to leave her post at CBS Evening News shortly after the January 2009 presidential inauguration, a full two years before her current contract with the network is slated to end.
I have dedicated many blogs to the challenges Couric has faced since jumping ship from the uber-popular NBC morning show to the low rated CBS Evening News. When the 51-year-old mother of two left her morning gig in September 2006 to become the first solo female anchor of an evening news broadcast the hype was unprecedented. Couric was touted as the media darling who had what it took to pull CBS from the bottom of the news heap and return it to the glory days when Walter Cronkite manned the anchor desk.
Unfortunately, Couric’s star power wasn’t enough to get the job done. The former “Today” show star started off with a bang, but ratings quickly slipped and her newscast eventually leveled off in distant third place behind ABC and NBC.
According to Nielsen Media Research, during the last week in March, Couric’s broadcast was watched by an average of 5.9 million viewers – compared to 8.3 million who tuned in NBC’s Nightly News With Brian Williams and 8 million for ABC’s World News With Charles Gibson.
In addition to her continual low ratings, Couric is one of the highest paid employees at CBS pulling in an estimated $15 million a year. And for a network that is slashing costs (and jobs) at its affiliates across the country it only makes sense that the target on Couric’s back would be growing.
As for CBS big wigs they glossed over the Wall Street Journal’s article saying there are no plans for any changes “regarding Katie or the broadcast.” Likewise, Couric’s rep released a separate statement to the media saying that her client is “working hard and having fun.”
Still, the paper maintains the only way Couric can save her job is if the ratings suddenly surge. Interestingly, though, there might be a way for Couric to step away from CBS’ sinking ship and still save face. According to the Wall Street Journal, Couric is in the running to succeed 74-year-old interviewer Larry King, whose CNN contract expires next year.
Would you like to see Couric stay at CBS or do you think it’s time the network gave her the boot?
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