CBS doesn’t need to do anything for Katie Couric’s one-year anniversary to remind themselves they are in last place.
Just a year ago, expectations were high for Couric to be a new kind of anchor, but even “radical” departures like starting the program with “Hi, everyone” couldn’t take CBS out of third.
Sean McManus, president of the news division, told the LA Times that the risks were a mistake:
I really believed that it was possible if we did a different kind of newscast, that we could attract some newer and younger viewers, … I didn’t think we anticipated as well as we probably should have the resistance to change on the part of the viewing audience for the 6:30 newscast … At this point in history, it’s probably not worth taking those chances … You’re better off sticking to basics.
One longtime producer who remained anonymous was blunter:
How many times can you re-kick a deflated ball? … A lot of people have that sense that it’s just not working. At the end of the day, she’s just not the person for the Evening News job.
News executives insist they expect her to stay at the anchor desk for her five-year contract.
Surprisingly, neither ABC nor NBC executives issued statements insisting that Charlie Gibson or Brian Williams would fill their contracts.
Editorial Director
Look! Wake up and smell the coffee!! Katie Couric was ok for a morning program that people half listened to while preparing for the day. She does not make it as an individual with serious insight into news and complex current events. Other anchors may not be any brighter or more astute than Couric. But they don’t carry the baggage of having been associated with the am half-awake coffee and cereal hour.
The network should cut their losses and admit the error. Spare themselves and Couric the death of a thousand cuts.