The "Eye" Has It (Couric)
Many people have called on my journalism background to give a somewhat educated opinion regarding Katie curious jump from co-host of NBC's #1 rated morning show "Today" to become the anchor of the CBS Evening News. First things first. Before the announcement, which wasn't a surprise to anyone, I said she'd be committing "career suicide". I still think this is the case. The Tiffany network, once home to Edward R. Murrow, Douglas Edwards, Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather is going to break ground by becoming the first network to let a female anchor fly solo in its coveted chair. That is admirable, and I applaud them for the decision. However, Ms. Couric is no Cronkite, et al. Where do I even begin on this one? The reason I think she is committing career suicide is that her morning popularity will in no way translate to success at a sloppy CBS Evening News newscast. This is a newscast that has been slumbering for years now. Dan Rather only made it worse over time. The irony is Bob Schieffer, Rather's competent interim replacement, is driving the numbers up for the first time in ages. So, why bring in Couric? She still fits into a nice demographic. At 49, she can stick around for a while if everything goes well. She has star quality, overseeing the "Today" show's rise to inimitable success since 1991 when she was introduced simply as "Katherine Couric". It seems like everyone around her likes her. Jeffrey Zucker, former "Today" show EP and now the head of NBC Universal couldn't stop complimenting her this morning during an MSNBC appearance.
The question, though, still remains, "Did Katie Couric make the right move?" and how will it affect all three networks? That's something I'll address further this week.
I will say this. It does not appear as though money played an issue in this whole thing. It does not appear Katie was unhappy with the politics at NBC. Was it her schedule? Her kids? Something else we didn't know about? We can all just surmise at this point.
It wouldn't be fair of me to overlook Katie's amazing career. According to a CBS news release, "in May 2001, Couric was honored with a prestigious George Foster Peabody award for her series "Confronting Colon Cancer," which aired on "Today" in March 2000. Her husband, Jay Monahan, died of colon cancer in 1998 at the age of 42. She has also won six Emmys, a National Headliner Award, the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi award, an Associated Press Award, a Matrix Award, two Gracie Allen Awards, the Julius B. Richmond Award by the Harvard School of Public Health, and UNICEF's Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award. Her reporting on colon cancer also contributed to NBC News' 2001 Edward R. Murrow award (ironic)for Overall Excellence for the news department."
For now, that's strange places strange faces. Tomorrow, more on Katie plus a special time-piece about how I met Wilt Chamberlain.
The question, though, still remains, "Did Katie Couric make the right move?" and how will it affect all three networks? That's something I'll address further this week.
I will say this. It does not appear as though money played an issue in this whole thing. It does not appear Katie was unhappy with the politics at NBC. Was it her schedule? Her kids? Something else we didn't know about? We can all just surmise at this point.
It wouldn't be fair of me to overlook Katie's amazing career. According to a CBS news release, "in May 2001, Couric was honored with a prestigious George Foster Peabody award for her series "Confronting Colon Cancer," which aired on "Today" in March 2000. Her husband, Jay Monahan, died of colon cancer in 1998 at the age of 42. She has also won six Emmys, a National Headliner Award, the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi award, an Associated Press Award, a Matrix Award, two Gracie Allen Awards, the Julius B. Richmond Award by the Harvard School of Public Health, and UNICEF's Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award. Her reporting on colon cancer also contributed to NBC News' 2001 Edward R. Murrow award (ironic)for Overall Excellence for the news department."
For now, that's strange places strange faces. Tomorrow, more on Katie plus a special time-piece about how I met Wilt Chamberlain.
