CBS News Appears to Be Close to a Deal With Katie Couric

[RedEarth]

CBS's long courtship of Katie Couric has moved close to a conclusion, and a deal to recruit her away from NBC's "Today" show and into the nightly anchor chair at CBS News may be completed as early as this week, people close to the negotiations said today.

While Ms. Couric is under contract to NBC though the end of May and could not, under the terms of her current deal, have any formal talks with CBS or another network until the beginning of that month, NBC executives decided in recent days to permit Ms. Couric's representatives to discuss outside offers for her future services.

That decision, consistent with what representatives on both sides said has remained a completely amicable relationship between Ms. Couric and NBC, has finally speeded up CBS's effort to woo the "Today" host, an effort that began well over a year ago with an informal approach to Ms. Couric from the chairman of the CBS Corporation, Leslie Moonves.

CBS's pursuit of Ms. Couric has been the subject of a torrent of publicity over the past several months, with near-daily updates in some publications of Ms. Couric's inclinations to stay at NBC or leave for CBS.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/03/business/media/03cnd-cbs.html?hp&ex=1144123200&en=aaf945c7bf63b036&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[MadMaddie]

1. Couric will sink CBS News...she has a political bent (repug)

if they think they are losing viewership now....wait until she gets there..

NBC's Today show ratings will rise.....

[VegasWolf]

3. and the FReeks think she is a liberal. This is a no win situation. nt

[Lost4words]

39. whats to sink?

I would like to see a full staff change at the Today show, maybe there could be some real news added!

[The Straight Story]

55. What's wrong with a woman hosting the cbs news?

Hmmmm....

[Olney Blue]

2. But who's going to host Macy's Thanksgiving's Day parade?

:shrug:

[hatrack]

4. Murrow . . . Cronkite . . . Rather . . . Couric?

If we were talking presidents, it might be something along the lines of

Washington . . . Adams . . . Jefferson . . . Fillmore.

Except I'd be willing to wager that even Fillmore had more to offer in the Smarts Dept. than Perky Katie. :puke:

[dflprincess]

20. Like I said in another thread

it's like an SAT question. Which item does not belong with the others?

[dchill]

22. I'm graphing that trend in my mind...

It's
----- like
---------- a
-----------
------------
-------------
-------------
-------------
------------- ski slope.

[Delphinus]

28. CBS needs to remember

(or maybe they don't even care), she's not a journalist. She's an entertainer.

[Harper_is_Bush]

5. I lost all respect for her when she was amazed about the bad

information she'd been fed on the democrats while talking to Dean.

Stupid bimbo talking head.

[marmar]

6. Katie "Navy Seals Rock" Couric is so useless...

She'd be occupying the chair once occupied by Dan Rather? That's like John F. Kennedy's office being occupied by ..... George W. Bush. :yoiks:

[madaboutharry]

10. Yeah, we are really dumbed down.

It is truly a crying shame what we have become. I see this deal as an example of how we have fallen.

[midnight]

32. Canadian radio news.

Sometimes when I am waiting for a client to pick up, I am put on hold. I love it, because I get to hear there news. It just sounds more informative to me.

[blossomstar]

14. Good comparison.... makes me feel sick at the thought.

I still miss Dan Rather...

[jaxx]

7. Ms. Couric giggles. And gushes.

It's freakin unbecoming to a reporter. Let Fox have her.

[MadMaddie]

8. Yea Fox would be a good fit for her....

[goclark]

18. Weary of seeing her face in the morning

(can not look at her before I eat) and I can't bare to watch her before or after dinner.


What a waste she is to the Media.

[saigon68]

27. Like this other Princess

Maybe the 2 of them can engage in a song and dance routine




Along with this guy

[bigluckyfeet]

49. I Saw John Roberts of CBS

On CNN last night,I was really surprised,there must be a shakeup going on at CBS.

[wellst0nev0ter]

56. Yeah, He Bolted After Being Passed Over

it's too bad, he won me over after his "sloppy seconds" comment when Scalito was nominated :)

[corporatemedia]

9. Walter Cronkite will be rolling over in his grave.....

when he dies.

[Canuckistanian]

12. Nice recovery

[AngryOldDem]

36. Wonder how many RPMs Murrow is up to now? n/t

[ovidsen]

11. She will fail miserably

That's just my opinion, based on my own focus groups (otherwise referred to as family and friends).

She has no brains and no credibility. Why CBS would commit ratings and reputation suicide like this is totally beyond me. This goes beyond politics. She's just a dim bulb.

[aquart]

24. When she fails, they'll say we wouldn't accept a woman anchor

in such a prestigious post.

[leftyladyfrommo]

37. I Won't Watch CBS Anymore.

I like Bob Scheiffer. And I really don't like Couric. I will switch over to ABC.

[AX10]

13. Sad. They should just keep Schieffer.

Couric is a bimbo and a mediawhore.

[radwriter0555]

15. Who on earth does this kind of idiocy matter to?

Seriously? Are americans so brain dead and moronic that they CARE who's face is on a teevee?

[Roland99]

16. Les must have a crush on her.

[Pastiche423]

23. Do you mean Pasqual?

Can he actually be that stupid?

[dchill]

17. Breaking news (in my mind...)

"CBS TO DISCONTINUE ACTUAL NEWS OPERATIONS"

"couric to host nightly feel-good propaganda hour"

:puke:

[tanyev]

19. They'll have to reconfigure the news set to take full advantage

of her virtuoso interviewing technique: short skirt, legs crossed, top leg swinging back and forth, and shoe dangling (if backless). Swear to God I've seen it. She probably spit out a piece of gum right before they went on the air.

[dchill]

21. Lots of fake leather...

and plastic woodgrain.

[godai]

33. And big, big, big, big smile...

[tanyev]

34. Oh, and the thick, gloppy mascara!

Did she do her own makeup at 4:30 in the morning? Maybe CBS will have a competent make-up person for her.

[Sin]

41. Thats not nearly big as it can get

http://imageshack.us>

If your not careful she will de-hinge her jaw and eat you.
The job will be hers its her precious.

If they do choose her they would have been better off flipping open the telephone book and picking a name at random.

[superconnected]

45. Gummy.

[Beausoir]

54. Yep. Those shiny legs are going to be the main focus.

I've seen it too. She squirms like a she has to relieve herself..all the while the camera focuses on her greasy legs.

Great news reader.

[dmr]

25. This saddens me

CBS is the only broadcast news I watch, and I don't believe Couric is CBS material.

She lost whatever credibility I had for her during a Howard Dean interview she did not long ago. She all but called Dean a liar when he explained more than once that not one Democrat accepted one penny from Jack Abramoff. Even after she said she'd look into his assertions - she lacked the professionalism to report back on air that Dean was telling the truth. Then to add insult to injury, the next day her co-host Matt Lauer took her off the hook and gave a half-assed, GOP-slanted follow-up.

I guess CBS is looking for cute, though I think Couric is beyond cute these days. I watch CBS because they don't major in fluff, and tend to be more honest.

I'll try to be an optimist, and hope Couric wants to be taken seriously, and will do serious reporting, but I can't help but think she'll be just another body reading the news.

Time will tell, I guess ...

[Nomen Tuum]

26. One liar replaces another.

Ms "Navy Seals Rock" replaces Bob, "My Brother is Bush's AmbASSador to Australia" Scheiffer.

A far cry from Murrow and Cronkite.

[Justice]

29. For the life of me, I do not get this, Couric is no anchor

It makes no sense to me at all. I give it what - 4 months.

[JerseygirlCT]

30. Totally lacking in gravitas. Can't see this working at all. nt

[matcom]

31. Navy Seals RRRAAAAWWWWKKKK!

:eyes:

[AngryOldDem]

35. Don't understand it....

They let John Roberts get away and then hire Katie Couric.

:shrug:

[WinkyDink]

38. I will never watch Miss Gummy. YUCK.

And John Roberts was The Man.

[Bridget Burke]

40. CBS was the only evening news I still watched.

Too bad.

[BlueStater]

42. I don't understand

Why didn't they pick John Roberts? He seemed to be the natural successor to Rather. Instead they pick HER?

I haven't been able to stand Couric for awhile now. Just another GOP liar masquerading as a journalist. Yuck

[arwalden]

43. I'll Stop Watching (Recording) CBS Evening News If She's The Anchor.

Other than "The NewsHour" on PBS, the "CBS Evening News" was one of the few network news programs that I'd watch. The other one that I record/watch regularly is the PBS rebroadcast of "BBC World News".

CBS is making a mistake. If they *must* replace Bob Schieffer, there are so many other better in-house choices.

Unless... CBS is only trying to get Couric away from the top-ranked "Today" show... at the temporary sacrifice of the CBS Evening News... so that the CBS morning show won't have as much competition. Later they dump Couric from the CBS evening news, and the Today show is STILL sans-Couric, and then CBS can get someone that's more suited for the evening anchor duties.

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

44. so we have Campbell Brown on one network and Katie C on the other-

perfect

[gauguin57]

46. Pardonnez-moi, but didn't CBS watch the tape of her anchor trial on NBC?

She was absolutely HORRIBLE ... they tried her out a few times as a weekend anchor, and she could barely read the damn news, let along run a cohesive half-hour show. Stumbled, stammered and flicked her hair out of her eyes.

I hope Uncle Walter calls CBS and rips 'em a new one!

[BoneDaddy]

47. Who cares?

I mean really. No offense to the OP, it's just I could give a rat's ass about KC.

[OKthatsIT]

48. gross

[high density]

50. Huge waste of $$$$$$$$$ for CBS

I can't believe all of this buzz around her, she's horrible.

[LisaM]

51. There'll be nine million stories on colon cancer screening

and not much else.

She can't be worse than Connie Chung was, though.

I'll reserve judgement. I thought Brian Williams was going to be horrible and he has skillfully managed to get some meaty stories onto NBC (as I say - it's not how they cover the stories, it's what they choose to cover). It may be that once she gets away from the Today Show, she'll have something to offer us.

[Raine]

53. Yes I have been pleasantly surprised

by Brian Williams, NBC is the station I watch now for national news.

[Raine]

52. Typical of big corporations

to just dump the older person in favor of someone younger no matter how stupid a decision it is. x(