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Couric becomes brand of CBS, but will it work?

All hopes are on the CBS's new celebrity, but 60 Minutes commentator Andy Rooney told radio host Don Imus Wednesday "I don't know anybody at CBS News who is pleased she's coming here," and he's not the only one with reservations about the move.

By ERIC DEGGANS
Published April 5, 2006

Now that all involved have finally confirmed Katie Couric will be the next flagship anchor at CBS News, a few important questions remain: Will her celebrity be enough to reverse the sinking fortunes of the network news business?

And given that women have been among the highest-paid and most powerful people in network TV news for years, does it matter much that Couric has made history as the first woman hired to lead a network newscas4 solo?

"It's a historic and watershed moment for women in TV news...(and) it's a shame we had to wait so long to enter the 20th Century, let alone the 21st century," said Connie Chung, who herself made history as the first Asian-American named as anchor to a network evening newscast when she shared the job with Dan Rather from 1993 to 1995.

"I used to think I would never see a woman anchor the network evening news alone in my lifetime," added Chung, 59, who has also worked as an anchor for NBC, ABC and CNN, most recently hosting a weekend talk show on MSNBC with her husband, Maury Povich. "This was the last vestige of male dominance. She already accomplished the unthinkable...just by getting the job."

Couric, 49, ended what she herself called the "worst kept secret in America" Wednesday morning, acknowledging she would end her tenure as the longest-serving anchor on NBC's Today show in May, moving to CBS to take over as top news anchor.

"Sometimes I think change is a good thing," said Couric during a tribute to her 15 years on Today. "Although it may be terrifying to get out of your comfort zone, it's also exciting to start a new chapter in your life."

Shortly after her announcement, NBC and CBS both distributed press releases confirming details which had been reported for months: that Couric would join CBS in September to serve as anchor and managing editor of The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, also contributing to the legendary newsmagazine 60 Minutes and anchoring prime-time specials.

Spokespeople at CBS and NBC declined to comment beyond their press releases. Because NBC allowed Couric to negotiate with CBS early and the anchor has emphasized the importance of respecting her time at the peacock network, official word on this long rumored transition has been scarce.

According to Bloomberg News, Couric was offered $20-million annually to stay at NBC, but accepted a deal paying $13-million to $15-million - which still makes her one of the highest-paid news anchors in network television - for the history-making status of moving to CBS.

And Couric's status as the biggest celebrity to take an evening news anchor job brings big time implications, from questions about how CBS' newscast will change under her leadership to still-unconfirmed rumors that The View co-host Meredith Vieira will replace her on the Today show.

Some critics said Couric's hiring was a desperation move by CBS, a final misguided decision in their attempts to recover from the mistaken 60 Minutes Wednesday story on President Bush's National Guard service which pushed longtime anchor Dan Rather off the evening news.

Since Rather's departure in March 2005, interim CBS anchor Bob Schieffer has established a more traditional newscast, gaining nearly 200,000 viewers this season compared to a year ago. If CBS were to build a less traditional newscast around Couric, the network might lose many viewers from their current audience.

A poll this week by the Associated Press and TV Guide hinted at that possibility, with nearly half of the 615 adults polled saying she should stay in mornings, with 29 percent preferring her on the evening news. And though CBS' release featured gushing quotes from network president Les Moonves and Schieffer, 60 Minutes commentator Andy Rooney told radio host Don Imus Wednesday "I don't know anybody at CBS News who is pleased she's coming here."

"CBS News has already righted itself...It turns out they had all the talent they needed in house," said Andrew Tyndall, a New York network news analyst, who added broadcasters cannot afford using high-priced stars to save their newscasts.

"The way in which any journalistic news organization is going to attract a (new) audience is by what medium it delivers the news," he said. "You may watch TV because of a face, but you download content because you want the content."

But others noted that CBS can spread Couric's image throughout its news product, in the same way the network touted talk show host David Letterman on their airwaves when he came over from NBC in 1993. In Couric's case, she might tape segments for CBS' ratings-challenged Early Show, or serve as the face of podcasts, Web casts, Web logs, cell phone updates and much more.

"In this cluttered media landscape, recognition and the automatic, encyclopedic knowledge you have about a bona fide celebrity like Katie, is a very valuable commodity," said Inside Edition anchor Deborah Norville, who preceded Couric as anchor on Today.

"Katie will be the brand of CBS News...You will see her face attached to every CBS product out there," added Norville, who was fired from Today in 1991. "Katie has 15 years of history with people...That's the power of celebrity. The challenge for CBS will be to produce a compelling enough newscast to keep those curiosity seekers who sample the show coming back."

CBS' press release on Couric's move touts her hard news credentials - work covering the Pentagon and the first Persian Gulf War as a reporter; interviews with O.J. Simpson and the last five presidents; stints anchoring coverage of the 9/11 attacks, the execution of Oklahoma city bomber Timothy McVeigh and NBC's end of the millenium coverage.

Her path to top anchor status from the Today show mimics the route taken by recently retired anchor Tom Brokaw and Barbara Walters, who left NBC when she was nearly Couric's age to become the first woman hired as anchor of a network newscast in 1976, joining Harry Reasoner at ABC.

Indeed, all the talk about Couric's impact as a female anchor puzzled Marvin Kalb, a former correspondent for CBS and NBC news who served as host of NBC's Meet the Press. Kalb noted that women such as The View's Walters and Good Morning America's Diane Sawyer have been among network TV's most powerful news anchors for years.

"All of TV news has been changing, with more interviews and soft features...so if CBS changes its newscast to match Katie's style, that would be in keeping with recent trends," he said. "What makes people write about this is that she's a woman, and (critics) are wondering if a woman can do it. Well, they've already proven that."

Chung is just glad to see two women of a certain age - Couric turns 50 in January and Vieira is 52 - poised for serious success in the often youth- and male-dominated network TV news industry (both Chung's and Walter's stints as evening news anchors only lasted a few years).

"Barbara Walters and me...we were asked to join someone who had to move over a few inches...and I don't begrudge those men their resentment," she said. "I know what these networks are like and why they find it so hard to change. I'm just enjoying this moment for women."

Material from Times wires was used in this report. Eric Deggans can be reached at 727 893-8521 or deggans@sptimes.com See his blog at www.sptimes.com/blogs/media/

[Last modified April 5, 2006, 21:26:02]