COURIC A CANDIDATE TO REPLACE RATHER?Byline: David Kronke Television Writer NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. ``Today'' show co-host Katie Couric Katherine Anne "Katie" Couric (born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist who became well-known as co-host of NBC's Today. In 2006, she made a highly publicized move from NBC to CBS, and on September 5, 2006 she became the first woman to solo-anchor of the weekday has been approached about replacing outgoing ``CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. Evening News'' anchor Dan Rather, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a Monday report by Time magazine. When Rather announced his retirement in November, Couric, 48, seemed to toss her hat in the ring by asking, ``Why is it always white guys we're talking about?'' Whatever her intent, industry observers started taking her chances of replacing Rather very seriously (her NBC colleagues Matt Lauer Matthew Todd Lauer (December 30, 1957)[1] is an American television personality, best known as a co-host of NBC's The Today Show (since 1994)[1] after being a news anchor in New York [2] and Tim Russert Timothy John Russert, Jr. (born May 7, 1950) is an American journalist who has hosted NBC's Meet the Press since 1991. He is the Washington Bureau Chief for NBC News, and hosts Tim Russert, a weekly interview program on MSNBC. also have been mentioned, as has her morning counterpart at ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. , Diane Sawyer  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . ). Couric's $15-million-a-year contract with NBC ends next year, and few doubt that Couric lacks the wherewithal to overcome her reputation as a ``perky'' TV personality. ``She could pull it off, but 'Today' would be crazy to let her go,'' says Robert Thompson, founding director of Syracuse University's Center for the Study of Popular Television. ``She's already making a ton of money and she's probably worth twice that. The Katie-Matt (Lauer) combo is the best in all of morning television.'' Whoever replaces Rather will be inheriting a hot seat. The network's newscast has long been mired mire n. 1. An area of wet, soggy, muddy ground; a bog. 2. Deep slimy soil or mud. 3. A disadvantageous or difficult condition or situation: the mire of poverty. v. in third place (behind NBC and ABC). Its reputation has suffered from the discredited ``60 Minutes Wednesday'' report on President George W. Bush's National Guard duty, which Rather reported on the air. Four members of a CBS news staff were fired but Rather remains on the job after announcing he would retire in March. CBS News has remained tight-lipped tight·lipped also tight-lipped adj. 1. Having the lips pressed together. 2. Loath to speak; close-mouthed. See Synonyms at silent. about Rather's replacement and would not comment for this story. (No one at KCBS KCBS Kansas City Barbecue Society KCBS Korea Christian Book Service (now called KCB; Seoul, Korea) KCBS Kerala Catholic Bible Society (Kerala, India) , the local affiliate, wanted to be quoted, either.) Selecting Rather's replacement is ``hugely important,'' says Warren Olney, host of KCRW-FM's ``Which Way L.A.?'' and ``To the Point'' and a former TV news anchor and reporter. ``This person is the face of CBS News, replacing the man who replaced Walter Cronkite, who was the venerable face of TV news. That person will epitomize the network's credibility. It's a great opportunity for them to reshape their image.'' ``The anchor at CBS News is a significant player in the shaping of the evening broadcast,'' adds Al Tompkins, Broadcast/Online Group Leader at the Poynter Institute, a Florida-based school of journalism. ``An unblemished fresh face would not carry the baggage that comes with Rather.'' But, cautions Olney, ``It seems to me if they hire someone from outside, it's almost as if they're saying, 'We didn't have anybody good enough to do the job.' This would be a morale issue.'' Though they're hardly household names, two CBS veterans - John Roberts and Scott Pelley - are among those most often named as likely successors. ``They're solid choices in the traditional white-male model - and I don't think either one will be chosen,'' says Tompkins. Other names being bandied about are CNN's Anderson Cooper, CBS correspondent Mika Brzezinski and even ABC's Ted Koppel. It's also been suggested that if CBS can't get Couric now, the network might choose someone with a lower profile and let that person prove his or her worth. CBS correspondent Byron Pitts and MSNBC's Lester Holt also have been mentioned. Pitts, Holt and Brzezinski have something in common - they're not white men. ``It would be nice if they got somebody different that would go outside the box,'' Olney says. ``It would speak to a much more diverse TV audience that now exists for CBS News and help them compete with cable. Here's an opportunity for CBS to do something different. If they don't shake things up, it could be they'll be looking more at the past than the future.'' David Kronke,(818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Katie Couric may be in contention for the CBS news anchor job. Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com |
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