COURIC GEARING UP FOR BIG NIGHT DEBUT.Byline: DAVID David, in the Bible David, d. c.970 B.C., king of ancient Israel (c.1010–970 B.C.), successor of Saul. The Book of First Samuel introduces him as the youngest of eight sons who is anointed king by Samuel to replace Saul, who had been deemed a failure. KRONKE Staff Writer 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 doesn't want to believe the hype. True, she'll make history when she becomes the first permanent female solo anchor in a broadcast network evening newscast when she takes over ``The CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. Evening News'' Sept. 5. But she finds coverage of the event ``excessive,'' adding, ``I don't think (viewers) are nearly as interested as (the media) are.'' ``I'll be excited to get started on the job and stop talking about it,'' Couric told reporters at a Sunday morning Sunday Morning may refer to:
Nonetheless, the hoopla hoop·la n. Informal 1. a. Boisterous, jovial commotion or excitement. b. Extravagant publicity: The new sedan was introduced to the public with much hoopla. 2. surrounding her coronation is unmistakable. Oddsmakers are even taking bets on how many viewers her debut will attract. One sportsbook's odds favor her exceeding the 8.4 million viewers that tuned in for her final appearance on NBC's ``Today,'' while another favors her drawing between 7 and 7.5 million viewers, roughly what the newscast averages now. ``I could rig it,'' CBS Chairman Les Moonves joked. ``I could add promotion, hold promotions, do whatever I want to do.'' More seriously, he said, ``I think Katie's gonna do great. We don't do predictions. All we're saying is, give her a chance.'' Still, CBS News CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. Its current president is Sean McManus who is also head of CBS Sports. Current productions Current television shows
Sean J. conceded that when Couric debuts, ``They're going to micro-analyze everything -- what the (updated) set looks like, what Katie's wearing. ... By December, less people will be talking about Katie and be talking about the newscast.'' While former CBS news anchor Dan Rather expects good things from Couric -- ``She doesn't need my advice,'' he said -- Marc Berman, ratings analyst for Mediaweek, isn't sure she'll have much impact. ``I'm sure initially ratings will go through the roof for Katie ... but once the dust settles, and it will probably take a few weeks, I don't think ratings will be any better, or any worse,'' he said. Some critics suggest Couric's persona lacks the gravitas grav·i·tas n. 1. Substance; weightiness: a frivolous biography that lacks the gravitas of its subject. 2. to anchor an evening newscast. On her final appearance on ``Today,'' 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. presented montages honoring her, and even the tribute to her hard-news abilities ended with images of her singing and dancing. ``This is a very different venue'' from morning TV, Couric acknowledged. ``Hopefully there will come opportunities when I can interact with people and have fun doing a story. ... I was privileged that `Today' let me do many things and have fun as well. That doesn't take away from the fact that we did important, penetrating stories and newsworthy interviews on the program.'' Currently, CBS ranks third among the evening newscasts, averaging 7.4 million viewers, although since Bob Schieffer Bob Lloyd Schieffer (born February 25, 1937) is an American journalist who has been with CBS News since 1969, serving 23 years as anchor on the Saturday edition of CBS Evening News replaced Rather, ratings have gone up 4 percent from last year. NBC attracts 9.2 million nightly, down 6 percent from last year. 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. has 8.3 million viewers, down 10 percent from last year, though since Charlie Gibson became ``World News Tonight's'' permanent anchor, the slide has abated somewhat. ``When we went to get her, it wasn't about portability,'' Moonves said. ``She's a very valuable journalist, she's a very valuable personality.'' Previously, Moonves had advocated employing two nightly news anchors, decrying the ``voice-of-God'' mentality in having a single, stentorian sten·to·ri·an adj. Extremely loud: a stentorian voice. See Synonyms at loud. [After Stentor, a loud-voiced Greek herald in the Iliad. anchor. He said that despite having a single anchor, his opinion has not changed. For the past week, Couric has traveled the country conducting town hall meetings with TV news viewers. She said she found viewers ``want more perspective, they want news stories placed in a greater context. There's the limitation of presenting news in 22 minutes, but you can go a little bit deeper. ``How you tell the story may be more a factor than the length, and sometimes the length of the story will dictate how you can go deeper. People are hungry for and interested in the gray areas of stories, for nuanced reporting.'' Couric said she wasn't thinking about her place in TV history when she pursued her new job. ``Being the first woman was not a motivating factor for me,'' she said, though she admitted when discussing the decision with her children, ``My 10-year-old was channeling Helen Reddy -- she said, `Mom, you've got to do this! You'll be the first woman!' I said, `Where did you come from?'' david.kronke(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3638 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: New ``CBS Evening News'' anchor Katie Couric, right, and Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports, answer reporters' questions in Pasadena on Sunday. Lucas Jackson/Associated Press |
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