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So, how did Katie Couric do on the CBS Evening News?
As expected, Katie Couric didn't drastically change how the networks do the nightly news, though there were a few interesting tweaks and one major scoop.
Couric has been saying that she wants to go deeper into the news headlines, and she seems to be doing that, by having more than one guest come on during a story about the war. At the same time, there seems to be less stories covered in the half hour than there used to be. And, of course, the web is going to play a big part in the program. The broadcast is the very first to be simulcast on the web live, and Couric is keeping a blog. Well, she started it. Looks like "CBS & Co." will be contributing, which probably means that Couric won't do much at all and other staff members and reporters will do most of the blogging.
One major new feature is the "Free Speech" segment, where a well-known personality gets to do a little essay on whatever is on their mind. Sort of like Nancy Giles does on CBS Sunday Morning, right down to the black background. Tonight it was Morgan Spurlock, who talked about the "smackdown hype" of the media and ratings and pundits. Future essayists will include Bill Clinton, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill Maher.
Another new feature: "SnapShots," which will...well, not really sure. I think it's classic pictures or something. Tonight they showed a vintage clip of Douglas Edwards from the CBS Evening News decades ago, holding up pictures of a baby Prince Charles. An odd choice for the first SnapShots segment, but maybe they wanted to tie it in to the history of The CBS Evening News.
The scoop: OH MY GOD SURI CRUISE EXISTS! The show had the cover of the new Vanity Fair (on newsstands tomorrow), which has an Annie Leibowitz photo of the baby, along with parents Tom and Katie. The other Katie, Holmes. This is the only part of the show I wasn't sure about. It's dangerously close to an infotainment show.
Couric ended the show by saying she hasn't figured out how to end each show. She showed a clip of other CBS news anchors and how they did it. She says if you have an idea, go to the web site and give her your suggestion. Maybe they'll even use it.
I think she should end each show by saying, "I'm Katie Couric, and I like asparagus."
As for the much-hyped James Horner score, they don't really play much of it before Walter Cronkite introduces the show. You know what would have been interesting? Dump the majestic movie score that all of the networks now use and go with a really bare, retro opening with just Cronkite announcing the show and maybe having one of those old ticker machines. Wouldn't that have been something?
OK, maybe the modern equivilent of the old news ticker, whatever that would be.
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