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Happy Anniversary Katie!

by Bob Sassone, posted Sep 5th 2007 8:06AM
Katie CouricSo much controversy about Katie Couric taking over The CBS Evening News. And now here it is a year later (she started on September 5, 2006), so I have to ask: how do you think she's doing?

I'll admit I had my doubts and might have even expressed them here, but in reality, I think she's doing fine. She can't do anything about the ratings, and the show was in third place long before Couric took over. As Bill Maher said when he was asked at the time how Couric was going to do, "I think she'll read the teleprompter fine." And she's done a fine job. Sure, there were some odd growing pains, like addressing the audience by saying "Hi everyone," the "Picture of the Week" and "First Person" segments that were dropped, and it looked a while there like they were going to end each episode by showing her legs, but the show has gotten a lot better.

Case in point: Katie is in Iraq this week. Now, it's probably not a coincidence that she's there during the first anniversary of her taking over the show, but her reports have been first rate. And last night they took the entire first 15 minutes of the show and devoted it to her reports from Iraq, went back to Harry Smith for other news (great to have pros like Smith and Russ Mitchell at the desk when Couric's away), then went back to her in Iraq to close the show. You don't see that too often on network news, where there's only 22 minutes or so each night.

How do you think Couric is doing? And don't answer my mentioning her gender. As if having testicles and a deeper voice makes a person deliver the news any better (see also Sanchez, Rick). I have no idea how long Couric is going to stay in the anchor chair, but if she leaves or is taken off it will be for reasons other than because she can't deliever the news.

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nickmagoo

uwatching her in iraq toe the party line of the generals and bush made me cringe. c'mon folks, there's no actual reporting going on here, just regurgitation of other people's ideas and so called "facts." that said, she seems like a decent person, not like that has anything to do with "news." of course, none of the networks really do any actual reporting, especially when it comes to this war. they all lost any shred of credibility quite a while ago.

September 05 2007 at 8:04 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
r.r.r.

the beginning was a little awkward at first, but now she's rocks it. i hope she sticks around. :)

September 05 2007 at 2:51 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Dave

I've never seen even a second of Katie on the news. Is network news even relevant anymore?

September 05 2007 at 11:02 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
omar

i think we can all agree on having andy rooney as the lead anchor of the news.

September 05 2007 at 9:54 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Chris

You can't brush away ratings; yes the network was in third place before she started (thanks Dan!) but the gap widened with her role.

Network TV news is a dying affair anyway, so it's almost a moot point who's in first place....we generally have so many options for obtaining news and opinion that we don't need it pre-packaged in a glossy 22 minute format every night before dinner. That's a bigger problem for the networks than whether or not to show Katie's legs.

Chris

September 05 2007 at 9:47 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jim

Katie's been on for a year, but you're still using that same photo from her first night on the job!

September 05 2007 at 9:43 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
JW

Eh, bring back Dan or Bob Schiefer.

September 05 2007 at 9:17 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mischelle

I like Katie and I think she's doing great. I also like that my daughter can see a woman as an anchor on the evening news. Congratulations, Katie! Keep up the good work.

September 05 2007 at 9:12 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
stephanie foy

katie used 2B cool, now?, nothing but another hollywood head giver

September 05 2007 at 8:48 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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