By Tim Goodman
San Francisco Chronicle
April 6, 2006
CBS just spent a lot of money to put an iPod in its Edsel.
One of the worst-kept secrets in the television industry was made official Wednesday when perky "Today" show host -- that's host, not anchor -- Katie Couric announced she would leave NBC at the end of May and eventually join "CBS Evening News" and "60 Minutes."
Which brings up a whole lot of issues -- none of them very nice.
Couric will become the first solo female anchor on an evening newscast, which in 2006 is a little like saying she's been given her own channel on CB radio. Nevertheless, the announcement certainly increased chatter in the media universe. Apparently Couric will be paid slightly less than Bill Gates to become -- this is just so hard to say -- "Anchor and Managing Editor of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric," as the ever-so-proud CBS press release stated. In a phony world of "gets" -- or exclusives -- CBS got the girl, so to speak.
Which invites the question, why is this a big deal?
Having said countless times that the evening news as it's delivered on the broadcast networks is a dinosaur, a relic of a three-channel universe, where's the glory in landing a morning talk show host? On the West Coast in particular, the idea of a network news broadcast "of record" is kind of quaint. Unless your boss lets you out early, chances are you're going to be stuck in rush hour traffic when Couric makes her debut.
Not to be a broken record about it, but the era of the Iconic Anchor is over. Even before Tom Brokaw retired and Peter Jennings died and Dan Rather was unceremoniously unseated at CBS, we were living in a time when the term "anchor" was more historical tag than something tangible, relevant or even important. Despite the fact that the combined audience for the three broadcast network newscasts is greater than cable, 24-hour cable news channels long ago siphoned away the importance of three authoritative men telling the country the woes of the day. The Cronkite Era was essentially diminished long before Messrs. Brokaw, Jennings and Rather were at the end of their respective runs.
So why is Couric such a big deal? Well, an argument could be made -- and there's no disrespect intended here -- that NBC's Brian Williams and ABC's tandem of Elizabeth Vargas and Bob Woodruff (injured in Iraq but recovering) just don't have the star power of Couric.
And they don't if, in fact, star power is the reason CBS is hiring her -- which it is. Gravitas is a nonfactor because, she doesn't have it. Though Couric announced her departure on the very day of her 15th anniversary as co-host of "Today," that tenure hasn't exactly been filled with weighty journalistic accomplishments. True, Couric has been a reporter and she has anchored serious news reports and breaking news. But it's not as if those moments will be considered memorable for their journalistic merit -- and her shameless work covering the Columbine tragedy still galls to this day.
By any estimation, CBS already has, in Bob Schieffer, the most experienced and sound journalist of any broadcast network newscast. Though Schieffer did improve ratings from the tail end of Rather's tenure, he hasn't boosted CBS into the No. 1 newscast, which is clearly the reason Couric was hired.
Which brings us to the next unpleasant topic: Do people really like Couric? More important, will enough Couric fans flock from NBC's "Today" show to "CBS Evening News" just to watch her? And watch her do what? Read the news? Though Couric's appeal has always seemed a mystery on this end, one would guess that her fans like her personality, which is normally not on display when you're "managing editor" of anything.
The other unknown here is whether viewers who are currently favoring "CBS Evening News" with Schieffer will go for Couric, who tends to have a polarizing effect on people.
Obviously CBS believes they will (or, even better, those loyal viewers will be replaced by younger ones -- and good luck with that). In a sure sign that CBS knew an evaluation of Couric might end up with the conclusion she's a lightweight, albeit a popular one, the CBS press release on her hire was rife with pronouncements that she is going to keep the historic news foundation at CBS rock solid.
This from Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports: "Katie joining our team signifies not only her commitment to doing first-rate journalism, but our strong commitment to producing the highest quality work done by the best reporters, producers and writers in television news. She is a key ingredient as we work toward our goal of making CBS News the number one news organization in America. This organization was built on quality and integrity, and Katie and her CBS News colleagues will continue to carry that legacy into the 21st century."
And this from the mastermind of the whole deal, Les Moonves, president and CEO of CBS: "With this move, our news division takes yet another giant leap forward. Katie is simply one of the best in the business and represents a tremendous addition to CBS News, which continues to grow and improve every day under Sean's leadership. Seasoned broadcasters who are at once respected, charismatic and known throughout this country and beyond are increasingly important in this fragmented media landscape. I'm proud to have a talent like Katie who personifies this rare combination of qualities, and look forward to the many contributions that she will make not only to our developing evening news broadcast, but to our entire news operation."
Perhaps both men were too modest to mention that Couric also created a blueprint for lasting peace in Iraq and is this close to cloning humans.
In a world not media or celebrity obsessed, there would be no inane hoopla surrounding Couric's hire. She would simply be allowed to transition from a show with cooking segments to a show that sells ads about dentures. But that's not our world, so one expects a certain uptick in the almighty Nielsen numbers, if for nothing else than curiosity.
After that? Well, Couric will have traded in her trendy sandals and odd sartorial choices for the blandness of the anchor uniform -- perhaps some kind of sensible unisex suit? She will not revolutionize the delivery mechanism first popularized by Uncle Walter, but she does have a better smile. In the plus column, she will certainly rankle the cranks on "60 Minutes." Negatively, she will be there to wrangle a tear out of someone during the next national tragedy.
You know, the one after this.
San Francisco Chronicle
April 6, 2006
CBS just spent a lot of money to put an iPod in its Edsel.
One of the worst-kept secrets in the television industry was made official Wednesday when perky "Today" show host -- that's host, not anchor -- Katie Couric announced she would leave NBC at the end of May and eventually join "CBS Evening News" and "60 Minutes."
Which brings up a whole lot of issues -- none of them very nice.
Couric will become the first solo female anchor on an evening newscast, which in 2006 is a little like saying she's been given her own channel on CB radio. Nevertheless, the announcement certainly increased chatter in the media universe. Apparently Couric will be paid slightly less than Bill Gates to become -- this is just so hard to say -- "Anchor and Managing Editor of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric," as the ever-so-proud CBS press release stated. In a phony world of "gets" -- or exclusives -- CBS got the girl, so to speak.
Which invites the question, why is this a big deal?
Having said countless times that the evening news as it's delivered on the broadcast networks is a dinosaur, a relic of a three-channel universe, where's the glory in landing a morning talk show host? On the West Coast in particular, the idea of a network news broadcast "of record" is kind of quaint. Unless your boss lets you out early, chances are you're going to be stuck in rush hour traffic when Couric makes her debut.
Not to be a broken record about it, but the era of the Iconic Anchor is over. Even before Tom Brokaw retired and Peter Jennings died and Dan Rather was unceremoniously unseated at CBS, we were living in a time when the term "anchor" was more historical tag than something tangible, relevant or even important. Despite the fact that the combined audience for the three broadcast network newscasts is greater than cable, 24-hour cable news channels long ago siphoned away the importance of three authoritative men telling the country the woes of the day. The Cronkite Era was essentially diminished long before Messrs. Brokaw, Jennings and Rather were at the end of their respective runs.
So why is Couric such a big deal? Well, an argument could be made -- and there's no disrespect intended here -- that NBC's Brian Williams and ABC's tandem of Elizabeth Vargas and Bob Woodruff (injured in Iraq but recovering) just don't have the star power of Couric.
And they don't if, in fact, star power is the reason CBS is hiring her -- which it is. Gravitas is a nonfactor because, she doesn't have it. Though Couric announced her departure on the very day of her 15th anniversary as co-host of "Today," that tenure hasn't exactly been filled with weighty journalistic accomplishments. True, Couric has been a reporter and she has anchored serious news reports and breaking news. But it's not as if those moments will be considered memorable for their journalistic merit -- and her shameless work covering the Columbine tragedy still galls to this day.
By any estimation, CBS already has, in Bob Schieffer, the most experienced and sound journalist of any broadcast network newscast. Though Schieffer did improve ratings from the tail end of Rather's tenure, he hasn't boosted CBS into the No. 1 newscast, which is clearly the reason Couric was hired.
Which brings us to the next unpleasant topic: Do people really like Couric? More important, will enough Couric fans flock from NBC's "Today" show to "CBS Evening News" just to watch her? And watch her do what? Read the news? Though Couric's appeal has always seemed a mystery on this end, one would guess that her fans like her personality, which is normally not on display when you're "managing editor" of anything.
The other unknown here is whether viewers who are currently favoring "CBS Evening News" with Schieffer will go for Couric, who tends to have a polarizing effect on people.
Obviously CBS believes they will (or, even better, those loyal viewers will be replaced by younger ones -- and good luck with that). In a sure sign that CBS knew an evaluation of Couric might end up with the conclusion she's a lightweight, albeit a popular one, the CBS press release on her hire was rife with pronouncements that she is going to keep the historic news foundation at CBS rock solid.
This from Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports: "Katie joining our team signifies not only her commitment to doing first-rate journalism, but our strong commitment to producing the highest quality work done by the best reporters, producers and writers in television news. She is a key ingredient as we work toward our goal of making CBS News the number one news organization in America. This organization was built on quality and integrity, and Katie and her CBS News colleagues will continue to carry that legacy into the 21st century."
And this from the mastermind of the whole deal, Les Moonves, president and CEO of CBS: "With this move, our news division takes yet another giant leap forward. Katie is simply one of the best in the business and represents a tremendous addition to CBS News, which continues to grow and improve every day under Sean's leadership. Seasoned broadcasters who are at once respected, charismatic and known throughout this country and beyond are increasingly important in this fragmented media landscape. I'm proud to have a talent like Katie who personifies this rare combination of qualities, and look forward to the many contributions that she will make not only to our developing evening news broadcast, but to our entire news operation."
Perhaps both men were too modest to mention that Couric also created a blueprint for lasting peace in Iraq and is this close to cloning humans.
In a world not media or celebrity obsessed, there would be no inane hoopla surrounding Couric's hire. She would simply be allowed to transition from a show with cooking segments to a show that sells ads about dentures. But that's not our world, so one expects a certain uptick in the almighty Nielsen numbers, if for nothing else than curiosity.
After that? Well, Couric will have traded in her trendy sandals and odd sartorial choices for the blandness of the anchor uniform -- perhaps some kind of sensible unisex suit? She will not revolutionize the delivery mechanism first popularized by Uncle Walter, but she does have a better smile. In the plus column, she will certainly rankle the cranks on "60 Minutes." Negatively, she will be there to wrangle a tear out of someone during the next national tragedy.
You know, the one after this.