Is Katie Couric bound for daytime TV?
With her contract expiring in early June, Katie Couric is now fielding offers from other networks besides CBS and weighing new options, including a possible daytime talk show that could help fill the void left by Oprah Winfrey.
According to a source familiar with Couric's plans, the evening-news anchor has been courted by NBC Universal and Time Warner, as well as CBS, to discuss the possibility of a syndicated talk show, which could involve her friend and former NBC boss Jeff Zucker. (Time Warner is the parent of CNN; NBC Universal owns MSNBC.) If Couric decided to go the talk-show route, her program could premiere in the fall of 2012, preventing her from covering the next election for CBS News. A production deal would be part of any arrangement she makes.
CNN and NBC did not respond to requests for comment.
Couric is also searching for ways to expand her presence online. In addition to keeping accounts on Facebook and Twitter, she already anchors an online-only interview show @KatieCouric and writes a column for "Glamour."
CBS declined to comment, but during a recent address at the University of Texas, CBS Corp. chief Les Moonves suggested that if Couric stayed on with CBS News, she would have to take a pay cut. "The Katie Couric deal will be the last big deal of that kind ever done," he said, blaming loss of revenue. "Those days are over."
Couric's spokesman Matthew Hiltzik declined to comment, except to say, "Katie is grateful for the interest, but she hasn't yet made any decisions about her future."
-- Melissa Maerz
Photo: Katie Couric. Credit: Slaven Vlasic / Getty Images
Katie should mosey on over and join her fellow tired, old lib pals at PMSNBC. She can even help fellow tired old lib, Chris Matthews, continue the default rant about the Republican party being the party of " older white males". At least PMSNBC won't be hyprocritical now because they'll be the cable network of "older white males AND females" to rant against other "older white males" in the GOP. Now they're on to something...
Posted by: Verbalocity | March 11, 2011 at 03:21 PM
Maybe Les Moonves doesn't realize that he CAN keep Katie now and pay here what she wants after all. ( He says he doesn't have the money for her raise due to "loss of revenue" ) But here's the deal: With Charlie Sheen out now, CBS can avoid a $2 million cost for the next 12 weeks to pay Charlie. Wow...thats more than a $24 million dollar cost saving to CBS...more than enough to pay Katie and her Sarah Palin-bashing entourage of upper-East Side lib journalists and DNC spokesholes. Is this a great country or what?
Posted by: Verbalocity | March 11, 2011 at 03:33 PM
Gee Less Moonves, does that salary cut apply to you wife, Julie Chen?
Posted by: meagain | March 11, 2011 at 04:23 PM
Too little, too late. The news empire founded by Murrow and maintained by Cronkite & Rather has already suffered a horrible death at the hands of Couric. What does it matter where she goes---the damage is already done.
Posted by: James Chini | March 11, 2011 at 04:43 PM
wow, so much bitterness and hate being spewed by libtards and wannabee's...
geezz....
Posted by: tw | March 11, 2011 at 06:00 PM
How this superficial, whiny twit ever got a network job is beyond me, let alone being recruited for her next gig. She's needed to be on daytime TV - preferably a Winnemucca, NV affiliate - for ages, making salads (more parmesan cheese is the key!) and doing blurb phone interviews with D-listers and runners-up in reality dancing shows.
Posted by: Paul R. | March 11, 2011 at 08:00 PM
we have enough daytime tv talk shows. bad idea
Posted by: lilgee | March 11, 2011 at 08:01 PM
After watching tonight's CBS news -- for the first time in a long time, but wanting to see some clips from Japan -- I realize that network news is no longer news, it's tabloid journalism that depends on shock value and hyped-up anxiety for its audience (such as that audience is). Coverage of Japan went on as though nothing else had happened all day in the world, followed (still in the new broadcast) by a piece on "The Ring of Fire!!!" (exclamation points mine), an accurate report on seismic activity in the Pacific that had no place on a daily-news show.
Walter must squirm when he sees this stuff...
Posted by: JimBob | March 11, 2011 at 08:49 PM
Helping to reveal Sarah Palin's appalling ignorance will go down as the high-point of Couric's anchor career.
Posted by: Verbalocity | March 11, 2011 at 09:19 PM
I think the real question is she worth 15 million plus per year for finishing last in a three way contest for ratings.
Posted by: East Coast Scout | March 12, 2011 at 05:55 AM
The real question is who would pay Katie 15 million plus when her current news show is dead last in a three way race. Like any person are you not paid for performance or am I missing something here? Bring back Bob Schieffer at a tenth the price or anybody else at a lot less.
Posted by: East Coast Scout | March 12, 2011 at 06:53 AM
The news empire founded by Murrow and maintained by Cronkite & Rather has continued at the hands of Couric.
CBS News needs to keep Katie as the "Face" of CBS News! She is a positive brand identity.
Posted by: steve999 | March 12, 2011 at 10:12 AM