Katie Couric announced this morning that she is indeed
going to be leaving the Today show at the end of May; she'll be moving on to the news division at CBS (their
Evening News and 60 Minutes primarily). It was an odd announcement, because as she said herself,
she's not leaving right this moment, and it's pretty much the worst kept secret in America. Though this was a
non-announcement, it was still a little emotional, and you can tell that no matter what's gone on behind the scenes
throughout the years at NBC in the morning, they are a close-knit crew. There's going to be some fun stuff coming up as
they look back over Katie's career.So now the big question is "who will replace Katie?" The front runner in the rumor-mill is Meredith Vieira. I've never really seen her on anything besides Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (yes I know she's on The View, but honestly I've just never seen it.) What do you guys think? Would Meredith be any good? She certainly has some big shoes to fill from
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-05-2006 @ 11:14AM
Alison Minnich said...
I think Susan McGinnis- CBS Morning News, would be my choice. She is a fresh, young new face and think she would bring new life to the show. Trust me, this is your person!!
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4-05-2006 @ 11:50AM
RevJonathan said...
I grew up on the Today show and I'd miss Couric if I still watched it, but aren't things just a little too fast-paced for a news show these days? I just don't understand all the ruckus over a concept that'll be completely outdated in a few years.
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4-05-2006 @ 12:11PM
TVGenius said...
As a former CBS affiliate news department employee and longtime CBS News fan/loyalist, once she takes over I will never watch Evening News again. I cannot stand watching such a smug, egotistical person. Of all the people out there, I cannot for the life of me figure out how she was the choice to revitalize CBS News. She does not represent the TV news people want today. If CBS had been truly trying to make a network newscast for the Fox News 'generation', they'd have been better off with Shepard Smith. I can't see Katie going to Iraq or Afghanistan and getting in the trenches like Dan or other anchors of yesteryear. To me, Katie will always be the person who does interviews with celebrities under the guise of it being 'news'.
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4-05-2006 @ 12:14PM
G. said...
I think putting Meredith Vieira on the Today show just goes to show that the program is no longer about news. She's a talk show host and a game show host. I realize her background was in news, but that was a long time ago. She's getting the job because she's a television 'personality'. And not one that I want to wake up to.
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4-05-2006 @ 1:02PM
doog said...
Meredith Viera? She's fine, I guess, but NBC already has Campbell Brown, if she is interested in the job. She is already better than Couric (she probably would have been a better choice for CBS, too, I think), and would be perfect for the job.
So long as it is not Ann Curry. That would be a disaster...
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4-05-2006 @ 1:10PM
LC said...
I hope she knows what she is getting into because CBS doesn't handle their talent too well. They pretty much dumped Connie Chung after wooing her to co anchor with Dan Rather. Filed a baseless lawsuit against Howard Stern when he left that has brought them nothing but bad press. They are positioning themselves to void David Lee Roth's contract because he could not do the impossible, which is maintain Sterns numbers. Screwed John Roberts after grooming him for Dan Rathers job and did the same thing with Bob Schaefer by bringing in Couric.
I can understand an up and comer signing with them, what I can't understand is why an established television personality would sign with them, when they are only going to try to back out of the deal if the ratings suck.
I give it a year before Moonves blames poor news ratings on Couric being difficult or some other manufactured reason.
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4-05-2006 @ 1:11PM
VenturaMom said...
Meredith Vieira IS a journalist, G. She won five Emmy Awards while on 60 Minutes and West 57th (a younger-hipper 60Min-type show that didn't make it). She worked in news for more than 15 years. Now she makes big bucks with non-news jobs like The View and Millionaire. I think she is a more-than-qualified replacement for Couric. In fact, she rocks!
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4-05-2006 @ 3:38PM
maddr said...
yuk!!!!!! i will never watcher her unless she does it topless
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4-05-2006 @ 8:27PM
Jimmy said...
Viera would be an interesting replacement for Couric. She actually has several years of hard news behind her. She's also a strong personality, which might be trouble for Matt if he was hoping to step into the limelight after spending most of his career is Katie's large shadow.
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4-05-2006 @ 11:17PM
jnik said...
So now the place once ruled by Cronkite, Murrow, and Severeid is to be saddled with this perky little cheerleader chipmunk. Don't get me wrong, I like Katie. I Tivo the "Today" show and fast forward to the interview to check out her legs. But I can't see her facing down Joe McCarthy or telling the nation their President had died.
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4-06-2006 @ 12:43PM
LC said...
I'm just surprised that the press still puts such signifigance in the nightly news anchor position. With 24 hour news stations on cable and up to the minute updates at our fingertips from our computers to our phones, I don't know why anyone would wait untill night time for their news and for a half hour at that.
I guess media outlets are still stuck in the old paradigm that the nightly news is the gold standard. If she gets the job on the Today Show, I would say Viera is the real winner.
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