Last week, I noted that the CBS Evening News had garnered its worst ratings in roughly two decades, with much of the blame falling on Katie Couric's shoulders (which are grazed by her impeccably highlighted hair). The post inspired several comments, both in support and in condemnation of Ms. Couric. Today's New York Times weighed in on the issue, reporting that both CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS) and Katie Couric have yet to throw in the towel. The new anchorwoman, who has been behind the desk for eight months, told the paper "Honestly, I think we're going to see ebbs and flows . . . I don't think it's a doom-and-gloom scenario."
Despite earlier rumors, Ms. Couric and CBS management continue to insist that she will not be heading anywhere -- not to another position with the network, not to the unemployment line -- until her five-year contract is fulfilled. Earlier speculation had suggested Couric might bow out following the 2008 elections. As CBS chairman Leslie Moonves noted, "This is a long-term commitment."
The eye network's nightly news offering is facing an uphill battle for the next four years and four months; a recent Gallup poll shows that 29% of respondents flat-out do not like Ms. Couric, compared to the just 51% who do. The nightly anchors for both Walt Disney's (NYSE: DIS) ABC network and General Electric's (NYSE: GE) NBC have less than 20% in the "don't like" camp.
CBS executives point out that the Evening News is still profitable. But for each 0.1-point slip in the ratings, industry experts say, revenue could drop as much as $6 million.
Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-14-2007 @ 11:45AM
gary said...
watching catie couric is like watching paint dry on the wall. she seems like she is full of herself.
i like fox or abc.
5-14-2007 @ 12:03PM
Lisa said...
Katie's strength is/was her personality which came through on the Today Show. News achors are mostly "rip and read." Personality is far less important. Katie is out of her element.
5-14-2007 @ 12:12PM
JMK said...
Katie does not have gravitas, but she does have a nice smile. I have moved to Fox news because they at least try to be fair and balanced. Katie leans consistently to the left in my opinion.
5-14-2007 @ 12:31PM
MEL said...
NBC "AND" ABC NEWS? ARE, >BOTH< LEFT WING MOUTH PIECES.
THEY HAVE NOT BEEN HONEST FOR YEARS. THEY "BOTH" STARTED GOING FOR THE "DEMOCRATS LEFT" IN THE 60,S
THATS WHEN THEY WERE HIREING THE "ANTI VIETNAM" AND COMMUNIST INDOCTRINATED,KIDS FROM COLLEGE. WHEN YOUR "NEWS" PEOPLE HAVE "ONE" POLITICAL VIEW POINT, YOU NO LONGER HAVE "NEWS" JUST PROPAGANDA.
5-16-2007 @ 2:19PM
Beretverde said...
Perky Katie and "Tailwind Rick" Kaplan are a doomed couple! They are bombing and CBS continues to suffer. Two questions:
1.Who is in charge of these ridiculous personnel changes?
2. What is CBS waiting for?
This is like Vietnam and Lebanon and Haiti... a "Noble Cause" but a total failure. Murrow is spinning in his grave. Disgusting.
5-14-2007 @ 5:40PM
Deb said...
I think that to anchor the nightly news you have to have some degree of credibility. Since she began running around town with someone 17 years younger than her, she lost whatever credibilbity she may have had.
5-15-2007 @ 10:17AM
Irene said...
To those who pass off Couric's poor ratings as a gender thing -- it's not. I'm a woman who had watched CBS evening news forever, but I can't watch her. Couric's voice is like a fingernail scraping a blackboard; when you add her funereal demeanor and insensitive questions, you've got a $15 million failure. Brian Williams is too hyper. Give me Charlie Gibson any day -- he inspires trust in what he reports.
5-20-2007 @ 10:43AM
JJMADDOG said...
I didn't like on her the Today show, and I won't watch her now. She asks painfully obvious questions, that most americans can answer before she gets the question out. Perky was good for morning news, but is out of place for an evening broadcast. My wife had her on every morning much to my dismay. I'm glad she went to evening so I don't have to see her anymore. I'd like her better if she would just shut up and get naked.
5-22-2007 @ 11:21PM
BETTYEJ said...
Katie Couric is a big joke. She is just taking up space and don't have a clue on what's going on in the real world. The only reason she was put in this spot was to be there to try and help Hillary Clinton get elected by CBS slanted for the Democrat's news station. Their whole purpose is to destroy this country by aiding and
abetting our enemies any way they can. Between Congress/Katie/NBC/ABC and all of those fakes in Hollywood and the entire Democrat Party, they are the Weapons of Mass Destruction!
While the Democrat's and the News Media were so busy blaming 911 and trying to dig up dirt on every Republican they can, even though they have over looked how the Clinton's who both are liars/Lawyers broke/stole and committed every crime in the book and are still racking up big bucks and have all the evident of their crimes sitting right in The Clinton Library. What I want to know is why no one connected the dots that it was the movie "Independence Day", thanks to those fat cats in Hollywood that was used as blue prints for 911.Go figure!
6-19-2007 @ 10:52AM
Anne winston said...
Please--Katie is flat as a nighttime reporter---due to the format of just reading the news. I don't see the leftwing Democrat angle -- I just see a drab show.