Katie Couric's Future as CBS Anchor Under Discussion

by Dave Keating | April 9, 2008 at 11:34 pm

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As many predicted, Katie Couric's morning news persona has not been a good fit on the evening news. It's a shame because there were many more qualified and appropriate female anchors who probably would have worked out as the first solo female, but now because of the Couric flop, the networks will be hesitant to put another woman in the anchor chair for some time.

Katie Couric and CBS News are talking for the first time about her giving up the anchor chair after the November election if her ratings don't improve, a course that could result in her leaving the network, sources familiar with the situation say.

These sources say the network's top executives believe Couric is doing an excellent job on the "CBS Evening News," but that both sides have grown frustrated with a situation in which she seems mired in third place and unable to use the range of talents that made her a superstar in morning television. They stress that a final decision won't be made until late summer at the earliest.

If Couric is eased out as anchor, CBS plans to offer her either a syndicated talk show or a full-time role on "60 Minutes." Otherwise, executives have signaled they would release her from her contract to seek a better deal elsewhere.