NaBloPoMo Month - "Oh How The Mighty Have Fallen"

NaBloPoMo Month - "Oh How The Mighty Have Fallen"
Entry #23 - 11/23/2013

 

I was never a fan of Katie Couric's when she was on the "Today" show, however when she moved to CBS in 2006 to take over the anchor chair from Dan Rather I found the historic move to be interesting and learned to like her as a journalist. Couric did in 2006 what no other woman had done - anchored an evening news broadcast of a major network solo. Sure there had been Barbara Walters and Connie Chung to help break down that wall, but it was Couric who broke it down and entered into broadcast history. Sadly, though her five years at CBS was considered a failure...and Diane Sawyer proved to ABC and the rest of the world that she had what Couric didn't, by going from primetime news magazine to morning show anchor to solo anchor of the ABC World News Tonight.

 

 

After her CBS contract was up, ABC News swooped up the journalist with a lucrative and wide-ranging deal that included primetime specials, guest hosting "Good Morning America" and a talk show that reportedly cost somewhere in the ballpark of $80 million dollars to produce. Couric and her self titled talk show, that many consider not only a rating and financial failure, will most assuredly conclude in May 2014 after two seasons.

 

However, The Hollywood Reporter reported yesterday that Couric is negotiating an exit package that will allow her to leave ABC news and shockingly the journalist is close to finalizing a deal with Internet giant Yahoo! The article from THR says that Couric was wooed personally by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer who is looking to boost the Internet giant's media presence. Couric is anticipated to host a newsmaker interview program that would be featured on the site's highly trafficked home page.

 

But is this a step up or down for Couric, who at one time was considered the reigning queen of morning television? Since then beloved Robin Roberts has taken over that title at ABC's GMA. Couric's career included covering 9/11, elections, interviewing presidents and all the major news stories since 1991 when she started anchoring at Today. I can conceded that the future of news and broadcast could go the way of Internet and yes it would be good for someone of Couric's stature to help take us there - but is she really prepared...is she really the right choice...because it appears that in the last few endeavors that she's undertaken at CBS and now at ABC she has failed.

 

I guess Couric didn't think she should take my advice and head over to enjoy the view!