Katie Couric (born January 7, 1957 in Arlington, Virginia) recently finished her contract with CBS as anchor and Managing Editor of the CBS Evening News. An intense struggle between ABC and NBC over who gets to make money off her talents in the next phase of her career resulted in ABC signing Couric to a multi-year deal. In addition to hosting the new syndicated daytime show beginning September 2012, Couric will join the ABC News team as well, contributing to all programs and platforms. Beginning this summer, Couric, winner of the distinguished duPont, Murrow and Cronkite Awards, along with numerous Emmys, will anchor specials, contribute interviews, participate in special events coverage and bring her many talents to bear on some of the most important and interesting stories of the day.
I’m really excited to see what Katie is going to bring to the table on this one. It seems to me that she has hit her perfect stride over the past couple years, and with the fresh absence of Oprah, daytime television is in desperate need of a familiar face who can provide a powerful and deep message to millions of people looking for answers to the questions they face in their everyday lives. Katie’s long-time run as co-host of The TODAY Show revealed a woman who carries the impossibly rare combination of being able to make us laugh, cut to the heart of a complex story with ease and precision, as well as make even the toughest of interviewees shit their pants with her tough-as-nails lines of questioning. In a recent interview with CNN, Katie discusses her new deal, and she also makes it clear that she’s not trying to “replace” Oprah Winfrey. She is, instead, going to be herself — which is exactly what I think millions of people are waiting for. You can watch the interview below.
The Radio and Television News Directors Association honored the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric with the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast in both 2008 and 2009. Also in 2009, USC’s Annenberg School for Communication awarded Couric the Walter Cronkite Award for Special Achievement for “National Impact on the 2008 Campaign”. In January 2010, Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism awarded Couric the Alfred I. duPont Award for political reporting for her 2008 interviews with Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin. The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric was awarded a second duPont for the series “Children of the Recession.” In September 2010, The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences awarded the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric three Emmy Awards: Outstanding Investigative Journalism in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast, Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast, and Best Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast. 60 Minutes also received an Emmy for Outstanding Interview for Couric’s profile of Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, “Saving Flight 1549.”
