Couric Doomed For Failure

I saw over on Drudge Report that Walter Cronkite, one of the best known names in broadcast journalism, is going to be "crowning" Katie Couric as the queen of CBS News. The text of the Drudge Report story is below. The story says that there are going to be a huge number of well known people on Couric's first night which is scheduled for Tuesday next week (September 5th).

If you have to have this much hype over a new news anchor then there is a huge problem with the anchor. Brian Williams and Charlie Gibson didn't get any kind of fanfare for their installment into the anchor chair. They simply showed up and sat in the chair. News anchors are not celebrities. They never have been. But with Katie Couric it has been almost like picking the next American Idol.

My prediction is that there will be a couple of spikes in ratings. One of them will be next Tuesday because everyone will want to see what the hype was all about. But after all sycophantic stupidity in the broadcast journalism arena is over the ratings will once again bottom out. I would be willing to bet even that the ratings sink below the lowest ratings during Dan Rather's Memogate.

Drudge Report Article:

Walter Cronkite will introduce Katic Couric on the new CBS EVENING NEWS next week, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned. Cronkite is just one of many superstars, and broadcast legends, that will help the former TODAY host splash onto the nightly news scene.

"It's going to be a who's who of Americana," a top CBS source said on Sunday.

Cronkite will do the introduction of Couric on opening night only, the source said.

CBS brass dismiss the suggestion that adding Cronkite is an attention-grabbing stunt.

"This is a bold statement of continuity and 'trust,' a commitment to the quality of the CBS EVENING NEWS," a top insider explained.

But there are signs mainline print media are prepared to pounce on the all-star nature of Couric's rollout.

VARIETY editor Peter Bart in a column on Monday warned: "I realize media companies need to overhype everything, whether it's a new 'Pirates' movie or another faux 'American Idol'... but all this may be doing a disservice both to Couric's credibility and to network news... Will Couric actually tell us what's happening in the world or will she preside over a sort of mini-'Today' show, complete with its well-worn couch?"

Kurt Andersen in NEW YORK will applaud the coming Era Of Couric:

"Making Couric the anchor and de facto face of CBS NEWS is a very smart, potentially even visionary choice... the real brilliance is that she's the first network anchor to have a quick, smart, mischievous sense of humor as a major part of her personal persona," Andersen explains.

"If it's possible to rejuvenate TV news, Couric is among the last best hopes."

Tags: Bush, CBS, CBS Evening News, Dan Rather, Katie Couric, Politics