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If Couric Exits CBS, Who Could Fill the Anchor Chair?
Anderson Cooper courtesy CNN, Harry Smith by John Filo/CBS, Diane Sawyer by Ida Mae Astute/ABC
If Katie Couric does leave the CBS Evening News anchor chair, here are the leading candidates to replace her and what they bring to the table.
Harry Smith
Pro: The longtime coanchor of The Early Show, Smith is familiar to the CBS audience and respectful of the news division's tradition.
Con: He's never gotten The Early Show out of third place.
Diane Sawyer
Pro: The popular Good Morning America anchor's contract with ABC News is up in the spring or summer of next year, and would be highly motivated to succeed where Couric failed.
Con: Will CBS News want to invest big bucks again when the evening-newscast audience continues to erode?
Scott Pelley
Pro: A highly respected 60 Minutes correspondent, he was once considered for the anchor job because his intensity was reminiscent of a young Dan Rather.
Con: He reminds people of Dan Rather.
Anderson Cooper
Pro: A leading TV journalist of his generation who could help draw viewers under age 50 to the evening news.
Con: May only be available if CBS News can work out a newsgathering partnership with CNN. (The two networks once had a conversation about CNN producing the evening news with Cooper out front, so don't rule it out.)
David Gregory
Pro: The go-to guy of NBC News is considered one of the best rising young talents in network news.
Con: He's an heir to Matt Lauer's anchor job on Today and NBC isn't likely to let him get away.
Bob Schieffer
Pro: CBS Evening News ratings went up when the chief Washington correspondent and Face the Nation moderator filled in after Rather left.
Con: He wants to retire. A return to the anchor chair would only be another short-term solution.
Chris Matthews
Pro: His contract with NBC News is up next year and he could draw cable news viewers who like big personalities.
Con: CBS News has long been dogged by charges of partisanship, and Matthews wouldn't help.
Which of these potential anchors do you think could fit the bill? What would you look for in a Couric replacement?
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Apr 10, 2008 3:21 PM
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Pretty sure anybody could do a better job then her. Here's hoping she leaves.
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Apr 10, 2008 4:32 PM
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Anderson Cooper
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Apr 10, 2008 5:20 PM
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Why not Russ Mitchell? He often fills in for Katie and does a great job I think.
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Apr 10, 2008 5:33 PM
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Boy, it's too bad though that Couric and CBS have flat-out denied the rumor. It's the stupid Washington Post's fault for saying that. They needed something headline grabbing, and they looked at the story of CBS and CNN joining forces somehow, and they wondered how Couric would fit in, and then they thought "Hey, she must be leaving!"
So, yeah, all this hype crap is for nothing. Couric's staying, plain and simple
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Apr 10, 2008 6:02 PM
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Not Anderson Cooper or Chris Matthews/
I would hate to see them leave the shows they are on, they do a great job.
It wouldn't make me watch CBS Evening News, nothing would. NBC Evening News is the best coverage of all the networks.
So guys please don't change over to CBS. They are a loser station.
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Apr 10, 2008 6:18 PM
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NBC evening news? Are you kidding me, reesetess? They completely ignored the whole Reverend Wright controversy, all because he's Obama's former pastor, and NBC openly endorses Obama, and so they're not going to give any stories that paint him in a negative light.
You want real news coverage, Fox News is your answer.
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Apr 10, 2008 7:42 PM
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Anderson Cooper seems to be the perfect match for me. Hopefully they'll consider him.
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Apr 10, 2008 7:51 PM
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OMG!!! I am not a big fan of NBC news but to suggest that any rational person should get their news from FOX is just irresponsible! FOX is an unabashed right-wing smear machine with no clue as to what fair and balanced reporting is. On the Katie front, leave her be! She ain't going anywhere! Besides, if they tailored the broadcast to her strengths like they promissed, it would be a far better broadcast. All the networks news look and act the same --- Grandad's news. To be sure, the worst thing that ever happened to network news is when all the news divisions were made profit centers like the entertainment divisions. So now they all are too busy chasing ratings instead of chasing the news!
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Apr 10, 2008 8:13 PM
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The thing is, Couric's not really doing a bad job there. I like her in this spot, the few times I've caught her. I, like most people, simply am not able to catch these broadcasts at those hours any more.
These days at 6:30 Eastern, 5:30 Central we're still at work, or caught in rush hour traffic, or getting the kids from daycare/babysitter/after-school activities, or cooking dinner, or helping kids with homework. I don't know anyone who catches any of these shows any more.
And, with 24/7 news available on cable and the internet, there's just no driving need to watch these any more. That's a key area where these news shows have failed to adapt to the times. If Couric was on an hour later, instead of "cotton candy" stuff like Wheel of Fortune or Entertainment Tonight or reruns of old shows that lead into the primetime hours, then I'm sure a lot more people would watch it.
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Apr 11, 2008 5:50 AM
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It would be strange to see Anderson Cooper on anything other than CNN and I'd hate to see him leave that network, but I think he's probably the best one for this job.
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Apr 11, 2008 10:04 AM
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Although I'm not sure he would make the jump, I'd love to see Shepard Smith in that role.
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Apr 11, 2008 11:44 AM
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To anakinjmt:
If I want real news coverage, Fox News is my answer? Really? REALLY? That is the funniest thing I've heard all day. Real news coverage from Fox...ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.
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Apr 11, 2008 12:01 PM
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I watch our local (Dallas) news and watch FOX NEWS for everything else. I can't stand Katie Couric I think she's a nut job and I feel extremely sorry for her children who basically grew up on their own, since their father passed away with colon cancer and a mother who needed to be in the spotlight out of greed NOT financial necessity.
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Apr 11, 2008 12:04 PM
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i really don't care one way or the other if she leaves or not, but i agree with anakinjmt. if you want the real hard facts go to foxnews...
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Apr 11, 2008 12:12 PM
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