Does it come as any surprise that Katie Couric fails to reinvigorate CBS Evening News, after her long successful run at the Today show, so that CBS is ending her contract before it's even half-way?
I have nothing against Couric. But as a viewer, when (and if) I tune in to TV news, I watch news - hard news. I get most of my daily news fix from various non-TV media like the numerous news site on the web, and NPR. When it comes to network news, somehow I have come to expect more. I don't need soft news and those touchy-feely stuffs. If I want interviews or longer format of a particular topics, there is always 60 Minutes, or Diane Sawyer. Why would I need a mix of these (ie. hard news, and thought-provoking interviews) in a lightweight package from Couric in a time-crunched evening news report???
Oh, and I'm a woman, and I've drifted away from network news for quite some time - I'm the kind of demographics that CBS had in mind when they signed up Couric big time to try to lure women like me to tune in to their news.
I'm not sure who did the background/market research for CBS when they signed on Couric for $15 million a year to do their evening news. But if they think having a "personality" is going to lure people like me back to their news, that is just sooooo dead wrong. News - evening news, in particular - is not Oprah. When I watch evening news, I'm in serious mode. I really don't give a damn if it's a man or a woman, but the anchor has to be one who is serious and all knowledgeable about the news. Interviews won't cut it. CBS was doomed to fail with that approach before it even started.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
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