Katie Couric: "The Glory Days Of TV News Are Over"

A polished, multi-millionaire, American woman in a gray pants suit, subtle makeup that highlights her blue eyes, and a winning smile is not an unusual sight in the executive lounge on the 17th floor of Tel Aviv's Hilton Hotel. But this particular woman is none other than Katie Couric, who is referred to as "the biggest fish in the American television news pond."

Just like Winfrey is simply "Oprah," Americans young and old just call her "Katie." And there is only one Katie. She spent 15 glamorous years as the host of "The Today Show," the NBC network's morning news program, where she achieved unprecedented ratings records. Viewers accompanied her during her time there through all her joys and sorrows, including parting from her husband and the father of her two daughters, who died at the age of 42 of intestinal cancer, and from her sister, the senator, who was struck down by pancreatic cancer. Katie became "part of the furniture in every American home," as she describes herself, before breaking out in her famous guttural laugh. ...

In Tel Aviv yesterday, she offered the following informative monologue: "I have no doubt in my heart that I made the right move, accepting the CBS offer. I would have regretted it otherwise. It's true that the pressure was immense and the expectations almost impossible. One person cannot perform such miracles and transform a whole network on his own.

"It's also true I'm not doing today exactly what I've been brought to do, and that my chance to express myself is fairly limited in the 22-minutes format, but I still enjoy my work, I think it's important and fascinating, and do believe we can make a change with time, bit by bit.

"Unfortunately I have found out that many viewers are afraid of change. The glory days of TV news are over, and the media landscape has been dramatically changed. News is available now for everyone, everywhere, all the time, and everybody fights for the last pieces of the shrinking pie. The corporate pressure and the ratings terror are intensifying all the time, and the situation is not simple. I find myself in the last bastion of male dominance, and realizing what Hillary Clinton might have realized not long ago: that sexism in the American society is more common than racism, and certainly more acceptable or forgivable. In any case, I think my post and Hillary's race are important steps in the right direction."

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Comments

[Glooscap]

There is a certain arrogance in Ms. Couric claiming that she finds herself in the last bastion of male dominance --- I think that sexism is the least of her challenges in her current job. It is also rather silly to claim that viewers are afraid of change when in fact they are not only leaving network news in droves to seek news in the vastly expanded mediaverse, but also changing the network news that they watch.

Just because CBS chose to hire her in hopes of capturing her huge audience from her morning show does not mean that she was the best choice for the network news audience. If she were not a woman I suspect that she would have been ushered out the door by now in favor of a newer, trendier model who no doubt would have superior credentials to her entertainment background.

But the really really offensive comment in the interview is in her petty reference to racism in her sweeping statements on sexism; she has no business using her visibility to pontificate on such issues.

[mexglx]

The reason Katie is losing the network ratings is because she is not in HD. Here in Memphis, NBC and ABC network news are both in HD and CBS is not. Watching CBS looks like you are watching old TV and NBC and ABC have cooler snappier graphics. I honestly believe when the content of the three stations is about the same, the one that looks the worst is the least watched.

Now the question is why don't they have HD at CBS? Is it a simple cost issue? Does Someone not want Katie in HD. Does Katie not want to be in HD.

Anyway that's my opinion.

[whiteboyblues]

Journalism is dead in America, end of story.

[suzyku]

katie couric's glory days are over! she's a has been and the sooner CBS realizes this and fires her, the better off they and the news watching public will be. she's a faux journalist, she's a clown and nobody should take her seriously because she's uninformed and apparently not very bright. she also has her own right wing agenda, perhaps she can work for fixed news.

[jukesgrrl]

Katie, what about "You. Are. Not. A. Reporter." don't you understand?

[ugmold]

I think "journalism" is dead. They are now just "talent" in most cases (Faux) Chicks with boobs sans brains

[mexglx]

Don't forget that a lot of them are lawyers. Give them a little credit for being smart, accomplished, professional women please. With great legs and short skirts.

[Economike]

She's making sure of that.

[naschkatze]

Indeed they are, partly thanks to you, Ms. Couric. Tsk. Tsk. Editing out a very crucial part of your interview with John McCain. I hope you get a Dan Rather moment out of it. It's in keeping with CBS apparently.

[Saxton]

So Ms. Couric proclaims that she is not being treated fairly and blames it all on sexism and the reluctance of the public to accept her as a different voice for the news, however, it is more to do with her inability to achieve journalistic integrity as seen in her interview with John McCain last night.

I would like Ms. Couric and CBS to justify there cover-up and editing out of John McCain's discussion of the "surge strategy". Why would she purposefully edit out his response that clearly depicts his distortion of the facts regarding the Anbar Awakening. This was no minor gaffe here.

Katie Couric and CBS must be made to answer for this cover-up and protecting of McCain from himself.

[geg6]

Perhaps the "glory days" of tv news are over because of people like Katie Couric who air actual faked interviews (and not the "fake interviews and footage" Andrea Mitchell whines about because she wasn't chosen to conduct them or film them) and consider their jobs to be nothing more than that of a stenographer, at least as far as any GOP personality is concerned. Only Dems should have all of their positions and statements analyzed and that analysis must always be conducted within the framework of the day's GOP talking points. Perhaps if the people in tv news were actually more concerned with reporting facts and less concerned with who is serving them barbeque and telling them hi-larious jokes about gorilla rape in the back of the bus they would merit a little respect, regardless of gender. Honestly, Katie, I detest and lack respect for you at exactly the same level I do Brian Williams, Charles Gibson, Brit Hume, Wolf Blitzer, et al. It's not about sexism. It's about basic professional competence.

[NoSillyName]

Sorry Katie, you are not a journalist and your "promotion" to news anchor was a huge mistake. This is not about any sexism; the riight woman in the position would have been fine and there are those women out there. You, my dear, belong acting silly on the Today Show.

Hearing that you've scrubbed aspects of the McCain interview has sealed my opinion of your reportage. The final nail in your coffin and a sad ending to the once reliable CBS News.

Just take a brief look at the pity that was once a decent network: Monves has his wife as the main personality on the morning show AND the host (?) of the depraved, imbecilic Big Brother in the evening. How completely lame is that?

Does Monves think of CBS, the venerable network, as a frickin' website?! Think so.

[JustObserving]

When the American media stopped reporting and started propagandizing, we knew it was all over.

Bush's stealing of the 2000 Florida election was front page news in the UK, but not one of the 97,000 reporters in this country thought it was worth covering.

Gore Vidal says it best:

"To deny inconvenient opinions a hearing is one way the few have of controlling the many. But as Richard Nixon used to say, "That would be the easy way." The slyer way is to bombard the public with misinformation. During more than half a century of corruption by the printed word in the form "news"-propaganda disguised as fact-I have yet to read a story favorable to another society's social and political arrangements. Swedes have free health care, better schools than ours, child day-care center for working mothers... but the Swedes are all drunks who commit suicide (even blonde blue-eyed people must pay for such decadent amenities). Lesson? No national health care, no education, etc., because-as William Bennett will tell you as soon as a TV red light switches on-social democracy, much less socialism, is just plain morally evil. Far better to achieve the good things in life honestly, by inheriting money or winning a lottery. The American way. "

[arvay]

A typical overpaid loser, blaming her incompetence on bigotry.

[brushfinch]

The glory days of TV news would not be over if anchors bothered to treat us as intelligent human beings, and report real news and facts in this country, and around the world, instead of celebrities' inane antics. I want real objective news,I want to be informed, I do not want to be entertained...

[LiberTLover]

After watching that pathetic interview with O where she then turned around and let McBaffled attack everything he said without any opportunity for O to respond, or asking O a single question on McBaffled's positions, I would say she is doing her very best to make sure those 'glory days' are over and buried as deep as possible. Do real journalists evem exist anymore?

[MrsPeel]

"The glory days of TV news are over, and the media landscape has been dramatically changed."

Well, Katie, with your faux interview of John McCain Tuesday night, you've certainly done your part!