Buh-Bye To Katie Couric

Katie Couric signs off from the CBS Evening News for the last time in her brief five-year stint on Thursday.  I remember watching her first night, and being so into every detail.  I remember her carefully selected skirt suit, the fact that she stood at one point to show off her amazing legs, and the big finale; the cover of Vanity Fair with the first picture of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ daughter Suri.   

I felt so proud and was such a cheerleader for her.  “Girl power!”  “I love Katie!”  “Women can do anything!”  It was disappointing to see dismal ratings and her very public criticisms.  I’m sorry to see Katie go and sorry that she was not well-received.  But you can never change two things:  She worked her ass off to make necessary changes, and she blazed a trail. 

So what if she didn’t anchor until her retirement?  She’s got the job on the resume, and she’s on to something better.  (Hopefully something better for her, as well as better in the ratings game).  The latest inside info on Katie’s next movie has her going to the only final major network that she has not yet worked for, ABC, and doing stints on Good Morning America as well as getting her own one hour talk show.  If this is true, she would be going up against her old co-host Matt Lauer and newly appointed Ann Curry, just as Meredith Vieira leaves her post on Today in June.  Funny thing is, Meredith was Katie’s replacement on Today!

We’ll have to wait and see, but I’m looking forward to seeing Katie in a new role!  I’ve met her in person, and I can’t say enough about what an intelligent, poised, hard-working woman she is.  I remember what she said the day I met her, when asked about how to be successful woman in the news business: ”Nothing replaces good old-fashioned hard work.”

(Meeting Katie Couric – I’m the smiling blonde!)