Television News

Couric Second-Guesses Move to CBS

Anchor Plays Down Slapping Incident Behind the Scenes

AP/AOL

Posted: 2007-07-10 05:23:49

Filed Under: Katie Couric, Star Scandals, TV News

NEW YORK (July 10) - Katie Couric says the move to CBS would have been less appealing if she had known she'd be doing the more traditional "CBS Evening News" broadcast that she anchors now.

"People are very unforgiving and very resistant to change," Couric said in an interview with New York magazine. "The biggest mistake we made is we tried new things."

Photo Gallery: Couric Broadcasting Network

Charles Dharapak, AP

Katie Couric's trip to the war zone did the opposite of what she hoped, as the anchor's 'CBS Evening News' broadcast hit record lows during her week in Iraq and Syria.

1 of 9

Couric's move to CBS has been a bust so far. The evening newscast's ratings are deep in third place, and CBS has rolled back some of the changes it made last fall to shake up the format. Couric conducts fewer interviews, an outside opinion segment was scrapped and the anchor admits she's even dressing down a little to give her critics less ammunition.

Under new executive producer Rick Kaplan, the "CBS Evening News" is a more traditional hard-news evening newscast in the mold of its predecessors and competitors.

If she had known that would happen, the job "would have been less appealing to me. It would have required a lot more thought."

A thriftier corporate culture at CBS and colleagues who backbite anonymously in the media surprised her, she said. She also said she underestimated the feeling people would not consider her a credible news person because of her work on NBC's "Today" show, even though she thinks it's "patently unfair."

She said she's looking forward to doing more work for "60 Minutes" next season. "If it turns out it wasn't a perfect fit (at the evening news), then, you know, I'll do something else that's really exciting and fulfilling for me."

Couric Eye-to-Eye

Couric Notebook

Couric admitted there are days when she wishes she hadn't made the move to CBS.

"Of course," she said. "I'm human. I'm not going around 'dee-da dee-da dee.' I have days when I'm like, 'Oh my God, what did I do?' But for some weird reason, they don't happen that often."

Other claims in the New York article won't do much to quiet buzz that's been building about Couric's handling of the pressure behind the scenes. Couric reportedly became extremely agitated when a 'CBS Evening News' writer tried to use the word "sputum" in one of her newscasts, prompting the anchor to slap the writer "over and over again" on the arm. The report says while it may have started off as a joke, fellow staffers realized that Couric was not kidding.

"I sort of slapped him around," Couric tells New York Magazine, saying she "got mad at him and said, 'You can't do this to me. You have to tell me when you’re going to use a word like that.' I was aggravated, there's no question about that.'

She goes on to say that her working relationship with the writer -- Jerry Cipriano -- is good, and that they've jokingly banned "sputum" from all future newscasts.

A CBS executive told the Drudge Report that Cipriano has not filed a complaint against Couric.

Story Telling Kit

Which anchor are you most likely to watch?

Katie Couric
Charles Gibson
Brian Williams
Other

2007-07-08 14:11:40

Read Related Blogs and Articles

Must Read?

46 %

54 %

0 VOTES

Recent Comments

Post Your Own

1 - 10 of 1607

1607 comments

margaj 07:50:03 AM Mar 23 2008

Report This!

I think katie is good leave her alone.

hestifer 10:58:04 PM Jan 24 2008

Report This!

She get paid big bucks, let her work for it. "Hey dubino, I agree with you, never miss his show".

Shapdav7 11:04:00 AM Jan 09 2008

Report This!

she should be on ch0000000xyz

vanetzianjr 04:21:32 PM Sep 12 2007

Report This!

I think Katie Couric has done a good job, and the public needs to become more accepting of a women tell us the news. I think before to long we will have a women president "then what" the public will have to deal with that as a fact. We have women everywhere do more things than men and both sides will have to be more accepting to the changes. We have women flying commercial airliners, and we have women jumping out of planes, we have women fighting in IRAQ. So what's the big deal about Katie Couric telling us the news?????????

marybee695 04:45:56 PM Aug 29 2007

Report This!

Katie wasn't too good but you didn't have to send her to Iraq

bkadrmas 09:06:12 AM Jul 12 2007

Report This!

The only news I watch is Fox all day long. No 4 up there is a fag can't watch him who knows where he has been. I am sure Katy is just fine, but the men will try to put her down as they are jealous, and don't want no women to be better then they are.Look at Hillary the men know she is smarter then they are so they put her down. Hang in there Katy maybe all the nasty men will fall off the earth, the back stabbers.

jwsheshe 08:10:07 AM Jul 12 2007

Report This!

" CNN" is the only new station to watch. Great news cast thats fair and balanced. I hate fox news---very unfair and not balanced at all. Go away fox news!!!!
Katie Couric get another job --- people don't like you.

cino45 02:50:10 AM Jul 12 2007

Report This!

this was a big error of judgement on katie's part perhaps her's or bad advise ? she is totally out of her element if she has to make a move try 60 minutes or just have a forum (new show) that is katie couric it is sad to watch and i can't help but think the today show cast is thinking what have you done! katie you need damage control fast before you destroy your lifes work.

hpscrownphynex 09:59:07 PM Jul 11 2007

Report This!

Couric should get a new career as a bimbo with Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears and they can all share the Herpes virus. Then we will have another idiot to watch on tv and in life... Only in America?

hpscrownphynex 09:56:52 PM Jul 11 2007

Report This!

all news reporters (actors) suck and are very overpaid and rated. They are simply actors. Real reporters investigate, write, and report stories and events. These idiots just read a script Maybe she can go out with Brittney and Paris and Herpes

1 - 10 of 1607

1607 comments