It's the free agent's curse: No matter what else may be wrong with the
franchise, the new arrival's talent is supposed to overcome it. That's why they put you in the heart of the lineup, or on those bus billboards. If there are problems that still need fixing, that means the savior is a failure. An ongoing set of adjustments means that the savior is an ongoing failure.
So each new strategy that CBS or the Yankees might try, hoping to win more viewers or more games, gets evaluated as an act of publicity long before the results come in. Ms. Couric and the CBS Evening News are going through the kind of scrutiny usually presented on WFAN: Are they sunk? Are they crazy? What were they thinking in the first place? And how long can they keep making excuses for that overpriced bum?
Currently, the Yankees are looking up in the standings at a team, the Red Sox, who are playing the Yankees' game better than the Yankees-i.e., winning ballgames with the finest team money can buy. CBS, having hired the most celebrated anchor in the modern history of morning television, now finds itself looking up in the ratings at a news team helmed by former morning-news anchor Charles Gibson.
These two mega-watt media personalities bare the burden -- and reap the benefits -- of working in New York. I have to think the same "curse" can be applied to the business world as well -- bringing in a hot shot CEO to be a savior only to see the stock tank. Anyone out there have any suggestions?
You can read the rest of the Observer article here.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. this is the most ridiculous comparison of two people i ever seen in my life..are you running out
of stories?...the yankees and katie couric yeah ok
duh
diane at 9:12AM on May 16th 2007
2. Guess they have to fill up the space with something....
Elisa at 9:30AM on May 16th 2007
3. Katie, who is a very bright person, was simply put in the wrong job. She did well in the news-lite format of the Today show. But she is wrong for the more serious evening news. CBS will eventually replace her before her contract runs out. But don't feel sorry for her, she has made a ton of money and will move on to venues better suited for her.
Matt at 9:45AM on May 16th 2007
4. Well, eventually, all the standard evening newscasts with be dinasours - because the internet allows you to read a worldwide variety of news and personalize it even more by reading news that slants to your taste. By the time, Couric pulls it together, the program itself will be that much closer to obsolete.
I felt she was a bad choice when she initially said she would refuse to go to Iraq to report because of her children (then recanted when the reaction wasn't so hot). I didn't like her cruxifiction of the Edwards' family, especially when she showed disapproval for things she herself did when her husband was dying.
But, as mentioned, she's the one laughing on the way to the bank, not me. Maybe she should retire and enjoy her money.
Phil at 2:05PM on May 16th 2007