The Katie Chronicles

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: CBS News Issues

(GETTY IMAGES/David Livingston)

We'd be remiss if we didn't mention the biggest story of the day in MediaLand: Joe Hagan's New York Magazine piece on Katie Couric and the "Evening News." The piece includes some choice quotes from the "Evening News" anchor, including this one, about whether she ever questions her decision to come to CBS News: "I mean, of course. 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." Go here to check it out.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by lien49 July 11, 2007 4:38 PM EDT: For me, the kiss of death for the CBS Evening News was the interview last year with the widow of one of the Mt. Hood climbers who perished during an ill-advised adventure. It was a complete waste of limited air time, and a confirmation of the decline of broadcast news, and not just at CBS.

If it is a goal of CBS to provide a valuable news program, the first step should be the removal of Mr. Moonves from any decision-making capacity in such an effort. In my opinion, he represents the worst of what has become a dreadful landscape of network news offerings in which the only highlight is PBS.; Reply to this comment


by CBSTV July 10, 2007 7:18 AM EDT: I wish Katie Couric no ill. She was a fine personality on NBC's Today Show. However, she has no business being the managing editor and anchor of The CBS Evening News. Douglas Edwards, Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather ... Katie Couric? Her appointment was a poor decision from the start.

The real culprit in this mess is CEO Les Moonves. It's a sin that he interfered with the News Division and watered down the Network's premier news broadcast. Mr. Moonves' substantial talents as an entertainment programmer do not qualify him to be a news executive.

CBS earns a fortune from its prime-time shows. Can't the Tiffany Network serve the public with 30 minutes of outstanding journalism each night without the pressure of attracting the "right" demographics and the highest ratings? Do I dare suggest that the 6:30 to 7:00 time period not be expected to turn a profit?

I am hoping that there will be a graceful way to transition The CBS Evening News back to a traditional hard news broadcast. Once that happens, I shall resume watching it on a nightly basis.; Reply to this comment


by phoenixandy July 9, 2007 10:23 PM EDT: rmichem, maybe Katie thinks her audience is too stupid to know what "sputum" is. She needs to baby-talk her audience in order to reach them.; Reply to this comment


by jaguar0 July 9, 2007 7:52 PM EDT: If a man, would slaps a woman, over, using the word sputum, He would have been fired, charge with a crime at the very least given a one day suspension. Katie does, it The whole matter is consider a joke? Then, there is the matter of the word %u201Csputum.%u201D Here is a TOOL of the body, that doctors, can used to , fine various type of diseases. Including, some types of cancer. Their have been many studies, showing the value of SPUTUM, in helping doctors discover medical conditions. How many people, would have seem that story, not knowing what Sputum is, and ask their doctor, to check it, much Who knows how many lives, might have been saved, if the words sputum, was used. Here, is Katie belly aching about everybody taking, a medical test, with a hose. Yet, when another type of cancer, can be detected, testing sputum she find the whole matter disgusting What A contortion, of Katie's principals. Maybe the next time you see KC asking you for money, to support colon cancer research. Maybe, you better forget it give your maney instead to lung cancer , were the s word, is used, to help fine it. The whole matter makes one want to throw up some S -P -U -T -U -M.; Reply to this comment


by abigail531 July 9, 2007 7:00 PM EDT: Face it Katie, you will NEVER be a "Jane Pauley"!!! That woman has CLASS, a warm personality, AND is a GREAT newswoman. Maybe you could find a new home on "THE VIEW"!; Reply to this comment


by raymo15-2009 July 9, 2007 6:49 PM EDT: For mark1209.....Katie is a 'newsreader', not a journalist. Edward R. Murrow was a journalist, Ernie Pyle was a journalist. Let's not muddy the water with that term. You say Uncle Walt likes her ??? Walter has said many times over the years that he hates 'happy talk' news. What it really represents is the feminizing of the news....I cannot imagine, Huntley-Brinkley, Walter, Howard K. Smith or any of the greats, reading some of the c r a p that's presented as news today.....and that's the way it is....; Reply to this comment


by mark1209 July 9, 2007 6:02 PM EDT: Hello All You Walter Cronkite Narrow Minded Folks,
I like Katie Couric.I like Walter Cronkite.If Walter Cronkite likes Katie and lends his voice to intro the Evening News,could you just be a bit more patient with Katie because nobody expected her to change the ratings in one year.Nobody expected her to reinvent bad news from Iraq or show up there in a field jacket the way she once wore fatigues in Saudi Arabia for Gulf War I.(look it up)But she has given us surprisingly intense medical stories and other stories we did not get with Dan Rather.So,let's wait till the full year is up after Labor Day to cast stones or wonder about her latest makeover.She is a good journalist and while she has had made some obvious mistakes,it does not mean she can't be a good anchor.later,mark; Reply to this comment


by phoenixandy July 9, 2007 5:03 PM EDT: The word that was censored was c r a p.; Reply to this comment


by phoenixandy July 9, 2007 5:00 PM EDT: Les Moonves' vision for the CBS Evening News was a bad one. He tried to fluff up the Evening News with entertainment. If he wanted a female anchor, he should have gone to either Diane Sawyer or Jane Pauley.

I would rather have the CBS Evening News be more of a hard-news program than the *** that I saw on Katie Couric's first days as anchor. I thought the "freeSpeech" segment was really idiotic. I also don't care to hear about Tom Cruise's and Katie Holmes' baby or about Paris Hilton returning to jail.; Reply to this comment