Katie Couric Kicks Off Tour In Tampa

Incoming CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor Katie Couric kicked of her tour Monday of several cities to meet informally with viewers this summer and promote cancer awareness.

Her first stop was Tampa, Fla. where she dropped by the studios of CBS affiliate WSTP-TV. Later that day she visited the American Cancer Society offices in Clearwater, Florida.

Couric commented that she's long had a fondness for the state of Florida. "I loved living in Miami," she said. "I spent some time covering Florida politics, so I spent some time in Tallahassee and some time in Tampa as well, and my father was head of the United Press Bureau in Tallahassee." She added that she always enjoyed the multi-ethnic environment of the state.

During her six-city tour this week, Couric will talk with the people about a subject that is very close to her heart, the awareness of cancer screening. Couric lost her husband, Jay Monahan, to colon cancer in 1998.

Couric will also participate in a charity fundraiser in each city she visits. In Denver, it will be a luncheon benefiting the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center Foundation.

"Well, any effort to encourage people to get screened is something I really support," she said. "And I am going to a number of cities across the country. People are being really nice to spend some time with me, talking with me about the issues they care about, and about how they get their news, and I wanted to leave something positive behind, really as a way to say thank you. And since this is a cause that I care so deeply about, I was really excited to participate."

She also plans to spend time with CBS' local stations in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Denver, San Diego and San Francisco.