2008 Woodie Awards
Couric joins CBS Nightly News as first female anchor
Matt Brucato
Issue date: 9/14/06 Section: A & E
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Couric announced last spring that she would be leaving NBC's "Today" show after 15 years of providing morning news/entertainment alongside co-anchor Matt Lauer and weatherman Al Roker. On that same day it was revealed that she would be taking over the lead anchor position for CBS's "Evening News."
Nightly network news has been dominated by testosterone with familiar names such as Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, and Dan Rather for more than twenty years. Female anchors such as Barbara Walters, Connie Chung, and Elizabeth Vargas were always partnered with male anchors.
In an unprecedented move, Couric replaced Bob Schieffer who had anchored the show for only a year and a half after Dan Rather stepped down as network anchor. She will be competing with NBC's "Nightly News" with Brian Williams and ABC's "World News" with Charles Gibson.
Couric's first news broadcast has been met with mixed reviews. The Show now opens with a new set, graphics and upbeat theme music. Many critics have commented on the new format that CBS has adapted stating that there is a certain lack of actual news being reported. Skeptics have said that Couric is not experienced enough as a journalist and tends to blur the line between news and entertainment.
Some of the highlights of the premiere included a revealing of Tom Cruise's baby in a soon to be released issue of "Vanity Fair" and an exclusive inside look of the Taliban. A new segment was introduced to the show in the form of a "Free Speech" forum where outsiders provide commentary on relevant issues.
Despite the array of reviews the show was considered to be a success. The show Landed the #1 spot in its time slot and averaging a 9.1 rating with a 17 point share in the Nielsen ratings. The premiere was CBS's highest rating for a newscast since the Nagano Olympics in 1998.
For her second broadcast Couric held nothing back providing a one on one interview with President Bush. Despite the high profile guest list for the second night of "Evening News" the ratings did drop slightly, although many had projected this scenario. CBS has been behind in ratings compared to NBC and ABC for years and have looked to Couric, with her already large fan base, to take them to the top.
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