LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed CBS News executives and people close to Katie Couric, said on Wednesday she could leave her job as anchor of the low-rated "CBS Evening News" well before her contract expires in 2011.

CBS and Couric both issued statements downplaying the Journal story while stopping short of an outright denial.

The report comes as CBS continues to lag in third place in the network news ratings, far behind NBC and ABC, 19 months after Couric's much ballyhooed debut as the first woman solo anchor of a major U.S. evening newscast -- for a salary reportedly worth $15 million a year.

Couric, 51, who gained celebrity status during 15 years as co-host of America's top-rated morning show, NBC's "Today," may leave CBS as early as next January, soon after the U.S. presidential inauguration, the Journal said in its online edition.

Her five-year contract is set to expire in 2011, the newspaper said, adding that it was possible Couric could survive in her job if a major news event lifted her viewership or some other shift occurred at CBS.

CBS and Couric said they have no plans to alter the evening newscast.

"We are very proud of the 'CBS Evening News' particularly our political coverage, and we have no plans for any changes regarding Katie or the broadcast," the network said in a statement.

A separate statement attributed to Couric said: "I am working hard and having fun. My colleagues continue to impress me with their commitment to the newscast, and I am very proud of the show we put on every day."

Despite the heavy promotion of Couric's hiring and the huge amount of media attention it garnered, CBS has made little headway in its bid for supremacy among the Big Three network newscasts.

For the week ended March 31, the CBS Evening News averaged 5.9 million viewers, compared to 8.3 million for NBC's "Nightly News with Brian Williams" and 8 million for ABC's "World News with Charles Gibson," according to Nielsen Media Research.

At stake in the competition is roughly $450 million in annual advertising revenue.

Following an initial boost in her ratings, Couric's nightly audience has generally lagged well behind that of her immediate predecessor, Bob Schieffer.

He had taken over as host on a temporary basis after veteran anchor Dan Rather, Walter Cronkite's successor, stepped down in the aftermath of his discredited "60 Minutes" report on the military service record of George W. Bush.

In the marketing blitz for Couric's CBS debut, the network sought to promote her as a more "accessible" journalist who also possessed the experience to carry its flagship newscast. But after trying various format changes to accentuate Couric's more casual style, the network has returned to a more traditional presentation.

The Wall Street Journal suggested Couric's next job might be to succeed veteran TV interviewer Larry King at CNN, who is 74 and whose contract with his network expires next year.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed CBS News executives and people close to Katie Couric, said on Wednesday she could leave her job as anchor of the low-rated "CBS Evening News" well before her contract expires in 2011.

CBS and Couric both issued statements downplaying the Journal story while stopping short of an outright denial.

The report comes as CBS continues to lag in third place in the network news ratings, far behind NBC and ABC, 19 months after Couric's much ballyhooed debut as the first woman solo anchor of a major U.S. evening newscast -- for a salary reportedly worth $15 million a year.

Couric, 51, who gained celebrity status during 15 years as co-host of America's top-rated morning show, NBC's "Today," may leave CBS as early as next January, soon after the U.S. presidential inauguration, the Journal said in its online edition.

Her five-year contract is set to expire in 2011, the newspaper said, adding that it was possible Couric could survive in her job if a major news event lifted her viewership or some other shift occurred at CBS.

CBS and Couric said they have no plans to alter the evening newscast.

"We are very proud of the 'CBS Evening News' particularly our political coverage, and we have no plans for any changes regarding Katie or the broadcast," the network said in a statement.

A separate statement attributed to Couric said: "I am working hard and having fun. My colleagues continue to impress me with their commitment to the newscast, and I am very proud of the show we put on every day."

Despite the heavy promotion of Couric's hiring and the huge amount of media attention it garnered, CBS has made little headway in its bid for supremacy among the Big Three network newscasts.

For the week ended March 31, the CBS Evening News averaged 5.9 million viewers, compared to 8.3 million for NBC's "Nightly News with Brian Williams" and 8 million for ABC's "World News with Charles Gibson," according to Nielsen Media Research.

At stake in the competition is roughly $450 million in annual advertising revenue.

Following an initial boost in her ratings, Couric's nightly audience has generally lagged well behind that of her immediate predecessor, Bob Schieffer.

He had taken over as host on a temporary basis after veteran anchor Dan Rather, Walter Cronkite's successor, stepped down in the aftermath of his discredited "60 Minutes" report on the military service record of George W. Bush.

In the marketing blitz for Couric's CBS debut, the network sought to promote her as a more "accessible" journalist who also possessed the experience to carry its flagship newscast. But after trying various format changes to accentuate Couric's more casual style, the network has returned to a more traditional presentation.

The Wall Street Journal suggested Couric's next job might be to succeed veteran TV interviewer Larry King at CNN, who is 74 and whose contract with his network expires next year.


Replacing Larry King??????????-lol WHat the hell would CNN gain bydoing that? I know, NOTHING-LOL

Replacing Larry King??????????-lol WHat the hell would CNN gain bydoing that? I know, NOTHING-LOL
Ditto! :lol:

Well, Larry King has been kinda messing up here and there, forgetting things, saying things in a mumbled voice, maybe it is time he hung up his suspenders. I don't know abt Katie replacing him though.

I was wondering how long Katie Contract was with CBS

She should have stayed on the morning show.

Larry King, with whatever faults he has, has one thing that most journalists or interviewers lack, in my opinion, and that is empathy. That is why such a wide range of people are willing to be interviewed by him. They trust and like him. He has respect for those he interviews. Katie is capable, but to me more of a 'hard news' journalist. I don't know whether she has the ability to ask the probing questions, and not put people on the defensive. I could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong.

When does Katie Contract expire with CBS

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed CBS News executives and people close to Katie Couric, said on Wednesday she could leave her job as anchor of the low-rated "CBS Evening News" well before her contract expires in 2011.

CBS and Couric both issued statements downplaying the Journal story while stopping short of an outright denial.

The report comes as CBS continues to lag in third place in the network news ratings, far behind NBC and ABC, 19 months after Couric's much ballyhooed debut as the first woman solo anchor of a major U.S. evening newscast -- for a salary reportedly worth $15 million a year.

Couric, 51, who gained celebrity status during 15 years as co-host of America's top-rated morning show, NBC's "Today," may leave CBS as early as next January, soon after the U.S. presidential inauguration, the Journal said in its online edition.

Her five-year contract is set to expire in 2011, the newspaper said, adding that it was possible Couric could survive in her job if a major news event lifted her viewership or some other shift occurred at CBS.

CBS and Couric said they have no plans to alter the evening newscast.

"We are very proud of the 'CBS Evening News' particularly our political coverage, and we have no plans for any changes regarding Katie or the broadcast," the network said in a statement.

A separate statement attributed to Couric said: "I am working hard and having fun. My colleagues continue to impress me with their commitment to the newscast, and I am very proud of the show we put on every day."

Despite the heavy promotion of Couric's hiring and the huge amount of media attention it garnered, CBS has made little headway in its bid for supremacy among the Big Three network newscasts.

For the week ended March 31, the CBS Evening News averaged 5.9 million viewers, compared to 8.3 million for NBC's "Nightly News with Brian Williams" and 8 million for ABC's "World News with Charles Gibson," according to Nielsen Media Research.

At stake in the competition is roughly $450 million in annual advertising revenue.

Following an initial boost in her ratings, Couric's nightly audience has generally lagged well behind that of her immediate predecessor, Bob Schieffer.

He had taken over as host on a temporary basis after veteran anchor Dan Rather, Walter Cronkite's successor, stepped down in the aftermath of his discredited "60 Minutes" report on the military service record of George W. Bush.

In the marketing blitz for Couric's CBS debut, the network sought to promote her as a more "accessible" journalist who also possessed the experience to carry its flagship newscast. But after trying various format changes to accentuate Couric's more casual style, the network has returned to a more traditional presentation.

The Wall Street Journal suggested Couric's next job might be to succeed veteran TV interviewer Larry King at CNN, who is 74 and whose contract with his network expires next year.

Larry King is just one of the worst interviewers ever. It has nothing to do with his age, he has just always seemed disinterested and watching the clock to me. As for Katie Couric, her performance on the CBS Evening News has fell considerably less than expectations. Dan Rather must be jumping for joy! She always just seemed like a giggly teenager to me who was never a serious journalist. The folks at CBS must be hanging their heads in shame over hiring her. Will she improve Larry King Live or whatever they re-name the show when she takes the reigns? It is highly unlikely.

Larry King is just one of the worst interviewers ever. It has nothing to do with his age, he has just always seemed disinterested and watching the clock to me. As for Katie Couric, her performance on the CBS Evening News has fell considerably less than expectations. Dan Rather must be jumping for joy! She always just seemed like a giggly teenager to me who was never a serious journalist. The folks at CBS must be hanging their heads in shame over hiring her. Will she improve Larry King Live or whatever they re-name the show when she takes the reigns? It is highly unlikely.


I will never forget when she completed her first broadcast of the CBS evening news and while the credits were rolling she went to sit on front of the news desk and crossed her legs-LOL I was like"WTF IS SHE DOING?-lol