Katie Couric announcing her 'Today' departure Wed.

[Julius]

April 05, 2006 Hollywood Reporter

Couric announcing her 'Today' departure Wed.


By Paul J. Gough

NEW YORK -- Katie Couric is set to announce her departure from "Today" on the program itself at 7:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday, multiple sources said Tuesday.

Couric will tell viewers that she will be leaving the show by May 31, when her contract runs out on NBC, sources said.

That will set the stage for Couric to sign a deal worth at least $13 million a year to anchor the "CBS Evening News" and take a spot on "60 Minutes." The announcement from CBS could come as soon as Wednesday afternoon.

The naming of Couric's successor, which could be "The View" co-host Meredith Vieira or in-house candidates Campbell Brown, Natalie Morales or Ann Curry, may happen Thursday although it isn't set in stone. There were rumblings for 30 Rockefeller Center that NBC was close to a deal with Vieira, but it couldn't be independently confirmed.

Both NBC and CBS declined comment Tuesday.

Her decision has been the news industry's favorite parlor game for months, ever since word leaked that CBS CEO Leslie Moonves wanted a big name to anchor the third-place evening newscast that Bob Schieffer has been anchoring on a temporary basis since Dan Rather left in March 2005.

Couric returned from a ski vacation over the weekend and arrived back at "Today" on Monday, where she picked up where she left off without a word to viewers.

But multiple sources reported that she had agreed substantially to a deal with CBS and was only waiting for the right moment to inform NBC. The deal hadn't been completed as of Tuesday.

Couric would become network news' first solo female anchor, taking over a chair that has been occupied full-time by only a few: Douglas Edwards, Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather and now, Schieffer. It seemed likely that Schieffer would continue with the broadcast until Couric debuted sometime in September.

Sources said that Couric yearned to do serious news after 15 years of alternating between that and lighter fare at "Today" and "Dateline." With the challenge from ABC's "Good Morning America" vanquished -- which the gap a year ago was 40,000 viewers and now it's more than 1 million -- Couric can rightly say that she's going out of the morning-news business at the top.

As for NBC, it had reached out to Vieira to replace Couric as co-host of "Today" although it wasn't clear whether an agreement had been reached. Her co-host duties at "The View" were not an issue but her deal with "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire" has a longer term. Buena Vista Television couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday about the status of her contract there.

Calls to Vieira's agent, Michael Glantz, weren't returned Tuesday afternoon.

[InspectorExstead]

But, but, but....I love Katie Couric! I can't imagine watching the Today show without her. =(

[dawsongirl]

Katie Couric and the Evening News. Ick. I like Bob Schieffer...leave him there. We don't need cute evening news.

[Hollow]

katie: coming up on today, tom cruise has a new movie, we're gonna be talking with him.
peter griffin: [in the background, outside of the building behind the glass] *knocks on glass* katie!
katie: funny man al franken will be dropping by for a visit.
peter: *knocks on glass* katie!
katie: and wolfgang puck shares his recipe for apple strudel.
peter: *knocks on glass* KATIE!
katie: so stay tuned, cause we've got all this and more coming up in the next hour.
peter: *grabs mailbox, shatters the glass wall* KAAAAATIIIIIIIIIIIE!
katie: *gets all pissed off* WHAT!?!?!1/1111
peter: oh, well never MIND. *walks away with his nose in the air*

[dawsongirl]

Originally Posted by safety pin

katie: coming up on today, tom cruise has a new movie, we're gonna be talking with him.
peter griffin: [in the background, outside of the building behind the glass] *knocks on glass* katie!
katie: funny man al franken will be dropping by for a visit.
peter: *knocks on glass* katie!
katie: and wolfgang puck shares his recipe for apple strudel.
peter: *knocks on glass* KATIE!
katie: so stay tuned, cause we've got all this and more coming up in the next hour.
peter: *grabs mailbox, shatters the glass wall* KAAAAATIIIIIIIIIIIE!
katie: *gets all pissed off* WHAT!?!?!1/1111
peter: oh, well never MIND. *walks away with his nose in the air*

[TJL]

Somewhere in New York City, Mat Lauer is doing a happy dance.

[Nighthawk76]

I don't know, Katie is a bit too perky for my taste in news.

[MsOrange]

i hope they replace her w/ someone in house.. i love the weekend crew.

[Chelsea]

A lot of speculation is that Meredith Viera (from The View on ABC, and the syndicated "Who Wants to be a Millionaire") is at the top of the list for the job opening at Today

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Seth

A lot of speculation is that Meredith Viera (from The View on ABC, and the syndicated "Who Wants to be a Millionaire") is at the top of the list for the job opening at Today

Shouldn't be Ann Curry?

[Polniaczek033]

Originally Posted by TVResearcher

Shouldn't be Ann Curry?

i hate ann curry. i hope it's not her. /dies

i like katie couric but i don't really like how she lets her political views affect her.. anchoring. i don't like how she interviews democrats. she has to be a bitch about it.

it will be weird watching Today without her though