Couric's Cuddly News a Big Disappointment
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
LOS ANGELES - In what seemed like thousands of interviews and promos, Katie Couric gave every indication that, while she might change some of the trappings of TV's most legendary news program, it would still be a broadcast of substance that included the day's biggest stories.
No such luck. TV's first solo woman anchor, it seems, will preside over a news-flavored broadcast that consists of one or two news pieces, a few headlines and a host of soft features.
Couric, who ditched the pearl necklace that was seen in most of the promo shots released by CBS leading up to Tuesday night's broadcast, was all-business at the newscast opened. Her top story, Lara Logan's breathless piece about inroads made by the Taliban in Afghanistan, was followed by ...Thomas Friedman... obligatory coverage of a presidential speech on terrorism and a summary of news headlines shorter than Dave Letterman's Top Ten list... report on oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, managing to completely ignore Couric's tease question about whether lower gas prices are in the offing.
And then the wheels really began to fall off the cart. ... The clock was ticking. Couric had started with 22 minutes to impart the most important events of the day but, after "freeSpeech" and baby photos, only a few minutes were left. She introduced a fluffy feature about a project through which Third World orphans got portraits of themselves ...Maybe this was the golden opportunity to show how news-gathering technology and skillful writing and reporting could make seemingly remote events relevant and compelling.
Guess we'll never know.
Oh, one more thing. Couric confessed that, after months of deliberation, she still hasn't found a signature closing line she really likes. She asked viewers to suggest some, so here's mine: "Good night from all us at what used to be CBS News."
http://www.hollywood.com/news/detail/id/3550212