Last night I read the reading assignment "You've Come Along Way Baby" pages 233-250 and I shed some light for me on a topic I never really thought about: Women in the news.
The section mainly talked about how women reporters are never the main anchor but rather the co-host or co-anchor. For women in news they MUST have the looks which men don't necessarily need as much as women in the field.
The chapter spoke a lot about Katie Couric and her new anchor job at CBS. When Katie Couric came to CBS in 2006 she brought with her the notoriety and success she had achieved at NBC’s Today Show. She inherited a news broadcast that was the 3rd highest rated among the network news, a shadow of its formerly powerful self in the 60’s and 70’s when Walter Cronkite, an American icon, was the anchor. But according to the book, it was a disappointment. Many say Couric was brought to CBS to attract younger viewers and they hoped to achieve that by having a women at the anchor: something which had NEVER been done before. Since then Katie has decided to step down from CBS and start her own day time take show.
We are in the final days of Katie Couric as the anchor of the 3rd place CBS Evening News. Her departure is not fully set yet, so it’s not a total certainty, merely a virtual one. What is certain is that her contract ends in June and CBS will surely not renew it at the current rate of compensation which is reported to be $15 million annually.
What’s next for Couric? The future is unclear, although she is reportedly considering creating her own syndicated talk show. Rumor is that it may include her former co-host Matt Lauer, whose NBC Today contract runs through 2012. What is clear is that network TV news is still having trouble making women its main anchor. I admire Katie Couric and in my eyes she is a symbol for women everywhere to never give up on your dreams.
For more information about Katie and her departure from CBS check out this site: http://www.mayoseitzmediamonitor.com/katie-courics-departure-from-the-cbs-evening-news/
-Katie M!
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