Just as it’s difficult -- if not a bit unfair -- to judge a restaurant after visiting on opening night, it’s going to take some time to determine whether Katie Couric is a good match for the CBS Evening News.
After 15 years as the bubbly (notice we didn't say "perky") host of NBC’s "Today" show, Couric took a somewhat low-key approach during her much-hyped debut as the first woman anchor to go solo on a major network newscast.
Presentation wasn't an issue. With a sparkling new set and glitzy graphics serving as her backdrop, Couric served up story introductions and other broadcast nuts and bolts with the ease of a seasoned pro.
The problems, in this case, came from the kitchen ... er ... control room.
Like many of their monolithic brethren in this changing media landscape, the people in charge of the CBS Evening News don't seem certain of their mission.
With ratings sagging and advertisers clamoring to attract younger viewers who don't seem interested, the networks chefs are trying to find the right mix of hard news, celebrity-driven fluff and quirky features.
On a somewhat slow day for news, Couric’s debut opened with correspondent Lara Logan’s long (by TV standards) and interesting feature that depicted Taliban soldiers displaying their weapons less than 10 miles from a U.S. base in Afghanistan.
That segued into a pedestrian report on a speech by President Bush and Couric’s taped interview New York Times columnist Tom Friedman about the war on terror -- a conversation that included several strategic cutaways that displayed the 49-year-old former cheerleader’s infamous legs.
Headlines such as the death of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, a management shakeup at Ford and a study of health effects on Sept. 11 rescue workers received brief mentions in a news roundup.
An intriguing story about oil drilling off the Gulf Coast and an uplifting piece about Madison native Ben Schumaker’s endeavor "The Memory Project" proved that the CBS crew -- demoralized as it may have been after the Dan Rather debacle -- is capable of creating compelling features. Schumaker’s effort to enlist high school artists to paint portraits of orphans from around the world, many of whom have never owned a photo of themselves is the kind of story that TV news should embrace and it played well.
A segment entitled "freeSpeech," featured an essay by filmmaker Morgan Spurlock and set the stage for future editorials from the famous and not-so-famous. Though Spurlock’s effort wasn't exactly inspired, the segment could prove to be provocative. Rush Limbaugh’s appearance Thursday night should provide a ratings boost as his millions of fans and detractors tune in to cheer and jeer.
As if to balance out the hard news, the broadcast also hyped the first airing of pictures of Suri Cruise, the child of actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. The Cruise family was photographed by Annie Leibovitz for an issue of Vanity Fair that hits stands today.
Couric and her bosses, who are paying her a reported $15 million per year, may soon discover that its hard for one anchor to switch between hard news and fluffy features over the course of a 30-minute broadcast. There were moments Tuesday when Couric seemed like a local news anchor overhyping an upcoming sweeps-week segment. And, there were moments -- particularly the Suri Cruise segment -- when the entire production had an "Entertainment Tonight," feel.
The low point on that front was Couric’s closing segment -- or lack thereof.
After playing clips of legendary closers like Edward R. Murrow’s "Good night, good luck," Chet Huntley and David Brinkley’s friendly farewells, Walter Cronkite’s "And that’s the way it is," and Rather’s trademark "Courage," the folks at CBS slipped in Ted Baxter’s "Good night and good news" from the "Mary Tyler Moore" show and Ron Burgundy’s "You stay classy, San Diego," from the movie "Anchorman."
Couric admitted that she hasn't thought of a trademark signoff yet, then invited viewers to send in suggestions via the Web site.
For an outfit that prides itself on tradition, slipping the fake newsmen into the montage and begging for help from viewers came off cheesy, inappropriate and downright embarrassing.
"For now, all I have to say is, I'm Katie Couric, thank you so much for watching, and I hope to see you tomorrow night," she said.
Clumsy close aside, Couric’s debut was relatively smooth. When the minor wrinkles are ironed out, her presence on the scene may take some viewers away from her competitors -- Brian Williams of NBC’s "Nightly News" and Charles Gibson of ABC’s "World News."
In the end, however, producers and advertisers alike may discover that it will take more than a familiar face and a pair of shapely legs to reverse a 30-year decline in network news ratings.
Couric may be a good bet for the present, but at this point nobody knows what the future holds for TV news. If it swings toward Baxter and Burgundy, though, we all may be in trouble.
After 15 years as the bubbly (notice we didn't say "perky") host of NBC’s "Today" show, Couric took a somewhat low-key approach during her much-hyped debut as the first woman anchor to go solo on a major network newscast.
Presentation wasn't an issue. With a sparkling new set and glitzy graphics serving as her backdrop, Couric served up story introductions and other broadcast nuts and bolts with the ease of a seasoned pro.
The problems, in this case, came from the kitchen ... er ... control room.
Like many of their monolithic brethren in this changing media landscape, the people in charge of the CBS Evening News don't seem certain of their mission.
With ratings sagging and advertisers clamoring to attract younger viewers who don't seem interested, the networks chefs are trying to find the right mix of hard news, celebrity-driven fluff and quirky features.
On a somewhat slow day for news, Couric’s debut opened with correspondent Lara Logan’s long (by TV standards) and interesting feature that depicted Taliban soldiers displaying their weapons less than 10 miles from a U.S. base in Afghanistan.
That segued into a pedestrian report on a speech by President Bush and Couric’s taped interview New York Times columnist Tom Friedman about the war on terror -- a conversation that included several strategic cutaways that displayed the 49-year-old former cheerleader’s infamous legs.
Headlines such as the death of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, a management shakeup at Ford and a study of health effects on Sept. 11 rescue workers received brief mentions in a news roundup.
An intriguing story about oil drilling off the Gulf Coast and an uplifting piece about Madison native Ben Schumaker’s endeavor "The Memory Project" proved that the CBS crew -- demoralized as it may have been after the Dan Rather debacle -- is capable of creating compelling features. Schumaker’s effort to enlist high school artists to paint portraits of orphans from around the world, many of whom have never owned a photo of themselves is the kind of story that TV news should embrace and it played well.
A segment entitled "freeSpeech," featured an essay by filmmaker Morgan Spurlock and set the stage for future editorials from the famous and not-so-famous. Though Spurlock’s effort wasn't exactly inspired, the segment could prove to be provocative. Rush Limbaugh’s appearance Thursday night should provide a ratings boost as his millions of fans and detractors tune in to cheer and jeer.
As if to balance out the hard news, the broadcast also hyped the first airing of pictures of Suri Cruise, the child of actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. The Cruise family was photographed by Annie Leibovitz for an issue of Vanity Fair that hits stands today.
Couric and her bosses, who are paying her a reported $15 million per year, may soon discover that its hard for one anchor to switch between hard news and fluffy features over the course of a 30-minute broadcast. There were moments Tuesday when Couric seemed like a local news anchor overhyping an upcoming sweeps-week segment. And, there were moments -- particularly the Suri Cruise segment -- when the entire production had an "Entertainment Tonight," feel.
The low point on that front was Couric’s closing segment -- or lack thereof.
After playing clips of legendary closers like Edward R. Murrow’s "Good night, good luck," Chet Huntley and David Brinkley’s friendly farewells, Walter Cronkite’s "And that’s the way it is," and Rather’s trademark "Courage," the folks at CBS slipped in Ted Baxter’s "Good night and good news" from the "Mary Tyler Moore" show and Ron Burgundy’s "You stay classy, San Diego," from the movie "Anchorman."
Couric admitted that she hasn't thought of a trademark signoff yet, then invited viewers to send in suggestions via the Web site.
For an outfit that prides itself on tradition, slipping the fake newsmen into the montage and begging for help from viewers came off cheesy, inappropriate and downright embarrassing.
"For now, all I have to say is, I'm Katie Couric, thank you so much for watching, and I hope to see you tomorrow night," she said.
Clumsy close aside, Couric’s debut was relatively smooth. When the minor wrinkles are ironed out, her presence on the scene may take some viewers away from her competitors -- Brian Williams of NBC’s "Nightly News" and Charles Gibson of ABC’s "World News."
In the end, however, producers and advertisers alike may discover that it will take more than a familiar face and a pair of shapely legs to reverse a 30-year decline in network news ratings.
Couric may be a good bet for the present, but at this point nobody knows what the future holds for TV news. If it swings toward Baxter and Burgundy, though, we all may be in trouble.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
