Posted on 09/14/2006 7:13:10 AM PDT by MindBender26
Couric Furious At CBS Suits. She Claims "They Are Stabbing Me In The Back."
Katie Couric is not a happy camper this morning. The Suits at CBS have sent a strong signal throughout the news department that they have already lost faith in her. Here are the details as reported to me this AM from an old friend at West 57th.
(Here beginnith the First Lesson.)
“Promos” (short for promotional announcements) are advertisements a station or network runs to promote their own programs. A 30 second televised message advertising Veg-O-Matic is called a “spot” (short for spot advertisement.) A 30 second message advertising the CBS Evening News is called a “promo.”
Promos are the lifeblood of an individual high-profile anchor’s ratings. The commercial time committed to promos is directly linked to increased ratings.
If a station or network has faith in a rising star reporter or anchor, they will run a “heavy rotation” of promos for that person. Likewise, if the network suits have little faith in the anchor, that personality will receive few promos.
Why not give everyone plenty of promos? It’s simple; there are only so many minutes available to run promos and spots during a 24 hour period. Every time a network airs a promo, they abandon the revenue that would have been produced by a commercial run during that same time period.
(Here endith the First Lesson)
Well… a new promo schedule has just been circulated at CBS, and Perky’s promo time is WAY down. Both the frequency and desirability of time of airing have been cut drastically. This is a clear sign that the Suits have read the tea leaves and are already abandoning Perky.
Some reduction was expected after her first week but a CBS insider described the cuts as “drastic” and “approaching abandonment.” In her words, “we would give more promo time to a “safe Halloween trick-or-treating” story than Katie is going to get.
Another horribly negative comment is now accepted as fact at CBS: “Sure, some people are going to watch us/her now, but can you imagine anyone having a choice between us and Charlie Gibson on ABC going with us if/when there is another terrorist attack?”
Already some other anchors’ agents are smelling blood in the water. The big guessing game at Black Rock is now, “Which power agent is having lunch with which CBS Suit today.”
P.S. Rather is working overtime on his new satellite- fed dinky cable show. Editors who have seen first drafts of story treatments say it is WAY over the top, sort of a "Howard Beale on LSD reading Rolling Stone straight to camera, with a Texas accent" concept.
More as available.
Definitely the makings of a new tag line:
So, she can blame the suits if she wants but it is her own left leanings that have caused her ratings and the suits are just protecting themselves.
In the case of the mining company, it was because the president (who was, of course, French) got enamoured of huge drag lines (massive things resembling steamshovels only big enough to load a dumptruck) and ordered FIVE of them. This was in the 70's when Carter had pushed for more coal. There weren't enough mines who could use those large machines, and so three sat idle, although the company had to pay for all five. Rather than admit the mistake, all sorts of re-organization went on. Stock prices dropped, as profits dried up.
By the time Mr. Frenchy had left on a golden parachute, the company was in the business of slowly shutting down, and eventually their assets were sold to other companies.
Couric is like the drag lines; someone got fascinated with the idea of using her, they overbid on her salary in order to make sure they would get her, and now, lilke the drag lines, they are stuck paying for something they can't really use.
I envision massive firings, followed by layoffs and the dreaded "reorganization." I would be quite happy to see CBS sold off, piecemeal, but I suppose that's too much to hope for.
"Conspiracy"
Did she really say that?
What a b***h!
If any *part* of this is true?
...it's simply too precious to miss. :o)
So that's why she looks so tense and robotic. It's painful to watch her. She seems under the surface very miserable.
They don't have a super wide-angle lens?
Interesting correlation to Animal House Pigs...
Very true. She's not spontaneous, and she lacks freshness and insight. She has the intellect of a dullard.
Katie should be furious at liberal viewers. They are the ones that are not watching her show. Conservatives haven't watched CBS in may years.
So, if Katie doesn't get good ratings, it is the liberals fault.
And I assume this was said with a straight face only worthy of a pathological LIAR?!
Hee hee. CBS is dragging their anchor!
She'll do the opposite... Couric'll become cBS's' Olbermann before she pitches straight news.
CBS just bought the 20-million dollar screwdriver. And they pass judgement on the Pentagon!
Katie not so perky these days???? Well she at least is well paid and unhappy.
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