THE SURPRISE & FALL OF KATIE (Couric Costs CBS 'Arm & Leg'!!!)

New York Post ^ | June 3, 2007 | DON KAPLAN

[Anti-Bubba182]

June 3, 2007 -- As you can see from the chart above, Katie Couric’s first nine months at CBS aren’t exactly going as planned - in fact, she’s costing CBS an arm and a leg and a whole lot more for each viewer she hangs onto in her shrinking audience.

And last week the $15 million- a-year anchor got even more expensive....."

[Anti-Bubba182]

Couric $15 million - $2.51 per viewer
Williams 4 million - .55 per viewer
Gibson 7 million - .89 per viewer

Couldn't happen to a nicer network.

[sinanju]

As I see it, it’s not just Katie. The era of the mega-star anchor has come to an end, like sorcerers and dragons, I shall miss neither.

[ontap]

How can I put this!! ya!ya!yayaya!

[kjo]

She’ll be gone by the end of the year. Look for Anderson Cooper to get the job.

[atomicpossum]

She’ll be gone by the end of the year. Look for Anderson Cooper to get the job.

One woman couldn't do it, why would another?

[advertising guy]

lmao...............hillarious.

[pieceofthepuzzle]

“The era of the mega-star anchor has come to an end, like sorcerers and dragons, I shall miss neither.”

I think you’re correct, and I too would be happy to see it. I have respect for ‘reporters’ who go out and honestly try to dig up and understand the truth (hopefully they still exist out there somewhere). On the other hand, I have no idea why the networks would want to spend millions of dollars paying someone to essentially read the news on the air.

[jennyjenny]

If they were smart they’d hire Brit Hume but since they aren’t they’ll hire Anderson Cooper.

[Non-Sequitur]

I wonder how useful this statistic is, and what it would be if you compared it with what the cost per head is on some of the CNN and Fox shows. And when you get right down to it Rush attracts between 14 and 15 million per week, or about 3 million a day, and makes $28 million a year to do it. Do the math.

[xp38]

Ratings are for little people. :)

[Stayfree]

I'm worth every lousy cent they pay me!

[EndWelfareToday]

Doesn't matter who takes her place. The prehistoric media is finished. They are going the way of the dinosaur and so long as they keep professing their liberalism it's only going to happen faster.

JMHO

[TYVets]

The era of the mega-star anchor has come to an end, like sorcerers and dragons, I shall miss neither.

I am not deeply sadden.

[TruthWillWin]

Logic makes one think that when a liberal format starts to hurt a network in the pocketbook they will change. My guess is that they still won’t get it and continue with newscasters/content that lead them down the road to oblivion. They are blind to their biases

[freekitty]

Funny, how CBS deluded itself into believing Katie is worth $15mil.

[Diogenesis]

Any advertiser should be GRATEFUL to pay the extra 500% to have CBS get their info out.

[monkapotamus]

[sinanju]

It was through Gunga-Dan and his MemoGate that I learned that in TVland the “producers” are the people who do the actual research and footwork whereas the “reporters” merely read the agreed-upon questions in the taped interviews.

Investigative Journalism 101. You learn something new everyday. For my own part I would be happy to let the producers ask their questions on camera and let the “newsreaders” stick to reading the news.

[okie01]

In the seventies, advertisers paid $2.51...to reach a thousand households.

In the oughts, CBS is paying their anchorette $2.51...to reach a single viewer.

Times have, indeed, changed.

[Copernicus]

Which is more entertaining and informative?

Katie Couric or THIS?

Best regards,

[billhilly]

As I recall, Brit Hume left ABC for his current position at FOX, and he made a good choice.

[em2vn]

I believe that if a true newsman or woman, not a biased hack, usually good looking, were in an anchor chair, that person would be a big success.
The key is bias. I don’t think one of the three major broadcast network news departments could put together an objective newscast.

[kjo]

Agreed. But the leftwing media is going to fight to the bitter, bitter end.

[em2vn]

Did the consultant who advised CBS to sign Couric also advise Mercedes to pay $37 billion for Chrysler?

[sinanju]

It’s like the central thesis of Michael Medved’s “Hollywood Vs. America,” the plaudits of their colleagues mean more to them than the patronage of us commonweals.

Only tinseltown is partially wising up. There are many more family-friendly movies out now than in ‘92 when Medved’s book was published.

[okie01]

They are blind to their biases

And, even worse in a free market world, they are blind to their audience.

[AlexW]

“The era of the mega-star anchor has come to an end”

Whats a mega-star anchor?
I don't think I have seen the ABC/CBS/NBC evening news in over 10 years, maybe 15.
With FOX and the internet, I can’t imagine why anyone watches that drivel.
Since I have been in Europe, I don’t even watch FOX and have not missed a thing. I can get all I want on FR and other sites.

[Anti-Bubba182]

They are in their own reality at 'Blackrock'. They long for audience sizes like Cronkite used to get, but the whole market has changed. No network will get numbers like Cronkite, let alone CBS.

It is good to watch them tank.

[MikeHu]

That’s how much Lebron James makes.

Let’s see him read the news as well as she does.

[moreisee]

Son of Gloria (one more facelift she’ll be wearing a goatee) Vandervilt. What a transparent phony.

[mkjessup]

From a hag to a ... ?

[tioga]

LOL

[FormerACLUmember]

CBS could hire a Republican for a fraction of Courics bucks and get twice the ratings. But then Perky follows the party line.

[jalisco555]

This chart has a further interesting number hidden in it. Add all the three networks together and their viewership is less than 7% of the US population. That must be way down from, say, the 70’s. The whole network news format is dying, not just CBS’s latest incarnation.

[Types_with_Fist]

Katie Couric or THIS?

The video is infinitly more fascinating. Thank you for that!

[Doohickey]

Sounds like Williams and Gibson need better agents.

[100%FEDUP]

Rush is also on 3 hours a day. 15 hours in week compared to 2.5 hours a week for a half hour newscast, more airtime = more ad revenue. Rush’ salary is a drop in the bucket when you consider the ad revenue and syndication fees for his show.

[abb]

Network television, as it is known today, will cease to exist by the end of this decade or shortly thereafter.

[Mamzelle]

It’s hard to be youthfully cute when you’re fiftyish.

[Mamzelle]

re: (one more facelift she’ll be wearing a goatee) ---

ROFLMAO...and it took me a minute to even get it....LOL. Has this one been around awhile, or is it your invention?

[Anti-Bubba182]

The audience for the Network News is half of what it used to be despite the larger US population. Viewers have more viewing choices. The situation for Network News will only get worse.

The evening Network news, for all networks, is a short program that does not cover much. People who want more will get it elsewhere. Even the exclusive interviews the networks get will be streamed on the net so that people can watch at their own convenience.

[jalisco555]

That is absolutely incredible. Thanks for the link.

[MaryFromMichigan]

Katie gets $15 million?
Wow.
Hey, CBS! I’ll do it for half that!
True, I may not have great on screen presence.
I may not be a world class journalist.
I may be politically biased, middle aged and just a bit frumpy, but then again, so is Katie!
Think of the money you’ll save!

Freepmail me!

[Ditter]

I don’t watch SeeBS but Anderson Cooper won’t make me switch over, he has a demonic look about him.

[fatnotlazy]

Cooper was with ABC on the graveyard shift before he went over to CNN. I suspect guys lilke him do a lot better with the cable outlets.

[Mere]

There is no way that CBS will get rid of her right now. They will never dump a woman when Hillary is running for President.

[Enterprise]

At first I didn’t think it would be much of a battle. And it WAS entertaining! Plus I had to laugh a bit at another one with the ranger trying to get the leopard out of the cage. Yikes!

[Inquisitive1]

Which is more entertaining and informative? Katie Couric or THIS?

'THIS'. That was quite a clip.

[Yossarian]

[Yossarian]

Along the same lines as your cartoon: