Couric's News Gets a Makeover
CBS attempts to fix record-low ratings
Katie Couric, CBS Evening News
When
Katie Couric first took over the
CBS Evening News, she said she didn't want to do your grandmother's newscast. But she's found out the hard way that Grandma liked her evening news the way it was. The program's ratings have fallen to a 20-year low, languishing behind
ABC's World News with Charles Gibson and
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. CBS News recently installed veteran producer Rick Kaplan, who has upped the number of stories covered and dropped the informal touches that Couric brought to it.
"A lot of things didn't work," says Kaplan. "It didn't suit what the viewers were looking for, and we got off it and tried something else. We gave everyone a lesson in some things not to do."
The anchor agrees it's the way to go for now.
"Rick is trying to reassure people that we are here every night covering the news of the day," Couric says.
After 15 staggeringly successful years on NBC's Today show — where she spread her wings over two hours — Couric admits its been an adjustment to give viewers the world in 22 minutes. "It's almost like a comfortable pair of shoes," she says. "If you try to change the style overnight, it's jarring."
Couric and Kaplan believe that viewers looking for a more straight-ahead rendering of the day's events will be satisfied when they tune in again. But it will take time to earn a stronger following. Kaplan notes that both Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings spent their early anchoring years in third place before ascending in the ratings race.
"I do think there's always a lag period between what's being done on the air and ratings," says Couric.
Kaplan is confident that Couric isn't the problem. "She has an established well of goodwill," says Kaplan. "People love Katie. They'll give her another chance."
As for how Couric herself has adjusted to her new gig this year, she says she likes being out of the morning grind, but her hours are much longer now. "It's nice to see my kids in the morning," says the 50-year-old mother of two daughters. "I miss seeing them in the afternoon a little bit. Having said that, they are proud of the work I'm doing and are very supportive."
