ABC Bars the Door to 'Katie'; No 3rd Season for Gabfest

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High costs and disappointing ratings combined to sink Katie, Katie Couric's syndicated daytime yakathon, which will not return for a third season, the show's distributor, Disney-ABC Domestic TV, announced this week.

As reported in Ad Age, Capitalnewyork.com and elsewhere, Katie will cease production in June 2014, and air reruns through next September. The show's debut in September 2012, drew record ratings, and the gabfest ratings remained in the top 10 among daytime syndicated programs, but was expensive to produce and had seen its audience wane.

Couric, who reportedly pulled down a cool $20 million to join ABC (see "TUOL" post 6/6/11), recently announced plans to join Yahoo! as the Web site's global news anchor (see "TUOL" post 11/25/13).

Couric Perkily Poised to Jump to Yahoo!

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Fresh from luring David Pogue from the New York Times (see "TUOL" post 10/22/13), Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer's latest coup is expected to be formally announced today--Katie Couric will join the Internet Service Provider as its global news anchor, according to the Allthingsd.com Web site.

Couric is presently wrapping up the second season of her ABC-syndicated talk show, Katie, which she signed onto for a three-year haul in 2012 reportedly for a cool $20 million (see "TUOL" post 6/6/11). Previously, she anchored the CBS Evening News for five years and co-hosted NBC's Today. "Katie" is sagging in the ratings but is still among the highest for syndicated programs.

She is expected to conduct online interviews of prominent politicians, celebrities and business leaders forYahoo! The ISP already is the online news partner of ABC News. "Katie's Take," already is featured on Yahoo! and features re-jiggered content from her talk show.

ABC, which is owned by the Walt Disney Co., reportedly holds rights to Couric's digital outpouring for the life of the three-year contract, which is probably among the many "t's & i's" being crossed and dotted in preparation for today's formal announcement.

CNN Zucker-Punched

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Jeff Zucker, 47, is the incoming president of CNN Worldwide, a new chapter in a career that has included stints as executive producer of  NBC's Today Show at age 26, head of NBC Universal and executive producer and co-owner of "Katie," Katie Couric's talkfest syndicated by Disney.

Zucker will take the helm of CNN in January, succeeding Jim Walton, who completes a nine-year run in the position. CNN, CNN International and HNL are among the entities Zucker will oversee, according to accounts in the New York Post, Bloomberg News and CNN. CNN reaches a 100 million U.S. households, but its prime-time programming attracts fewer than a third of the viewers who watch Fox News. Zucker will disassociate himself from "Katie," though don't be surprised if he tries to lure Her Royal Perkiness to CNN's Prime-time schedule.

He is an accomplished broadcasting executive, though during his five-year reign as NBC Universal's Majordomo, NBC has finished fourth in network ratings, trailing CBS, ABC, FOX and just edging out the Emergency Broadcast Signal. When Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice is a bright light of one's oeuvre, it's ok to feel a bit jumpy if you're a CNN shareholder.

Zucker will be right at home at CNN, which currently languishes in third place behind cable rivals Fox and MSNBC. It remains to be seen whether moves such as enlisting chef Anthony Bourdain to host a program will reverse CNN's recent series of missteps, that include Piers Morgan and  Parker & Spitzer.

Katie Couric Learning Her ABC's

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeBeginning in 2012, Katie Couric will go to work for her third "Big 3" network, hosting a syndicated daytime talk show for ABC.

Couric also will do spot duty for ABC News, according to The Huffington Post. Couric is poised to earn a cool $20 million, according to the celebrity Website www.TMZ.com.  Couric anchored The CBS Evening News for five years and previously co-hosted NBC's Today Show.

CBS News Opts for a Pelley Over a Katie

Image via WikipediaSan Antonio native Scott Pelley has been named successor to Katie Couric as anchor of The CBS Evening News.

Pelley, who will continue correspondent duties for 60 Minutes, assumes the anchor chair on June 6. A former White House correspondent, Pelley joined CBS News in 1989. The Peabody and Emmy award winner launched his broadcast journalism career in Texas in the mid-'70s.

Couric & Lauer 'Dream Team' to Reunite in Syndication?

Image via WikipediaThe Wall St. Journal today is reporting on the possible re-teaming of one-time Today Show co-hosts Katie Couric and Matt Lauer in a syndicated talk show next year.

Former NBCUniversal chief executive Jeff Zucker reportedly is among those fanning the flames about a possible Couric/Lauer partnership in 2012. Couric's contract as anchor of the CBS Evening News expires in June, and she is expected to depart (see "TUOL" post 6/4/11). Meanwhile, Lauer, who succeeded Bryant Gumbel as Today Show co-host in 1997, is only contractually bound to the morning show through the end of 2012. Rumors are also swirling that Lauer's present co-host, Meredith Vieira, is ready to sleep-in and not return to the Today Show grind when her commitment ends later this year. Ann Curry, the program's news anchor, has been pointed to as being Vieira's likely successor.

None of the Today players is speaking on the record about the morning machinations, nor has Katie been pinned on the Matt issue.  Not that anyone's asking, but the ever-helpful "TUOL" staff is delighted to offer the following titles for a Couric/Lauer syndicated yakker:  "The Perky/Jerky News Hour;" "The Himbo-Bimbo Morning Show;" and "Swimming in the Shallow End with Katy & Matt."

CBS News Sends Greenfield to Greenpasture

Image via WikipediaMediabistro.com's TV Newser blog reports that CBS News has not renewed the contract of long-time political correspondent Jeff Greenfield.

Greenfield has been the network's senior political correspondent since re-joining CBS News in 2007. He was a political analyst with CNN from 1998-2007, a media analyst for ABC News from 1983-1997, and in an earlier stint with CBS, was a media correspondent from 1979-1983.

The 67-year-old New York native and Yale Law School grad told TV Newser that he plans to continue writing novels and may continue to turn up in other media platforms. He is the author of several books, including Then Everything Changed, The People's Choice and Oh Waiter, Another Order of Crow!: Inside the Strangest Presidential Election Finish in American History.

Greenfield being shown the door comes on the heels of reports that CBS News is allowing Katie Couric to walk away from the CBS Evening News anchor desk (see "TUOL" post 4/4/11).

Katie Bar the Door: Couric to Vacate CBS Anchor Chair, AP Reports

Image by FunnyBiz via FlickrAfter a near five-year stint in the anchor chair formerly occupied by Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather, Katie Couric is leaving the CBS Evening News to ready herself for a syndicated talk show in 2012, according to an unconfirmed report by Associated Press.

The 54-year-old Couric, who left NBC's Today  in 2006 for a reported $15 million annual salary, has been unable to pull the Eye Network out of third place among the ever-shrinking audience of network news watchers who favor the broadcasts of NBC's Brian Williams and even ABC's Diane Sawyer. Couric's contract with CBS expires June 4.

Katie Bar the Door: CBS Evening News' Ratings Plummet

Image via WikipediaDespite live reports from Afghanistan by anchor Katie Couric, the CBS Evening News scored its lowest ratings in 20 years, since the Nielsen Co.'s modern ratings system began, according to a New York Times story.

The CBS Evening News averaged 4.89 million viewers last week, compared to NBC Nightly News' 7.42 million and ABC World News' 6.51 million viewers, the Times story reported. Viewership has eroded for all three network news programs in recent years, but because CBS is mired in third place, it is more of a lightning rod for low ratings  stories.Doubtless, talking heads on cable news shows and media critics may point to the paltry ratings as evidence that American tv watchers have lost interest in the protracted Afghanistan conflict, which may have some validity, but is an over-simplistic conclusion ( a specialty of cable tv talking heads).

Katie Couric Part II: The Perfect Face for Radio?

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Stalwart Boston radio station WBZ-AM (1030), starting tonight, and every weeknight thereafter, will air the initial segment, usually 10 minutes in length, of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric at 6:30 p.m.

WBZ will resume its usual news format following the portion of  the Couric newscast.  Additionally, Couric will discuss the day's top stories each Wednesday with WBZ-AM  host Diane Stern. WBZ's sister station in New York, WCBS-AM, already airs the Couric segment.

Sounds like a great opportunity for Bostonians to hear Morgan Freeman on the radio (see previous "TUOL" post).

'God' Supplants Cronkite on CBS Evening News Intro

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His authoritative, sonorous voice has landed him roles as God (Bruce Almighty), Nelson Mandela (Invictus), and President of the U.S. (Deep Impact). Now, beginning Monday, Katie Couric will take her cue from Morgan Freeman.

The revered Oscar-winning actor has recorded the introduction to the CBS Evening News, which will replace the lead-in recorded by the late legendary CBS anchor Walter Cronkite, who died last July.  Cronkite's introduction has been used since Couric began her anchor duties on the evening newscast in 2006.

CBS officials said supplanting Cronkite with Freeman gives the network voiceover flexibility for when Couric does special reports or on-location broadcasts. The move also gives CBS box office "cred" to match the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, which has boasted Oscar-winner Michael Douglas as its announcer since 2007. Discovery's Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe handles the introduction duties for ABC's World News with Diane Sawyer.

"TUOL" is a big fan of the 72-year-old Freeman (even forgiving him for his credit card commercials voiceover and appearance in The Love Guru), but can't overlook the symbolism in CBS distancing itself from the most trustworthy hard newsman Cronkite in favor of  a Hollywood actor at a time when network evening newscasts are less informative and relevant, and more eager to pursue celebrity news and gossip.