Katie Couric

Disney-ABC’s talker with Katie Couric has grabbed the headlines in the wake of Oprah Winfrey’s departure from afternoon syndicated lineups. But she’s far from alone in the race for station slots starting in fall 2012. As things now stand, Couric could be battling against talk shows featuring a defrocked priest (from Debmar-Mercury), one of those Real Housewives (from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution), the host of Survivor (from CBS Television Distribution) and the now-42 year-old Ricki Lake on a comeback bid (from Twentieth Television)..

While the former CBS Evening News anchor has one of the highest profiles on TV, observers say there are number of roadblocks, including the fact that broadcasting isn’t what it used to be, even a few years ago. The size of the broadcast daytime audience is smaller than in Winfrey’s prime, whittled away by scores of cable channels.  

The departure of a large class of prominent television personalities is creating upheaval on the small screen and in broadcasting boardrooms.

A straw poll of station general managers, consultants and other local TV insider finds some who say that while the former CBS anchor faces a difficult road to success, not to underestimate Katie Couric’s wattage.

Katie Couric will host and produce a syndicated national one-hour daily daytime show premiering in September 2012. It will air at 3 p.m. on the eight ABC O&Os, which account for 23% U.S. household coverage. In addition, she will also join the ABC News team.

Katie Couric is set to announce today that she will sign with ABC for a syndicated talk show. The details of Couric’s impending deal with ABC have not been disclosed, but as co-owner of the show she will claim a share of the profits.

Katie Couric could announce as early as Monday a move to ABC that would include a syndicated daytime talk show and contributions to ABC News, a person familiar with the negotiations says. Though the deal is not complete, it is close, and should be announced at some point next week if not Monday.

When Katie Couric started looking for a new job, ABC was put ABC on the back burner because its executives were offering her a daytime talk show that would be owned by the network and air only on its stations. But in mid-March, under the direction of Disney CEO Robert Iger, ABC switched gears. The company pitched a syndicated package that catapulted it into contention. Under the multi-year proposal now on the table, Couric would have almost total ownership of the venture — giving her the potential to make far more than her $15 million-a-year anchor salary.

The first woman chosen to solely anchor a network evening newscast left on a high note Thursday evening, interviewing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and leading the broadcast with an exclusive 60 Minutes investigation on new doping accusations against cyclist Lance Armstrong.

Today co-hosts Matt Lauer and Ann Curry could soon find themselves at war for morning ratings against their former colleague, Katie Couric, when she lands at ABC.As part of a deal being negotiated between Couric and ABC for a daytime syndicated talk show, she’ll also be making “strategic guest appearances” on Good Morning America that will put her in a direct rivalry with Lauer, sources say.

Katie Couric’s last night on the CBS Evening News will be May 19. She made the announcement on Friday’s broadcast. Substitute anchors are likely to rotate in the chair until Scott Pelley takes over as the permanent anchor on June 6.

It may be impossible for even a Katie Couric and Anderson Cooper to duplicate Winfrey’s success as the audience shrinks in a new media age. It could be years before any of the claimants emerge as Winfrey’s rightful heir — if at all.

Katie Couric and ABC are on the verge of signing a $20 million deal, which would give Couric her own talk show, as well as significant involvement in ABC News — and the big casualty could be General Hospital.

After possible suitors had been whittled to two — CBS and ABC — CBS TV Distribution pulled its offer for a syndicated daytime talk show with her over a week ago, before Couric officially announced her exit from CBS Evening News last Tuesday. Meanwhile, talks between Couric and ABC, which was the last major player to enter the fray, are ongoing as ABC is finalizing its offer.

After weeks of widespread speculation about her future, Katie Couric is finally ready to go on the record. “I have decided to step down from the CBS Evening News,” Couric told People Tuesday.

Acknowledging what everybody already knows, Katie Couric wiil announce this week that she will not be renewing her five-year contract to anchor the CBS Evening News. In line to replace her is Scott Pelley, a correspondent on 60 Minutes.CBS executives are interviewing candidates to be the executive producer of Mr. Pelley’s newscast, two of the people with knowledge of the plan said.

The CBS Evening News anchor is currently on a tour touting her new book, and she didn’t give her former colleague any info on her plans once her contract with CBS expires in June.

Katie Couric and her former Today co-host Matt Lauer have discussed teaming up in a new daytime talk show, although it is unclear whether those discussions will progress, according to a person familiar with the matter.

As Katie Couric and the network negotiate how to end her five-year run as anchor of  the CBS Evening News, interviews show that her hiring was part of a larger experiment to lift the newscast’s ratings.

As reports continue to swirl about an impending departure from her anchor position at CBS News, Katie Couric is to embark this morning on a long-planned trip to Iraq, where she will report on the military and political situation eight years after Baghdad fell to invading American forces.

A CBS executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity because Katie Couric has not officially announced her plans, says the 54-year-old CBS Evening News anchor is expected to launch a syndicated talk show in 2012 and several companies are vying for her services.

CBS Television Distribution has emerged as the front-runner to distribute Katie Couric’s daytime talk show starting in fall 2012. CBS CEO Leslie Moonves fully backs the effort to keep Couric in-house, report several sources, and is very involved in the talks.

Katie Couric may finally get the chance to become a regular on 60 Minutes, now that she is apparently stepping down from the nightly news anchor job. An offer to become a regular correspondent for the prestigious Sunday night TV magazine is part of the package being offered Couric — if she’ll stay and do a projected daytime talk show for CBS, according to several network insiders.

With her CBS Evening News contract about to expire, the news anchor considers her options at three different companies, conceivably playing roles within both syndication and news units.

Former NBCU Distribution head Ed Wilson is advising CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric and sources close to the anchor say she’s become more serious about launching a multi-platform production company and syndicated talk show.

With Katie Couric’s contract set to expire in early June, the CBS News anchor has entered the window in which she can entertain offers. While no decision regarding her future has been made, the anchor is working on a potential syndicated show, which could involve her friend and former NBC boss Jeff Zucker, according to two sources familiar with Couric’s plans. She is believed to have already begun conversations with Time Warner, NBCUniversal and her current employer, CBS, about the potential next act.

he February finishing order for the network evening newscasts didn’t look much different, with Brian Williams‘ NBC Nightly News taking top honors, followed by Diane Sawyer’s ABC World News and Katie Couric’s CBS Evening News finishing last. But ABC was the only network to show growth (it was up 1%).

Last week Jeff Fager, the behind-the-scenes boss of 60 Minutes, was appointed CBS News chairman with Bloomberg’s David Rhodes his right-hand man. Their first major issue is likely to be whether Katie Couric remains as the network’s top anchor after her current contract expires at the end of May.

Both CBS and Katie Couric appear open to a new deal that would keep her at the network’s news division beyond her current five-year deal as anchor of  the CBS Evening News, which expires at the end of May. Wall Street Journal subscribers can read the story here.

The network, which is shaking up its management, has asked anchor Katie Couric to stay on through the 2012 elections — for significantly less money than her original $15 million deal.

Two of the most prominent television news anchors covering the protests in Egypt this week, Brian Williams and Katie Couric, have exited the country. The anchors’ departures came on a day of increasing violence and intimidation directed at journalists in Egypt.

Former NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker, expected to set up shop Monday on Park Avenue, is already lining up his next gig — he’s talking about starting a syndicated talk show featuring CBS News anchor Katie Couric, according to three separate sources. Word of a possible Zucker-Couric venture comes as the 54-year-old anchor nears the end of her five-year contract that will pay her $15 million this year.

CBS Corp. began talks on a new contract for Katie Couric, looking to cut the evening news anchor’s $15 million salary and possibly expand her role amid falling viewership, people with knowledge of the situation said.

As Katie Couric’s contract with CBS News nears its end, she’s expected to stay with the network, but multiple syndicators are approaching her about daytime possibilities.