Regis Philbin
Jun 13th, 2007, 03:12 AM
Could it be that maybe she just isn't a very good anchor? Nah.....
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0f66ef42-1925-11dc-a961-000b5df10621.html
CBS blames sexism for bad ratings
By Joshua Chaffin in New York
Published: June 12 2007 22:27 | Last updated: June 12 2007 22:27
Leslie Moonves, CBS chief executive, on Tuesday suggested that sexist attitudes were partly to blame for the faltering performance of Katie Couric, the news anchor he recruited to the network with a $15m annual pay package.
“I’m sort of surprised by the vitriol against her. The number of people who don’t want news from a woman was startling,” Mr Moonves said of the audience’s reaction to Ms Couric, who this month brought ratings for the CBS Evening News to a 20-year low.
He reiterated, however, that he was committed to Ms Couric and that he believed her programme would succeed in spite of its last place standing behind rivals ABC and NBC.
Ms Couric’s gender has been a central issue since CBS poached her from NBC’s Today show a year ago and made her the first woman to solo anchor a network newscast, filling the seat of such legends as Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather.
CBS was hoping to draw younger, female viewers to a US television institution whose audience has halved in the past 25 years.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0f66ef42-1925-11dc-a961-000b5df10621.html
CBS blames sexism for bad ratings
By Joshua Chaffin in New York
Published: June 12 2007 22:27 | Last updated: June 12 2007 22:27
Leslie Moonves, CBS chief executive, on Tuesday suggested that sexist attitudes were partly to blame for the faltering performance of Katie Couric, the news anchor he recruited to the network with a $15m annual pay package.
“I’m sort of surprised by the vitriol against her. The number of people who don’t want news from a woman was startling,” Mr Moonves said of the audience’s reaction to Ms Couric, who this month brought ratings for the CBS Evening News to a 20-year low.
He reiterated, however, that he was committed to Ms Couric and that he believed her programme would succeed in spite of its last place standing behind rivals ABC and NBC.
Ms Couric’s gender has been a central issue since CBS poached her from NBC’s Today show a year ago and made her the first woman to solo anchor a network newscast, filling the seat of such legends as Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather.
CBS was hoping to draw younger, female viewers to a US television institution whose audience has halved in the past 25 years.