The hot media question has been: “Will Katie Couric revive the network nightly news?”
The obvious answer: No.
Not even Ed Murrow and Walter Cronkite could rebottle the genie of the internet, 24-7 cable and a demographic that didn’t grow up with the evening news ritual.
What’s truly intriguing, however, is CBS’s announced promise – as part of its Couric-wooing strategy – to significantly beef up its news budget, including a major upgrade of its roster of correspondents. It begs the obvious question: Why did it take Couric-courting to prompt CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves to finally make such a commitment?
It took “perky” to induce that?