CBS Corp. began preliminary 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.
The network and Alan Berger, Couric’s agent at Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles, began talks in early December, said the people, who insisted on anonymity because the discussions are private. Time Warner Inc.’s CNN also has expressed interest in Couric, 53, two people said.
Both sides recognize Couric’s salary must be reduced for her to remain at CBS, one of the people said. This season, the “CBS Evening News With Katie Couric” is averaging 5.73 million viewers a night, according to Nielsen Co. data, behind NBC and ABC, and down 24 percent from when she took over in 2006.
“Katie is enjoying herself at CBS and is proud of her award-winning show,” said Matthew Hiltzik, her spokesman. Gil Schwartz, a CBS spokesman, declined to comment.
CBS and Couric haven’t addressed specific terms yet, one of the people said. The anchor’s contract provides a window when she can entertain offers from companies other than CBS, one of the people said.
One option for Couric would be to produce and host a show that New York-based CBS could syndicate, the person said. The anchor intends to continue her 40-minute online chats with guests that have included former Vice President Al Gore and pop- star Justin Bieber, said one of the people.
Read More: By Ronald Grover and Andy Fixmer, Bloomberg
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Couric was a poor choice for the job in the first place–chosen as much, in my view, as a gimmick (first solo female anchor) and to get her off of NBC's top-ranked morning show (which brings in more profit than nightly news programming) as to get her on an already-fading news program.
Yada, Yada;
The ninny squads little poster child gets a pay cut, I bet thats not going to go over well with herselfness.
The Queen of Quackness is loosing her flock of sheepee's, "No say it aint so Joe."
How to do more for less money or Less loot will get you more work, not necessarily more viewers.
I hope katie couric doesn't come back.
It couldn't have happened to a better person.The perky one set up conservatives while going to bed with liberals on questions she asked in interviews.Example Sarah Palin and we know the perky one was baiting Sarah while asking the muslim oreo president what he likes for dinner.I still think her husband killed himself
If CNN is trying to improve itself and appeal to more viewers, why would they even consider Couric?
She's CBS' problem, and she's been a high-salaried problem ever since she arrived. There is no major network that would improve its ratings with Couric as a major personality.
Maybe she'd be a fit with "The View"," definitely her days as a newscaster/commentator are over. She has clearly identified herself as a rabid leftist. She can't possibly be fair and balanced.
Maybe Maddow, Olberman, Schultz, or Mathews will go to CBS to take her place?