Fair? Of course not. After all, she’s only had the job officially for one day. But, rest assured the Web is alive with reaction and opinion following Katie Couric’s debut as anchor of the CBS Evening News. So, in the spirit of premature critiquing, let’s grade Couric’s performance.
Appearance.
It’s fair to say that Katie looked better as an early evening personality than she did during her days as co-host of NBC’s Today show. A big thumbs-up for Couric’s hair and make-up, which most certainly were the work of a professional stylist and cosmetician. Grade: A-
News Set.
This was somewhat disappointing. CBS had an opportunity to really take the look of a prime time newscast in a different direction. However, convention apparently won out over innovation as evidenced by the large wood and chrome “space pod” anchor desk situated in the middle of a working newsroom. The new theme music fell flat as did the on-screen graphics used in stories by correspondents and for in-show promotions. All in all, a rather tepid effort. Grade: C
Content.
Here, CBS and Couric seemed a bit bolder, limiting the story count including the number of stories filed by field correspondents. A couple of new gimmicks were introduced including a new sound-off forum that the network promises to populate with both high profile and regular Joe contributors. This segment strikes me as a good thing, and if future efforts are anything like the opening segment of “Free Speech” CBS and its viewers will be well served. On the downside were two troubling additions: inclusion of a story about Tom Cruise and wife Katie Holmes and a first-ever look at the power couple’s infant daughter. And, Couric’s lame decision to ask viewers to submit suggestions for a pithy sign-off ala Walter Cronkite. Grade: C+
Performance.
Not surprisingly, Couric did a good job communicating with viewers delivering a near flawless newscast, marred by a single minor stumble over a word. And while she looked authoritative, Couric still had an air of perkiness, no doubt a leftover from her days as America’s morning sweetheart. Grade: B
Prediction.
I think it unlikely that Katie Couric’s presence will produce a seismic shift in the nightly news ratings bonanza. There’s probably a trade-off here – Couric bringing new, younger viewers (something CBS needs badly), while older viewers, especially men, look elsewhere. Overall grade: B-
It’s not that Couric can’t do the job. Indeed, she’ll likely be the most successful woman ever to anchor a national network newscast. However, I suspect that a hardcore group will find that Couric doesn’t possess the kind of gravitas necessary to satisfy viewers raised on Rather, Brokaw, Jennings or Koppel.
