Barbara Walters, who knows what it’s like to feel patronized and disrespected as a female anchor on a network evening newscast, spent some time on The View yesterday harrumphing at how terribly retrograde it is that in 2006, people are still asking Katie Couric what she plans to wear on her first CBS Evening News broadcast. Then, in the next breath, Walters wondered, what is she going to wear? Katie herself bristled when a TV critic asked her that question the other day, but c’mon, after 15 years of infotainment at Today, it’s a little disingenuous for her to profess shock when even her own bosses are touting the increased glitz quotient of her soon-to-be-revamped newscast. The result of Extreme Makeover: Katie Edition will be a show that includes several Web components (online-only interview clips, a blog, a behind-the-scenes video podcast), a radio simulcast, and a wireless mini-newscast.
Given all these bells and whistles, it’s not untoward for TV critics to wonder, for example, what she’s going to wear, or if she’ll have a glass desk that shows off her famous gams, or if she’ll segue from breaking foreign news to cooking segments with Martha Stewart, or if she’ll encourage viewers to text-vote for their favorite news story of the day, which will be dissected and parodied later in the broadcast by the gang from VH1’s Best Week Ever, or if she’ll end each show lolling atop a grand piano as Michael Feinstein duets with her on a Gershwin song that evokes the day’s headlines and will be made available for download the next day on iTunes.
Are such scenarios really that far-fetched? Katie may scoff, but to paraphrase Hyman Roth, this is the business she’s chosen.
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She will dye her hair darker…closer to her natural hair color…and wear frumpy suits…and she will get fired within two months for low ratings after the novelty wears off.
She should have stayed at Today.
Especially since her debacle in the coverage of the 2000 Election where Tom Brokaw and Tim Russert ignored her on air and placed her on a side table for poll reporting.
Ouch!
Ben, I couldn’t disagree more… Yes, she’ll be more “serious” but she’s the first solo female nightly news anchor EVER! And with all that money she’s making (plus her growing ego), she will never wear a “frumpy” suit. She may wear a Ralph Lauren suit or an Oscar de la Renta suit but never a “frumpy” suit… Plus, with all the money CBS is investing in her to ‘change the face’ of its news division, the only way she’ll get fired is for making stuff up on the news. Even then, it’s a pretty safe bet she’ll stick around, just because she’s generating press and Les Moonves likes press…
I wonder about what she’s going to wear like anyone else, because that’s how I see Katie Couric, as a somewhat flighty fashionista. Too bad for her if she’s suddenly trying to appear so grounded. You can be serious and smart and still care about what you wear, but I think Katie’s too goofy for the news. It’s not because she’s a woman, it’s because she’s Katie Couric!
Honestly, people, give the woman a break! What an unbelievably sexist post. Does anyone really think that CBS hired Katie Couric for her cooking skills or her great legs? When she started at the Today show, she was a serious journalist with a political reporting background. I was disappointed when she started to morph into someone who giggled about hot celebs and wondered about the latest trends in cosmetic surgery and spring fashions, because I thought she was smarter than that. Fifteen years at Today may have fossilized her brains somewhat, but I still think she has the goods to deliver a solid nightly newscast. With the mess in the Middle East right now, I don’t care about whether Katie’s going to wear Armani or not on her first broadcast. I feel really sorry for all the people that do.
Wow, Ben, Tim, and Gary Susman, just ran across this dinosaur blog, and I’n referring to the date. I’m referring to your notions and obvious sour grapes about a woman who probably makes more money than you.