04-15-2008, 03:11 AM
The irony is, the evening news hour is a dying market, and the morning news shows have gained credibility and audience share. She should have stayed where the action is.
Since the advent of 24 hour cable news and instant internet news access, the traditional six o'clock news hour no longer has the influence it once did, by that time most people have already consumed their daily requirement of news stories, there's relatively little "news" to break by that hour.
Morning News programs, on the other hand (this according to a LA TV reporter friend) have a semi-captive audience, people tune in while getting ready to go to work. The market has grown for morning news programming. Since the early 90s, when Presidential Candidates appeared on morning news shows, and more heavyweight news figures gravitated to the morning programs, the reporting got better, the budgets increased, and arguably, the talent got better, too. Katie Couric, I would argue, isn't just a cheerful muffin head, she's as experienced and credible anyone in broadcast news.
But that doesn't necessarily mean she's a welcome figure in viewer's homes in the evening time slot.
It's a bloated, overpaid, dying business anyway.
Since the advent of 24 hour cable news and instant internet news access, the traditional six o'clock news hour no longer has the influence it once did, by that time most people have already consumed their daily requirement of news stories, there's relatively little "news" to break by that hour.
Morning News programs, on the other hand (this according to a LA TV reporter friend) have a semi-captive audience, people tune in while getting ready to go to work. The market has grown for morning news programming. Since the early 90s, when Presidential Candidates appeared on morning news shows, and more heavyweight news figures gravitated to the morning programs, the reporting got better, the budgets increased, and arguably, the talent got better, too. Katie Couric, I would argue, isn't just a cheerful muffin head, she's as experienced and credible anyone in broadcast news.
But that doesn't necessarily mean she's a welcome figure in viewer's homes in the evening time slot.
It's a bloated, overpaid, dying business anyway.