It’s kind of weird, this news that Katie Couric will be the new anchor of CBS Evening News. Who could have guessed that the hometown girl would follow in the footsteps of Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather?
You see, Katie — aka Katherine — was once a fluff reporter at Channel 4 in Washington, she was an Arlington native like me. I met her a couple of times just out and around, and she was just a sweet, funny girl. Who knew she was destined for stardom?
Arlington has certainly produced more than its fair share of stars, from Warren Beatty and Shirley McLaine to Katie Couric and Sandra Bullock.
So, congratulations, Katie! We Arlingtonians salute you!
Nothing personal against Katie but I’m saddened by the slow yet steady transition from news to entertainment. Journalists are slowly being phased out and ‘Stars’ are being brought in. This all happened because new divisions which were always not for profit divisions outside of the parent company (ABC,NBC,CBS) At some point the big three started bringing the news divisions into the company and expecting them to be part of the profit making machine. And the news today is nothing like the news of yesterday. Now the White House issues a ‘News Release’ and every station repeats it. Sorry that’s not news.
Walter Cronkite was a Journalists, and I’m sorry but I just don’t see Katie as one. She belongs in the entertainment division.
Hear, hear, Tim. The news really saddened me as well. I gave up on television news programs years ago, and this certainly confirms me in that decision.