The long press release from CBS includes quotes from Couric, Les Moonves, Sean McManus, Bob Schieffer, Rome Hartman, and Jeff Fager.
Calling today “an enormously proud day for all of us at CBS News,” McManus says: “Katie joining our team signifies not only her commitment to doing first-rate journalism, but our strong commitment to producing the highest quality work done by the best reporters, producers and writers in television news. She is a key ingredient as we work towards our goal of making CBS News the number one news organization in America. This organization was built on quality and integrity, and Katie and her CBS News colleagues will continue to carry that legacy into the 21st century.”
All the quotes are after the jump…
Katie Couric: “It has been a great privilege to be one of the caretakers of a television
institution like the ‘Today’ show for 15 years. Joining CBS is a unique opportunity that came at the right time for me. I’m thrilled to become part of the rich tradition of CBS News and look forward to working with the many extraordinarily talented people there.”
Les Moonves: “I’m personally so excited that Katie Couric is coming to the CBS News family. With this move, our News Division takes yet another giant leap forward. Katie is simply one of the best in the business and represents a tremendous addition to CBS News, which continues to grow and improve every day under Sean’s leadership. Seasoned broadcasters who are at once respected, charismatic and known throughout this country and beyond are increasingly important in this fragmented media landscape. I’m proud to have a talent like Katie who personifies this rare combination of qualities, and look forward to the many contributions that she will make not only to our developing evening news broadcast, but to our entire news operation.”
Sean McManus: “This is an enormously proud day for all of us at CBS News. Katie joining our team signifies not only her commitment to doing first-rate journalism, but our strong commitment to producing the highest quality work done by the best reporters, producers and writers in television news. She is a key ingredient as we work towards our goal of making CBS News the number one news organization in America. This organization was built on quality and integrity, and Katie and her CBS News colleagues will continue to carry that legacy into the 21st century. I would also like to offer our deepest thanks to Bob Schieffer for his outstanding work on the evening broadcast and look forward to his continuing role at CBS News.”
Bob Schieffer: “I couldn’t be happier. Katie and I have been friends for years. She’s going to be a terrific addition to CBS News. I think we’re going to love Katie, and I think Katie’s going to love us.”
Rome Hartman: “In the past year, the CBS EVENING NEWS has begun to build a broadcast with a fresh, accessible approach, and viewers have responded. Katie is the perfect person to complete that process. As a journalist, an interviewer and a broadcaster, she is as good as they come. As anchor of the CBS EVENING NEWS, the same qualities that viewers have appreciated for Katie’s entire career will make her great: honesty, openness, integrity. Finally, what people appreciate most about Katie is that she’s real — that’s really her up on the screen. I cannot wait to start working with her.”
Jeff Fager: “Katie is a world-class reporter. There aren’t many people in this business who can conduct an interview as well as she can. It’s no wonder Don Hewitt was chasing her for years to be on this broadcast, and it’s exciting that it’s finally going to happen.”