CBS News and “CBS Evening News” anchor Katie Couric have begun preliminary talks about a new contract, Bloomberg News reports. Couric’s current deal with CBS ends next year.
Not surprisingly, it appears that any potential deal would result in lower pay for Couric, who signed a record-breaking $15 million a year in 2006.
That would be in line with what CBS CEO Les Mooves said in August of rich anchor conracts: “Those days are over, because the news no longer generates the kind of revenue or success that’s worth doing [those contracts].”
Later that month he backtracked a bit, saying that they “haven’t even begun” to negotiate with Couric.
Of course, rumors of Couric leaving CBS News are nothing new, TVNewser has been reporting on them since 2008. But with her current deal coming to an end, and Bloomberg reporting that CNN is interested in her, it looks like some movement is actually beginning to happen.
Bloomberg also reports on some other things CBS could bring to the table:
CBS and Couric haven’t addressed specific terms yet, one of the people said. The anchor’s contract provides a window when she can entertain offers from companies other than CBS, one of the people said.
One option for Couric would be to produce and host a show that New York-based CBS could syndicate, the person said. The anchor intends to continue her 40-minute online chats with guests that have included former Vice President Al Gore and pop- star Justin Bieber, said one of the people.
Couric also expects to continue taking assignments for CBS’s “60 Minutes,” the person said.