Katie Couric: Exactly What CBS Needs? Or Would She “Accelerate The Ratings Slide?”

Everyone has an opinion about Katie Couric and her possible jump to the CBS Evening News. Here are five ‘net opinions:

> TVSpy Watercooler commenter: “Name recognition. Star powere. Popularity. Longevity in the business. A long history of success. That is what CBS is looking for, and what they need. This is not a time to rebuild. She will be able to deliver an immediate audience, and if the news dept. does their job, she will be able to build a big following. She would be a great hire. Of course, with CBS’s history of screwing up, I don’t look for it to happen.”

> ICN commenter: “Katie is not an idiot (although she certainly sounds like one at times) and I don’t see her leaving the Today show. I’m sure she’s bright enough to know she’d flop miserably if she moved to CBS.”

> TV Squad commenter: “Putting Katie Couric into the anchor position on CBS Evening News will, I think, be a bad decision on the part of CBS in the long run…Couric has always been better at the fluff than with the real news. Of course, CBS is not looking for a hard-nosed journalist; they’re just looking for Couric’s name and face recognition. Hell, it might work for the ratings, but who knows.”

> Public Eye commenter: “Hiring Katie Couric as CBS Evening News anchor will perpetuate and accelerate the ratings slide. CBS News needs to do something big. CBS needs to completely remake the news division. Start from scratch. Hiring an aging liberal retread is the last thing CBS News should do.”

> MediaLine commenter: “It would seem that CBS – or Les Moonves – has their/his heart set on Katie Couric…And it isn’t altogether certain that Couric will go along, but I can’t see her turning it down, if offered.”