Next Couric A “Relative No-Name?”

“With talk of who might succeed [Katie] Couric already rampant, it’s clear that the bench of big-name players is shallow,” J. Max Robins writes in the Feb. 20 edition of B&C.

“Among the names bandied about, Weekend Today anchor Campbell Brown, Dateline: NBC co-anchor Ann Curry, and MSNBC anchor Natalie Morales all seem, at best, long-shots. Indeed, corridor conversation at the National Association of Television Programming Executives confab in Las Vegas last month had it that the network was looking outside for Couric’s replacement.”

So… Meredith Vieira? Doubtful. Keep in mind: Couric and co-host Matt Lauer were virtual unknowns when they started on Today.

So Robins says “NBC might consider doing what it did out of desperation nine years ago: take a relative no-name with a spark of reportorial acumen and the charisma to connect with viewers and promote the hell out of her.” Here’s the full column…