Katie Couric and her bosses will sit down after the presidential inauguration to decide whether she’ll continue anchoring the “CBS Evening News,” high-level sources told The Post yesterday.
Both sides are said to be exasperated as Couric, who inked a $75 million deal with CBS in 2006, continues to lag far behind rivals Brian Williams of NBC and Charles Gibson of ABC.
But Couric and her network will wait until after the election to decide whether she will continue.
“I’d be stunned if anything happened before the election,” said one insider. “If CBS makes a move, there are a million other decisions to be made.”
Despite all the turmoil, Couric appeared to be going about business as usual yesterday. She was spotted leaving her Park Avenue home at around 9 a.m., then hopping into a black Town Car before flying to Washington, where she was to interview Gen. David Petraeus.
While both sides have downplayed a report implying that Couric would abdicate her anchor chair as early as next January – two full years before her contract expires – they haven’t exactly denied it.
“She’s going great and it’s a strong broadcast,” said one source. “The tough part is the ratings haven’t moved much.”
That’s an understatement.
While Couric attracted 10 million viewers her first week on the air in September 2006, it’s been downhill since then.
She now averages around 6 million viewers – a distant third behind Williams and Gibson.
That’s even lower than Bob Schieffer, whom she replaced. Schieffer played an interim role following the sacking of longtime anchor Dan Rather.
Schieffer, who hosts CBS’s “Face the Nation,” said last year he was thinking of retiring – but now says he plans to “stay around a little while longer.”
He’s rumored to be a possible replacement for Couric if she leaves, along with “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley and “Early Show” co-anchor Harry Smith.
If she left, Couric has several options.
Part of her CBS deal involves appearances on “60 Minutes” – and some think she could end up there.
“It’s certainly one of the possibilities,” said an industry source. “She’s openly said how much she likes and respects [’60 Minutes’].”
Couric also has a development deal, meaning she could host a syndicated talk show for CBS/Paramount.
Insiders also torpedoed speculation Couric could end up on cable rival CNN replacing Larry King as host of the network’s signature telecast.
“Larry gets the ‘gets’ and he gets the numbers,” said a source.
Additional reporting by Erin Calabrese