So, is it because Katie Couric’s a woman?

CBS’s Les Moonves blames their evening news ratings on his view that people just don’t want a woman in that anchor slot. Nooooo. It’s way more simple than that. First of all Les, the format of your show is what’s killing you. Boring, staid, depressing. Factor in the internet, where people can get your news half a day earlier and you’re DOA. But, if you insist on staying with the format, your other major problem is that people just don’t want their news read to them off a prompter by someone with less personality than a Disney animatronic. Especially someone who comes off as being too smug.

She did well on the Today Show. The format was perfect. She could do serious segements bookended by humerous ones. Turn on the charm when she had to, yet also be firm with politicians when they were giving her the runaround. Problem is, the nightly news doesn’t allow for that back and forth dynamic. It's major event of the day followed by serious issue followed by secondary major event of the day followed by still another serious issue.

Maybe, you get one human interest segment at the end. By then however, too much of the brooding she’s perfected has sunk in and not even a segment on the world's largest corn husk in Iowa can save her at that point. Ironic that she was on the network with Tom Brokaw, who could come into your living room, sit down and have a beer with you at the end of a long day, because she seems to have learned nothing from him.

Katie comes in and tells you to take your feet off your own coffee table. Ain’t happening, especially in flyover country. Which is really too bad. She has the ability as an anchor, she just needs to lighten up and stop trying to prove she belongs.

And Les needs to back off and stop forcing a square peg so much. (via Drudge)

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