TV's Morning Star In Evening News Twilight

Various forms of media are reporting that Katie Couric's days as anchor of the CBS Evening News are numbered, and she might be outta there possibly by early next year.

CBS, smarting from the National Guard debacle that ended with Dan Rather leaving, offered tons of money to Couric for the opportunity to change from a giggly morning show co-host into a Serious Newscaster introducing the day's headlines for 22 minutes a night. Oh, and make a little history, besides, as the first solo female evening news anchor (although the title should really go to Elizabeth Vargas of ABC, who had to go it alone when her World News co-anchor Bob Woodruff was severely injured covering the Iraq war).

After a disastrous beginning in September 2006, with celebrity interviews, Couric showing off her legs, and guest-star commentators trying to channel Eric Sevaried, the broadcast has actually improved with a more traditional format. Not that it mattered. In an age where you can get your news in ways other than watching TV, Couric's remaining viewers have fled to Charles Gibson on ABC and Brian Williams on NBC, sponsored mainly these days by pharmaceutical companies to let us know how old we're getting.

Another blow to Couric's viability came when a debate between Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, which would have been televised by CBS, was called off by officials in North Carolina, where the next primary will be.

Couric isn't entirely to blame for the troubles at CBS News. Corporate cost-cutting and layoffs, its morning news program never a ratings factor, and a possible partnership with CNN have combined to make the House That Murrow and Cronkite Built start to crumble.

Here's what Couric should have done: Changed her name from Katie to Katharine, if she wanted to project a serious image. And forget this anchoring business. She should have been CBS' version of Barbara Walters, making her interview subjects cry on prime-time specials.

The lesson here is that the only place people want change is in their presidential candidates, not on the evening news. And that, as an old newscaster once put it, is the way it is.