Katie Couric is one of the most successful and most revered names in American media. Katie Couric holds the distinction of being a host on all of America’s Big Three television networks.

Here Are Some Newsworthy Facts About Katie Couric

Katie Couric is one of the most popular journalists in America

Her photo is on New York buses, her salary, 15 million dollars a year, is that of a Hollywood actress and her popularity exceeds that of President George W. Bush. Her name is Katie Couric and her job is that of a television presenter.

Katie Couric started her career with CNN

Couric, who earns around $15 million annually for her work, began her career at the CNN television network. Her first steps as a presenter were a disaster and led her then bosses to prohibit her from going on the air. That unfortunate start did not stop the young Couric, who got several jobs in front of the cameras, including one with an NBC affiliate in Washington.

Katie Couric’s casual style helped her grow 

Katie Couric’s casual style caught the attention of NBC Pentagon correspondent Fred Francis; and that of the head of the network’s Washington delegation, Tim Russert, who hired her in 1989. Since then, and until today, her professional career has skyrocketed.

Katie Couric is a true pathbreaker

The TV star, who has conquered audiences with her ‘home-from-home’ style, entered the history of American journalism by becoming the first woman to present one of the prime-rated nightly news programs alone.

Couric thus finds a place in the Olympus of the ‘gods’ of television journalism, which brings together legendary figures who attract audiences and million-dollar income for their networks.

One of them, veteran Walter Cronkite, plans to welcome Couric to ‘CBS Evening News’, the CBS news program that Dan Rather hosted for the last two decades and that attracts those of the other two major TV networks in this country (NBC and ABC) to about 25 million viewers daily. Speaking about the impact of cable, Katie Couric said: “All three networks have always had a morning show but now cable of course is taking some of that audience away and a variety of other things, probably the Internet as well.”

Katie Couric left her popular NBC show for CBS

Couric’s arrival at CBS culminated months of analysis, psychoanalysis, and rumors about the journalist, who has been the subject of constant media coverage since she announced in April that she was leaving her position as co-anchor of the morning show ‘Today’, a jewel of the NBC network crown.

CBS news director Sean McManus himself said that he was surprised by the “incredible thirst for information” about Couric’s life. Speaking about her departure and the public’s reaction, Katie Couric said: “I think sometimes people project things on you, but I’m trying to handle everything that’s happened to me with a certain amount of grace, dignity and good manners. You just can’t necessarily win all the time.”

Katie Couric has always been very grateful to her fans

Speaking about her fans and how much their support means to her, Katie Couric said: “I don’t know the vast majority of you personally, and it may sound kind of corny, but I really feel as if we’ve become friends through the years. And you’ve been with me during a lot of good times and some very difficult ones. I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”

Katie Couric’s promotional photo was photoshopped by PBS

Of course, some maneuvers by his company had fueled the stir, such as the decision to ‘retouch’ a photograph of Couric that appears in the latest edition of CBS’ corporate magazine.

In the photo, the journalist with small but incisive blue eyes, blonde hair, and affable expression appears about ten kilos thinner, thanks to the magic of the image editing program Photoshop.

But frivolous topics like Couric’s weight, wardrobe, and fitness aren’t the only ones attracting attention.

Katie Couric’s style was considered unsuitable for the nightly news

The main US newspapers had speculated for months about the ability of the casual professional to succeed in a more rigid format like that of the nightly news.

Couric said she was prepared for the challenge, although she insisted that not everything will be serious and bad news.

“There has to be room for more hopeful stories,” he said this month in an interview with several of his media colleagues, after pointing out that the news offers a vision full of pessimism.

That dose of optimism will be one of the changes in the CBS news program, which also plans to dedicate more space to analysis and broadcast its program for free and simultaneously over the Internet to attract the elusive youth audience.

The fact that the average age of nightly news viewers is around 60 years old and that the audience has not stopped falling since the 1980s has led television executives to increase their presence on the Internet, which they see as the ideal forum to reach the youngest. Speaking about her style, Katie Couric said: “At least for me personally, I’ve always tried to do a really good job every day, with each interview, and treat each interview seriously, and make the person I’m speaking with feel comfortable, hopefully make it an ideal experience.”

Katie Couric’s signing signalled a major change

Furthermore, Couric’s signing culminates the generational change in US primetime news, which occurred with the departure of legendary figures such as Tom Brokaw (NBC) and Dan Rather (CBS) and the death in August 2005 of Peter Jennings (ABC). Speaking about her journalism style, Katie Couric said: “They see us interacting with people, they see us doing serious interviews, they see us having fun, and when you’re conversing with someone, you get a much clearer impression of who that person is than if they are just reading into a news piece.”

Katie Couric was diagnosed with breast cancer

In 2022, Katie Couric was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer. Katie Couric underwent a lumpectomy and radiation therapy. She said that her cancerous breast looked like she was sunbathing topless but she felt fine after her treatment.