I'm Louise Fletcher. As President of 
Katie Couric was supposed to set the world on fire in her new role as CBS News anchor. After all, as co-host of the Today show, she had been hugely popular for many years. Why wouldn't that translate to massive success as a newscaster? So CBS paid Katie a fortune to move, and the ratings for her first show were amazing.
But they've dropped off dramatically since then. Katie says they'll come back. She says it's just a matter of time because success doesn't happen overnight.
But I think she's wrong. I don't think she will never succeed in that slot because she's not playing to her strengths. I think CBS misunderstood her appeal and they're paying the price now.
On the Today show, Katie's breezy, engaging personality allowed the TV viewers to feel a connection with her. She bantered easily with guests and with her co-hosts. Even those, like me, who don't often watch morning TV felt like as if they knew her.
But reading the evening news stripped Katie of all the things she excels at. She can't be breezy and engaging when she's the lone presenter of serious news. She can't draw her audience in with a quip or a giggle. She can't tell a funny, self-deprecating story or two to lighten the mood. Instead, her new job plays to her weaknesses and has no use for her strengths, which leaves a talented lady looking very average.
It's a new take on the old Peter Principle, which says "in a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence." And with the new year on the horizon, as many of us take stock of our careers and make decisions about our future, it's a valuable reminder that self-knowledge is key to good decision-making.
Or as Clint Eastwood once said: "A man's got to know his limitations."
I really love your blog and think your ability to translate today's headlines to meet your site's objectives is excellent. Furthermore, much of what you say about Katie is true and I've chronicled her difficulties in my blog and predicted she wouldn't cut it, even before she actually made the move.
Her problems have to do with the TV news media. The average nightly news watcher is 60 years old. In spite of how much bright women have progressed in so many areas, this is an audience that is going to respect an older male for their news content and they are going to want it in old fashion ways. She was actually part of an effort to attract a younger audience, but that isn't going to work because that demographic is getting their information online.
I agree with you that her style doesn't work well with a hard news program and her efforts to make that show more of a mini news magazine have been a disaster. But her problems are more basic than that. She is not a victim of the Peter Principle per se, but of technology and demographics. Who knows, she might soon take Rosie's place at the View!
Any way, great blog, I really enjoy it.
Posted by: Kevin Price | December 27, 2006 at 09:32 PM
Hey Kevin - great point about the demographics. I didn't realize news viewers were so old. I hear Rosie's having her own problems so you might be right!
Posted by: Louise Fletcher | December 30, 2006 at 12:56 PM
Gosh! Very few viewers I am sure, enjoy viewing Katie's deep seated animosity for the Bush administration on a nightly basis. The questions in her interviews are designed to nail Bush to a cross, nightly. Never really had much sympathy for Bush until I tuned in to CBS evening news. Advice- Time to get a life Katie get over your personal deep seated dislike for Bush or just don't make it so obvious--move on Katie or move out - Be professional
Posted by: Robert Busby | January 04, 2007 at 02:32 AM
What a great point...It's hard to imagine that those TV Execs never thought about the original draw of Katie and couldn't predict what might happen if that changed...
Posted by: Michael Wolfe | January 31, 2007 at 10:53 AM