Couric Wants to Follow Anderson Cooper Model

Tuesday, 05 April 2011 | by Pat's Picks

Will Katie Couric become the new Oprah? Yesterday, the AP broke news that the CBS anchor was leaving the network. Both Couric and CBS have declined to comment, but according to insiders, Couric wants to follow the Anderson Cooper model and do a syndicated talk show and keep her “presence in an established news operation.” The Washington Post says she’s waiting for offers to come in before announcing anything. The Post says despite the competition (Ellen DeGeneres and Cooper have both expressed a desire to become the ‘next Oprah’) Couric’s previous reign as the “queen of morning network newsfotainment TV” makes her the “closest thing to what Oprah has done on her show all these years.”

The New York Post says in a forthcoming interview with the New York Times Magazine, Couric reveals what she thinks is to blame for her low ratings in the anchor chair: local news stations. She apparently says the lead-in she got from the local CBS station, Ch. 2 wasn’t very strong and contributed to CBS’ perennial third-place ranking.