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Katie Couric's Female Cast Disappearing
Are women disappearing from Katie Couric’s newscasts?
With all of the hype surrounding the Sept. 5 arrival at CBS News of Couric as the first female evening news host, it was assumed — even expected in some circles — that more women would be featured in the newscasts.
This, apparently, has not happened.
Since Couric’s arrival, according to a report in Broadcasting & Cable magazine, women have received 40 percent fewer assignments than they did under her predecessor, Bob Schieffer. Men have seen no cutback in their workload. [Editor's Note: Read more about the Katie Couric experience at CBS News and get this FREE Offer from NewsMax. Click Here Now!]
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Considering CBS News’ hefty investment in Couric, it should come as no surprise that many of the changes in the news broadcasts have been made to place her in a more prominent role. In fact, B&C reports Couric’s newscasts seem to focus more on her and less on the CBS reporters who contribute to the program — especially the women. "Whereas Schieffer had his correspondents introduce their own stories, Couric does all the teasing herself,” B&C reports. "She also has 20 percent more voiceover time than he did.”
With the added emphasis on Couric, perhaps CBS News feels it is necessary to beef-up the broadcasts with male reporters, in an attempt to maintain the largely male demographic that typically watches evening news. But while Couric’s stronger emphasis on soft, feature news stories — similar to her morning-show work at the "Today" show — the newscasts have not committed to more women delivering the news.
B&C notes that under Schieffer, "stories filed by women averaged 5.8 minutes each night; under Couric, that average has dropped to 3.0.” The only female reporters that seem to be holding their ground on CBS News, other than Couric, are Lara Logan and Sharyl Attkisson. Others — such as correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi, Trish Regan, and Elizabeth Palmer — have apparently fallen out of favor.
With all of the changes to the CBS Evening News — now known as "Couric and Co." — CBS has not seen an overall improvement in the ratings. After a sterling debut, Couric’s ratings have dropped like a rock. She now presides over the third-place news show in a three-network field of evening news — the same position CBS held before her arrival.
[Editor's Note: Read more about the Katie Couric experience at CBS News and get this FREE Offer from NewsMax. Click Here Now!]
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