ABC News Parts Company With Katie Couric
ABC News and Katie Couric are breaking up. Couric, meanwhile, is close to a deal with Yahoo which would include doing an interview show for the Internet giant. Yahoo, ironically, has a news-sharing contract with ABC News.
ABC News was on the hook for a much smaller portion of Couric’s reported $20 million paycheck with the company than is the syndication operation, with which she has a deal for her daytime talk show Katie. The ABC News gig was seen by some as a vanity thing tacked to her talk show by those who have noted she’s not done much for ABC News in the past year. Anyway, it’s no longer the case that ABC News will be paying part of her paycheck.
“Katie is an incredible journalist and this was an opportunity that she couldn’t pass up. Thanks to the powerful association between ABC News and Yahoo we know that Katie will continue to work closely with us and welcome her on our air anytime,” an ABC News exec with knowledge of the situation told Deadline. Yes, it sounded pretty don’t-let-the-door-hit-you-on-the-way-out to us too.
Couric’s talk show is now in its second — and, it’s been widely speculated for some time, final — season, though syndication axes don’t generally fall until after all November sweep stats are in. The show has been plagued with exec producer changes and shifts in direction since its initial good launch, and station execs are not happy with the product. Most expect the show to end its run after fulfilling its two-year commitment with the ABC Stations in May. There had been speculation that ABC might try to get another year at a lower price while preparing a replacement, but that does not appear likely.
The disappointing ratings had led to speculation Couric might be moved over to replace Barbara Walters as The One With The Journalism Background on ABC’s daytime talker The View, but a source with knowledge of the situation says Whoopi Goldberg has told at least one guest on the show she intends to take over as Den Mother when Walters retires from her on-air role (Walters also exec produces) at the end of this season. And, rumors Couric might move to CNN to rejoin Jeff Zucker — her longtime Today exec producer (and short-time syndie show EP) — fizzled in recent weeks.
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