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Is CBS Trying to Rebrand Couric? (Dinosaur Media DeathWatchâ„¢)
Advertising Age ^ | December 10, 2007 | Brian Steinberg

Posted on 12/10/2007 6:02:48 AM PST by abb

Latest Ads More Cronkite Than Katie as Newscast Continues to Trail Rivals

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- With Katie Couric's perky personality and "Today" background at the ready, her arrival at CBS to anchor the evening newscast was billed as a chance to reinvent the program in a way that would attract more women and younger viewers. That hasn't exactly worked out. Now CBS is promoting the show as if Walter Cronkite still sat behind the desk.

"Experience You Can Trust," under a picture of Ms. Couric, was the slogan in an ad for the CBS Evening News that ran in USA Today last week. The ad also used quotes from various newspaper and online reviews to talk about the "impressive" and "poignant" reporting on the newscast. CBS said the ad is part of the network's regular promotion of the program.

For many, however, the ad crystallizes CBS's decision to back off from its daring attempt to create an evening newscast that would draw a more youthful audience. "I wish younger people would watch the news. It does not look like that is going to happen," said Leslie Moonves, CBS Corp. CEO, at an investor conference last week. Even so, he expressed satisfaction in the program's new form: "We still like the product that we do, that we have," he said, adding that Ms. Couric is "still a terrific newsperson."

Diminished hopes Ms. Couric's arrival at CBS News, sealed with a reported $15 million annual contract, was accompanied by much fanfare. At the time, Mr. Moonves suggested that the so-called "voice of God" news format, in which anchors deliver succinct news capsules in serious tones, had run its course. As such, Ms. Couric's debut week came with a look at Tom Cruise's newborn baby and a "Free Speech" segment that let people have a say on-air. But it wasn't enough to vault Ms. Couric over two rivals widely viewed as having more experience and gravitas. After an initial spike, the newscast's ratings have generally trailed "NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams" and "ABC World News With Charles Gibson."

Through Dec. 2, "CBS Evening News With Katie Couric" reached around 6.4 million viewers who watched it either live or the day it aired, according to Nielsen. Meanwhile, "ABC World News With Charles Gibson" drew 8.3 million viewers and "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" was watched by approximately 8.2 million.

In March, CBS replaced Ms. Couric's executive producer, Rome Hartman, with news veteran Rick Kaplan, known for his harder news sense. "The changes that Kaplan brought about are concentrating much more on the story rather than the personality," said Andrew Tyndall, whose Tyndall Report monitors the content of the network newscasts. "The features they use are more likely to be exposés and investigations than lifestyle. Look at all of those things and you've got a traditional newscast."

Negative awareness The way in which consumers perceive Ms. Couric has changed subtly as well. "Her negatives are higher than they were when she was at the 'Today' show," said Henry Schafer, exec VP at Marketing Evaluations, the Manhasset, N.Y., company behind the popular "Q scores" that measure consumer appeal. Simply put, he said, an evening newscast can polarize audiences more than a morning show. Ms. Couric commands "much more awareness than either Brian Williams or Charlie Gibson. Their appeal is a little bit stronger, but she's far more well-known," he said.

The USA Today ad does beg the question of why CBS feels the need to play up her news chops. Ms. Couric is still relatively new to the rigors of being a national anchor, said Lawrence K. Grossman, former president of NBC News. The ad plays up the experience behind the newscast when Mr. Grossman said he believes she could still use some time at the desk. "Katie was a personality and still is a personality," he said.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cbs; cbsnews; couric; dbm; television
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1 posted on 12/10/2007 6:02:51 AM PST by abb
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To: 04-Bravo; aimhigh; andyandval; Arizona Carolyn; backhoe; Bahbah; bert; bilhosty; Caipirabob; ...

ping


2 posted on 12/10/2007 6:03:22 AM PST by abb (The Dinosaur Media: A One-Way Medium in a Two-Way World)
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To: abb

3 posted on 12/10/2007 6:08:34 AM PST by abb (The Dinosaur Media: A One-Way Medium in a Two-Way World)
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To: abb
They “could” also re-package the Katie costumes....

Sharon Stone’s wardrobe, Brittney’s underwear, no jacket and hot lights.... 8<)

4 posted on 12/10/2007 6:09:13 AM PST by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but Hillary's ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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To: abb
"I wish younger people would watch the news. It does not look like that is going to happen," said Leslie Moonves, CBS Corp.

What a clueless dork! Hey Les, the reason why younger people don't watch the news is because you older liberal people fill it with your lies, deceptions, and your agenda! If there's one thing the younger generation understands is the liberals in the DBM have ruined the integrity of fair, honest, reporting.

5 posted on 12/10/2007 6:13:56 AM PST by sirchtruth (No one has the RIGHT not to be offended...)
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To: abb
ahhh... spin doctors at it again --> Nothing will rescue C--BS with Katie Couric --> People simply don't like her


6 posted on 12/10/2007 6:14:34 AM PST by xtinct (I was the next door neighbor kid's imaginary friend.)
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To: abb

Time to shove another camera up her rear end.


7 posted on 12/10/2007 6:16:14 AM PST by Izzy Dunne (Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
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To: abb

CBS might well become Number One for the evening news hour if they were to think outside the box, and make the same 15 million dollar offer to say, Glenn Beck over at CNN, give him complete editorial and production control, and the ratings would soar, mark my words.


8 posted on 12/10/2007 6:17:11 AM PST by mkjessup (Hunter-Bolton '08 !! Patriots who will settle for nothing less than *Victory* in the War on Terror!)
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To: sirchtruth
You nailed it. Why would young people watch the news on network schedules when they have the internet on their schedules? The moonbats have Democrat Underground, which differs little from the network news. The educated people have FreeRepublic.Com.

The only people who watch evening news is those who either (a)developed the habit or (b)are captive inside some airport waiting room turned to CNN.

9 posted on 12/10/2007 6:19:56 AM PST by Vigilanteman (Are there any men left in Washington? Or are there only cowards? Ahmad Shah Massoud)
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To: abb
Mr. Moonves suggested that the so-called "voice of God" news format, in which anchors deliver succinct news capsules in serious tones, had run its course.

Yeah. Now it's time for the "voice of the soccer mom who lives down the street."

10 posted on 12/10/2007 6:20:31 AM PST by Steely Tom (Steely's First Law of the Main Stream Media: if it doesn't advance the agenda, it's not news.)
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To: abb

Attn SeeBS: We don’t trust Cranky Cronkite anymore, we can see right through him now.


11 posted on 12/10/2007 6:21:38 AM PST by weegee (If Bill Clinton can sit in on Hillary's Cabinet Meetings then GWBush should ask to get to sit in too)
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To: abb

And to allow Dan Rather to label himself “crazier than a sh*thouse rat”, is a slander on all crazy sh*thouse rats.

Perky Katie Couric gives “anchor” a whole different meaning than ordinarily applied to news programs.


12 posted on 12/10/2007 6:22:30 AM PST by alloysteel (Ignorance is no handicap for some people in a debate. They just get more shrill.)
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To: sirchtruth

Viacom will eventually move Jon Stewart over from Comedy Central to SeeBS. Same talking head, different channel.


13 posted on 12/10/2007 6:22:41 AM PST by weegee (If Bill Clinton can sit in on Hillary's Cabinet Meetings then GWBush should ask to get to sit in too)
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To: abb

“Experience you can trust”, huh? Since when? I don’t trust her at all, I think she has a leftist agenda, I think she was put in place specifically to help Hillary win the presidency, and I think Rick Kaplan is known for his colossal failures at MSNBC far more than he is known for “hard-news sense”, whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean.


14 posted on 12/10/2007 6:23:20 AM PST by CaliGirlGodHelpMe
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To: mkjessup

Glenn Beck Rocks!!! I started watching him recently..he is something!!!


15 posted on 12/10/2007 6:24:06 AM PST by Republican_Beauty
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To: sirchtruth
What a clueless dork! Hey Les, the reason why younger people don't watch the news is because you older liberal people fill it with your lies, deceptions, and your agenda! If there's one thing the younger generation understands is the liberals in the DBM have ruined the integrity of fair, honest, reporting.

Dittos from Texas!

16 posted on 12/10/2007 6:25:53 AM PST by BlabItGrabIt ("It's The Economy, Stupid" ruse might be failing?)
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To: abb

Cronkite’s February 27, 1968, post-Tet report and its fallout is an American tragedy.


17 posted on 12/10/2007 6:27:46 AM PST by polymuser (In the twinkling of an eye...)
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To: Republican_Beauty

Did Katie have Botox badly injected, or botched plastic suregery done on her eyes?? I am saying this not to be mean and bash...just in the spirit of CBS wondering why young women like myself don’t watch, aside from her leftist opinions that I loathe, she is just hard on the eyes, plain creepy to look at...too distracting..wondering what’s up with her face instead of hearing what she is blah blah balhing about. Maybe she talked to Hillary’s people!! LOL


18 posted on 12/10/2007 6:30:04 AM PST by Republican_Beauty
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To: abb
"Experience You Can Trust,"

How much experience do you need to read a teleprompter?

19 posted on 12/10/2007 6:31:41 AM PST by Wil H
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To: sirchtruth
Where to begin, where to begin....

Chickafying what's supposed to be the hard news encapsulation for the day is not what people that still watch network news wanted.

And as far as younger audiences, Moonves and the other clueless LSM types have been dumbing down them for years, and the ones that aren't dumb, know better than to watch Uncle Walter's heirs.

20 posted on 12/10/2007 6:31:55 AM PST by Calvin Locke
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