[torchthemummy]

This is one of the most illuminating and fascinating bits of behind-the-scene clips of an anchor I have ever seen. It consists of snippets of Couric during broadcast breaks on the night of the NH primary. According to Harry Shearer (of Simpson's fame) this is Couric's first anchoring job on an election night. I'm not sure about that but this collection of moments is raw and eye-opening in regards to Couric's complete lack of knowledge on the very basics of the status of the key players in the primary fights. You can't expect an anchor to know everything but it is clear that Couric needs all the help she can get and needs some filling in on the most basic of facts that she surely reported on just nights before (the Obama surge shown in polls for example) and is a must see.

[pianomikey]

I thought it showed Katie as quite personable. I expected her to be a total witch with a capital B, but she was actually somewhat likeable. And completely ignorant!

[muir_redwoods]

She is the poster girl for the concept of "Empty Vessel"

And I'll wager that Dan Rather isn't one bit smarter

[advertising guy]

self ping

[harpu]

bttt 4later

[Kirkwood]

I recall couric going into an extreme hissy fit during the florida voting debacle.

[Huck]

I thought it was stupid and illuminated nothing. I clicked away after a minute or two. I’m thinking they release this stuff on purpose to show people she’s real and not actually a total bitch. But who f-in cares??

[ClearCase_guy]

What a waste of time. There’s nothing interesting there. She’s just working.

[Miss Behave]

Very unprofessional and lacking of decent comportment. Self-absorbed and second-rate...on display.

[garbanzo]

The only fun thing was hearing Katie Couric swear.

[Miss Behave]

"Can't I say "dramatic" Pentagon papers? Can't we make it more "dramatic?"

"And Rudy's DEAD [throat-slitting hand motion.]"

CLAAssy.

[Brad from Tennessee]

Thanks for this insight.

News anchors are not journalists but actors—chosen for their looks, broadcast voice and “personality”—who read a script someone else has written in front of a camera.

[zadox]

I watched this this morning and think the picture they had of her on Drudge was not representative of the clip. Katie came across as amusing and got along well with her staff- that said... she still give me a migraine. The clip also goes to show how “talking heads” are really just that “talking heads.”

[BluH2o]

Geez ... I thought you could place Katie in Sid Blumenthals rental car when he was pulled over and arrested on a aggravated DUI charge at 0130 on the Monday prior to the Tuesday NH primary. That would explain the media blackout on the incident.

[MindBender26]

From 45 years of TV news experience, I can tell you that this is very normal. That is very good... and very bad.

First, the good. Despite a heavy cold, she is relaxed, having fun with the staff, not a prima-donna. If you, the anchor, are having “fun” so are the viewers, and that is good.

The bad. She obviously does not know or understand the most basic elements of the story, the WSTVC (Why Should The Viewers Care) the backstory, the "whatsnext," or even any understanding of the whole process. She does not even know the simple facts, such as dates.

Peter Jennings would have been very briefed before the show started. With a few updates from the results desk, he could have gone on for six hours hours.... without repeating himself.

Want to see how good it can be? Watch the tape of Jim McKay, a sportscaster (!), doing the ONLY live coverage of the Munich Olympic massacre. Watch Jennings on 9/11 or Challenger. Watch any of us on Nov 22, 63. Watch my old Gulf of Tonkin tapes (only guy on air at 2:00 AM, with every other reporter drunk after the close of 64 Republican Convention.) We were good. She is a talking head ditz.

[clintonh8r]

Talk dirty to me, Katie...yeah, baby....

[zip]

ping