Sexist. Racist. Ageist. According to CBS News Senior Vice President Linda Mason, that's you if you're not watching Katie Couric on the ratings-deprived CBS Evening News:
“I’m just surprised at how, almost 30 years after I worked on the “Evening News” as the first woman producer, that Katie is having such a tough time being accepted by the public, which seems to prefer the news from white guys, and now that Charlie’s doing so well, from older white guys. I guess they want the reassurance of a Walter Cronkite.I had no idea that a woman delivering the news would be a handicap. And I’m afraid that Katie’s paying a price for being the first woman. But I think it’s a great trail that she’s blazing, and I think if the broadcast continues to be as good as it has been, if we continue to break news, if we continue to tell interesting stories, people will start to watch. It takes time, I think. But I was surprised that there was an obvious connection between a woman giving the news, and the audience wanting to watch it.
It's sad that prejudice has blinded so many to Katie's gravitas.
Posted by floridacracker at May 12, 2007 11:48 AMIt might shock her and others to realize that the vasy majority of TV veiwers don't watch them either.
Maybe she can blame Dan 'Fake but accurate' Rather for her low veiwer ratings or the babes over at
http://www.nakednews.com/ might have something to do with it.
^^^Warning NSFW or wifey faction^^^
Personally, even they don't make me watch anymore.
Posted by: Gmac at May 13, 2007 07:55 PMIf I recall, CBS News deliberately changed its approach when Katie arrived. Less straight news, more features. More girly.
So, VP Linda Mason, YOU were not "ready" for a woman delivering the news. Now, with your expensive gimmick not working, you make a desperate appeal to guilt.
If the Katie gambit gets you fired, you can always send your resume to the Lifetime Channel, girlfriend.
Posted by: CJ at May 14, 2007 11:32 AMIt's pretty lame to not only blame the audience for not tuning in, but to call them prejudiced for not doing so.
This is just a product that didn't sell, and this lady's reaction makes as about as much sense as it would for Coca-Cola to call the public a bunch of haters for not liking New Coke.