NEW YORK -- Katie Couric's announcement Wednesday that she is leaving NBC's "Today" to become the next face of CBS News ushers in a new era for her next employer, which is counting on the celebrity broadcaster not only to expand the audience of its third-place evening newscast but also to restore the standing of the entire news division.
After months of conjecture about what she dubbed "the worst-kept secret in America," Couric made it official on her 15th anniversary as co-anchor of the top-rated morning program, telling "Today" viewers that she had decided to take CBS' offer "after listening to my heart and my gut, two things that have served me pretty well in the past."
She committed to a five-year deal at the network, where beginning this fall she will take over as anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News" -- the first woman to helm a network evening newscast alone. Couric will also contribute pieces to the top-rated Sunday newsmagazine "60 Minutes" and anchor prime-time specials. CBS is paying her an annual salary of about $15 million, comparable to what she is currently making, according to several sources familiar with the negotiations.
The 49-year-old Couric is expected to be replaced on "Today" by Meredith Vieira, co-host of ABC's daytime talk show "The View," who Wednesday night was in final negotiations with NBC, sources said.
For CBS -- which helped pioneer the golden era of television news but more recently had to contend with searing criticism after airing a flawed story in 2004 about President Bush's military service -- securing Couric was worth the investment, not only because of her potential appeal to younger viewers but also for the cachet of her presence at the network, officials said.
"Broadcasters with the credibility, skills and popularity of Katie Couric are few and far between," CBS Corp. Chief Executive Leslie Moonves and news division President Sean McManus wrote in an e-mail to employees. They called her arrival at the network "as significant an event, in its own way, as the return of the NFL to CBS or the arrival of 'CSI' and 'Survivor' to our prime-time schedule."
Couric's hiring caps a period of rebuilding at CBS News, which was deeply demoralized after it had to apologize for relying on unsubstantiated documents for the story about Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard.
