Disney/ABC Television Group (DATG) has signed a multi-year, multi-platform agreement with Katie Couric, award-winning journalist, best-selling author and popular TV personality, to host and produce her own nationally syndicated talk show and to join the ABC News team, it was announced today by Anne Sweeney, president, Disney/ABC Television Group and co-chair, Disney Media Networks. The program will be distributed by Disney/ABC Domestic Television and will premiere in September 2012.Couric, the former TODAY co-anchor who was most recently anchor and managing editor of the CBS EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC, a 60 MINUTES correspondent and host of the weekly online interview series, @katiecouric, will be reunited with Jeff Zucker, who will be an executive producer with Couric on the yet-to-be-named syndicated series, which will be based in New York and produced in conjunction with Disney/ABC.
In addition to hosting the new syndicated program, Couric will join the ABC News team, contributing to all programs and platforms. Beginning this summer, Couric, winner of the distinguished duPont, Murrow and Cronkite Awards and numerous Emmys, will anchor specials, contribute interviews, participate in special events coverage and bring her many talents to bear on some of the most important and interesting stories of the day.
In making the announcement, Ms. Sweeney stated: "Katie Couric is one of television's iconic figures and we are thrilled to have forged such an exciting partnership with her. We look forward to having Katie join the best News team in the business, and to working with her to create a dynamic and successful talk show franchise."
Ms. Couric added: "I'm very happy to be returning to the network where I began my career as a desk assistant in 1979. It is tremendously exciting to have the creative freedom to develop my own show with Anne Sweeney, the Disney/ABC TV Group and Jeff, and to contribute to such a vibrant, innovative news division. I can't wait to be part of this incredibly talented, visionary team."
"It was a blast working with Katie at TODAY and I'm excited to do it again," said Zucker. "And besides, it should be more fun spending time with Katie at 3 or 4 in the afternoon than at 3 or 4 in the morning."
The eight ABC Owned stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh/Durham and Fresno, which represent nearly 23% of the nation's TV households, have already cleared the new show in the 3:00 p.m. time slot. As part of the announcement, the network is set to return the last hour of its Daytime network block to affiliates no earlier than September 2012, but continues to support GENERAL HOSPITAL, and the plans to launch THE CHEW in September of this year and THE REVOLUTION in January 2012.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Does this mean the end of GH? No more Luke Spencer? The end of the Corinthos mobsters? Is this the end of ABC's investment in soaps?
Would YOU watch a new show by Katie Couric in GH's timeslot? Please give us your thoughts and opinions below.
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HAIL NO.
ReplyDeleteI have never been a Katie fan and won't watch the show. I think ABC is making a huge mistake because she can't come cheap and there is a reason that CBS didn't want her. I won't be watching The Chew or The Revolution either.
ReplyDeleteI just can't understand what makes any of these shows unique or separate from anything else cable is doing 24/7?
ReplyDeleteThat will end my viewing of ABC daytime!
ReplyDeleteIt will be the end of ABC!!!! I will cancel the station from my cable package!!
ReplyDeleteHell No!!! ABC/Disney. Has canceled my soaps, if they cancel GH, I won't b watching ABC network ever again. They are making the biggest mistake canceling Daytime!
ReplyDeleteI will not be watching ABC period... not even the morning news... shame on ABC...
ReplyDeleteDamon,
ReplyDeleteI agree! ABC primetime has Extreme Makeover: Weightloss Edition. NBC has the Biggest Loser. MTV has a weight loss show as does TLC. Why another one?
And a food-based talk show? Blech. Why not just turn to the Food Network or PBS. Hell, the web has a ton of cooking shows available.
Adios, ABC Daytime. No Katie for me. Blech! No more talk shows. We need another talk show as much as we need a case of ebola.
I would certainly not watch Couric in GH's time slot! One thing that puzzles me is that GH is actually in the 2pm time slot in Los Angeles (and in some other cities)--so is Couric really set to air in GH's time slot in these markets, or following GH?
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of the points made. Why can't broadcast TV offer us something different in the daytime ,like scripted programming? There are many news and food channels (more all the time) and there's nothing unique about any of this new programming. Heck, even the cheap game shows on GSN are better than the ones produced by CBS. Maybe the time for broadcast television in the daytime has passed. I just wish Lifetime or USA or one of the big cable nets with money would pick up one of these canceled soaps.
ReplyDeleteNo way in H E double hockey sticks. This stinks big time. No more ABC for me. Switching to NBC and Days of our Lives. Been a loyal GH fan for over 30 years.
ReplyDeleteAnd as for GH, it's fate may rest in how The Chew and The Revolution fairs in the ratings. I can't imagine either show will be big hits, even by cheap production standards.
ReplyDeleteOne word answer:NO, Katie didn't make it on CBS. What makes ABC think she'll do any better with them. I hate reality and tv talk shows, therefore, not inclined to watch any of it. ABC has lost a faithful viewer except for GH. Once GH goes, so do I for good.
ReplyDeleteI will not be watching Katie Couric or any of the other daytime replacements on ABC. Once AMC and OLTL is gone, my daytime tv watching will be on other stations. Also once the ABC nighttime shows I now watch get canceled, I will not replace them with other ABC shows. I will continue to ween myself off of ABC, and their cheap reality based shows I have zero interest in. ABC will save lots of money but their viewership will decline even further.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have watched Couric's show no matter what timeslot it was put in, but since it's slated to go in the timeslot occupied for the past 40+ years by my all time favorite show (daytime, or otherwise), General Hospital, not only will I boycott her show, but with the sole exception of watching General Hospital (& SoapNet), I will be boycotting ABC/Disney altogether! If Sweeney has 1/2 a brain, she will keep GH on the air & simply move it to another timeslot...which will be quickly vacated by The Chew & that other "reality show," when they both TANK miserably!
ReplyDeleteI will not watch any of the new shows that abc is trying to push down our throats...katie couric is a overrated b!!ch and should have stayed on nbc or cbs...oh right the today didn't want her,cbs ratings went down with her on there...well there goes abc..what a way to kill a network...I WILL NOT WATCH A OVERRATED B!!tCH...that is what we had oprah for..
ReplyDeleteNO FREAKIN' WAY WILL I WATCH ANYTHING THAT TRIES TO REPLACE GH!! Oh and BTW Katie Curic is an incredible bore.
ReplyDeleteSo, then how will this work in September of 2012. We know The Chew replaces AMC at 1pm, Revolution replaces OLTL at 2pm, and Katie gets GH's slot at 3pm. So, where do you move GH? The 12pm slot is for local affiliate news, 11am is The View so do you put GH at 9am???
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't watch any of these new shows even if they weren't replacing my soaps. I have no interest in food shows or another boring talk show. According to the Destroyer of Daytime, Frons, GH could survive if The Chew or The Revolution fail, GH would then take over that time slot. GH typically pulls in a rating of about 1.9-2; with much lower production costs, The Chew or The Revolution would probably only need a rating of around 1.5 in order to be more profitable.
ReplyDeleteNo freaking Way I will watch Her show, I only want gh And Amc and oltl when all 3 are gone so is abc from my tv, no more dancing with the stars no more regis and kelly no more rachael ray no view no more news no more anything abc. so abc u can go suck a lemon as u already suck.
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