Is it better to be the next Oprah than to try to be the next Cronkite?

Time.com | Hollywood Reporter | New York Times
James Poniewozik says the answer is certainly yes, “but is Katie Couric the one most likely to do that, to step in and capture the audience left behind by Oprah? I have my doubts.” Here’s why:

People like Oprah — true media phenomena — tend to make themselves in that mold by coming out of nowhere. Couric, on the other hand, already has a long-established image, one that arguably has taken some hits over five years struggling at CBS. That she got the show demonstrates that you can still cut a great deal by selling a network a known quantity, but my gut tells me that any “next Oprah” is more likely to be an unknown quantity.

Veteran TV analyst Andrew Tyndall says Couric’s deal with ABC makes sense. “She will likely find a more receptive showcase in daytime than under the constrained format of an evening newscast.”
> “I’m thrilled and relieved it’s over,” Couric says of her job search
> Sawyer, other ABC News talent welcome Couric to the team

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  • Anonymous

    There is no next Cronkite.