PERSONNEL NEWS – AT 10:06 A.M. ET:  It appears that Katie Couric will have her anchor raised by June and will be departing the Evening News chair at CBS.  From Howard Kurtz at the Daily Beast:

The CBS Evening News anchor is very likely to leave in June, and Scott Pelley is a top contender to replace her—but CBS is looking both within and outside the network, Howard Kurtz reports.

The search is on for Katie Couric’s successor.

The new CBS News chairman, Jeff Fager, is looking at candidates both within and outside the network, insiders say.

COMMENT:  Look, she didn't cut it.  And, frankly, her obvious liberal bias drove viewers away, as it has driven viewers away from other outlets as well.

We do hope that CBS News uses this opportunity to ask about itself, what it wants to be, what it aspires to be.  We also hope that there are some serious questions asked about the ridiculous, inflated salaries being paid to some "stars," and pseudo-stars.  Couric's salary is usually estimated to be in the $14-million to $15-million range each year.  What if they'd paid her a miserable $5-million?  Do you know how many reporters CBS could have hired with the savings? 

Some say that network news shows are dinosaurs, given the 24-hour news cycle serviced by CNN and Fox.  To a degree, that's true.  But only to a degree.  There's always room for good journalism and enterprising reporters.  Couric's departure is an opportunity for CBS to restore some of the luster, starting with a good, hard look at bias and what it has done to the news profession.  We wish them well.

March 26, 2011