Some argue that Couric will attract female news viewers and therefore push CBS news into the top slot. Although this remains a possibility, a similar argument was set forth regarding politics during the women's rights movement. With more women voters would come more women elected to political offices. This turned out to be somewhat true... the number of women holding public office did increase, but women have yet to come close to holding a majority of seats in Congress, despite being the majority gender. It seems as if women do not attach themselves to politicians, or maybe news anchors, simply because they are of the same sex.
It is an exciting time of intense competition for the broadcast evening news programs. Promotion campaigns matching those of primetime sitcoms have dominated CBS for weeks now. But it is all about "trust," at least according to the prized news slogans, and Couric has never been known for her hard-hitting reporting or memorable interviews.
Many, including myself, hope that Katie Couric proves to be the anchor CBS is looking for. She has charisma and integrity, but it has yet to be determined whether gender will play a role in her success or failure. I thought America was ready for a woman anchor when Elizabeth Vargas teamed up with Bob Woodruff in January 2006, but I may have been wrong. If Katie Couric is not able to attract viewers and close the gap with the other two networks, broadcast news boards may be more hesitant to place a woman in the top seat. For the sake of not having another generation of monotonous, indistinguishable, white male news anchors, let's hope America comes to love Katie Couric.
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