TELEVISION

Couric seems a tad nervous in 'CBS Evening News' debut

New anchor asks viewers to suggest sign-off.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

The loudly trumpeted debut of Katie Couric as anchor of the "CBS Evening News" came and went Tuesday night, and the republic is still standing.

How did the perpetually perky Couric do? She seemed nervous, mispronouncing a word or two ("sole" for soil), her standing opener looked awkward and her sit-down chat with New York Times columnist Tom Friedman looked like a replay of her countless morning chats on "Today." She was up and down a lot.

Couric wasn't the only thing new on CBS's newscast. The "Free Speech" segment, to let ordinary and extraordinary folks sound off, featured filmmaker Morgan Spurlock shrieking about our lack of civil discourse. Another segment, "Snapshot," was a tabloidish addition that featured Vanity Fair's first photos of the mysterious (and very furry) offspring of celebs Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

The new anchor's sign-off? Couric admitted she doesn't have one, and asked viewers to send suggestions.

Finally, because she's a woman and people always ask, Couric wore a black dress with a sporty white jacket.

As we all know by now, Couric, 49, is the first female anchor of a network nightly newscast. She replaces Bob Schieffer, who replaced Dan Rather after he was relieved of his duties in March 2005.

CBS News is third in the ratings, behind NBC and ABC, and banking $15 million a year on the hope that Couric will restore the luster.

— Diane Holloway