About
"I think every time that someone's tried to push me down it's just made me say, 'you know I'm not going to take that; I'm going to prove them wrong…' It just made me want to improve and get better and in hindsight that was such a gift, because when I was given opportunities, I had worked so hard and gained so much experience that I was actually ready for those positions. So in a weird way, it actually served me very, very well to have people kind of say, 'you're not that good.' It made me want to prove them wrong and in the process I got a lot better."
In her one-hour interview, Katie Couric discusses her path from desk assistant at ABC News to desk anchor at CBS News. She details her love of writing and how she became interested in journalism while in college, and shares the tales of her not-so-glamorous debuts as an on-camera reporter for CNN in Washington, D.C. and as an anchor for the WTVJ local news in Miami. Despite these setbacks, Couric recounts how she persisted and proceeded to anchor the news at WRC in Washington, D.C., to work at the NBC News Washington Bureau, and subsequently, to co-host Today. She speaks of her experience on Today and on transitioning to CBS Evening News, and describes what it means to her to be the first sole, female news anchor. Karen Herman conducted the interview on June 18, 2010 in New York, NY.
Highlights
Katie Couric on her debut as an anchor at WTVJ Miami
Katie Couric on getting hired for Today
Katie Couric on what she learned from Today
Katie Couric on transitioning from Today to CBS Evening News
Katie Couric on authenticity
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On her childhood and early influences
On wanting to be a journalist; on her college years and working at ABC News after college
On working at CNN and on local reporting at WTVJ in Miami
Chapter 2
On her rise to national prominence
On Today
On moving on to do CBS Evening News with Katie Couric
Shows
CBS Evening News with Katie Couric
Katie Couric on transitioning from Today to CBS Evening News
Katie Couric on changes she wanted to make at CBS Evening News
Katie Couric on being criticized for her role as anchor of CBS Evening News
Gilligan's Island
Katie Couric on getting hired for Today - she was more of a "Mary Ann" than a "Ginger"
Peter Pan
Katie Couric on television shows she enjoyed during her childhood
Today
Katie Couric on getting hired for Today
Katie Couric on her first day on Today
Katie Couric on what she learned from Today
Topics
Criticism of TV
Katie Couric on being criticized for her role as anchor of CBS Evening News
Historic Events and Social Change
Katie Couric on feeling like most of the women at ABC News were in subservient positions
Representation on Television
Katie Couric on feeling like most of the women at ABC News were in subservient positions
Women
Katie Couric on feeling like most of the women at ABC News were in subservient positions
Katie Couric on what being a female journalist means to her
Katie Couric on becoming the first solo female news anchor
Katie Couric on why a solo female news anchor may not work for some people
Katie Couric on wanting a solo female anchor to be an accepted norm on television
Professions
Anchor
Katie Couric on her first experience as an anchor at WTVJ Miami
Katie Couric on lessons learned from being an anchor on Today
Journalists & News Producers
Katie Couric on lessons learned from being an anchor on Today
Genres
News and Documentary
Katie Couric on her first experience as an on-screen reporter and CNN President Reese Schonfeld's reaction
Katie Couric on her debut as an anchor at WTVJ Miami
Katie Couric on her rise to working on Today and anchoring CBS Evening News
People
Carl Bernstein
Katie Couric on telling ABC Washington Bureau Chief Carl Bernstein that she was leaving for CNN
Sam Donaldson
Katie Couric on her first post-college job as a desk assistant at ABC News
Bryant Gumbel
Katie Couric on her first day on Today
Katie Couric on wanting an equal partnership with Bryant Gumbel as anchors of Today
Deborah Norville
Katie Couric on getting hired for Today
Jane Pauley
Katie Couric on getting hired for Today
Katie Couric on wanting an equal partnership with Bryant Gumbel as anchors of Today
Frank Reynolds
Katie Couric on her first post-college job as a desk assistant at ABC News
Tim Russert
Katie Couric on how her political reporting caught the eye of Washington Bureau Chief Tim Russert
Reese Schonfeld
Katie Couric on her first experience as an on screen reporter and CNN President Reese Schonfeld's reaction
Garrick Utley
Katie Couric on covering the release of Nelson Mandela with journalist Garrick Utley
Jeff Zucker
Katie Couric on how Jeff Zucker helped her find the right tone for her stories