Katie Isn't Thin Enough

[deep]

CBS blames sexism for bad ratings

By Joshua Chaffin in New York

Published: June 12 2007 22:27 | Last updated: June 12 2007 22:27

Leslie Moonves, CBS chief executive, on Tuesday suggested that sexist attitudes were partly to blame for the faltering performance of Katie Couric, the news anchor he recruited to the network with a $15m annual pay package.

“I’m sort of surprised by the vitriol against her. The number of people who don’t want news from a woman was startling,” Mr Moonves said of the audience’s reaction to Ms Couric, who this month brought ratings for the CBS Evening News to a 20-year low.

He reiterated, however, that he was committed to Ms Couric and that he believed her programme would succeed in spite of its last place standing behind rivals ABC and NBC. He added, for a woman her age, she is easy on the eye, too.

 

[Westport]

"He added that for a woman her age, she is easy on the eye, too."

Could it be that Moonves just hired the wrong person? Could it be that she's Mary Tyler Moore and the public wants the news from Meryl Streep? Could it be that Katie Couric didn't log enough hours cutting her teeth in a newsroom before getting the job and the general public doesn't buy or want her in that role? At this point, Leslie Moonves has to lay the blame somewhere but if Katie Couric was a prime time CBS show, he would have pulled the plug on her a long time ago. Barbara Walters was fantastic when she did the evening news. Katie Couric just doesn't carry that kind of clout. Too bad that Moonves can't admit already that it was a $15 million dollar a year mistake on his part and move on.

He should have stolen away Anderson Cooper from CNN.

 

[Canadiens1131]

A camera is not an accurate representation of what your eyes see and vice-versa.

The camera really does add 10 pounds. We see in three dimensions and when photos are taken, that three dimensional world is flattened and distorted, much like when you try to make a flat world map and some of the regions are out of proportion to one another.

Go Google Couric and look at countless other images of her form the side - she's not fat. I don't have any problem with a magazine adjusting what appears to be a shitty photo in the first place.

 

[Ormus]

"He added that for a woman her age, she is easy on the eye, too."

Could it be that Moonves just hired the wrong person? Could it be that she's Mary Tyler Moore and the public wants the news from Meryl Streep? Could it be that Katie Couric didn't log enough hours cutting her teeth in a newsroom before getting the job and the general public doesn't buy or want her in that role? At this point, Leslie Moonves has to lay the blame somewhere but if Katie Couric was a prime time CBS show, he would have pulled the plug on her a long time ago. Barbara Walters was fantastic when she did the evening news. Katie Couric just doesn't carry that kind of clout. Too bad that Moonves can't admit already that it was a $15 million dollar a year mistake on his part and move on.

If news was a prime-time show, it would have been canceled over a decade ago on all the networks. The ratings are low across the board and the average audience is well over 60, which makes it even less attractive to advertisers. With all the talk about ABC taking the "ratings crown" this season for news, what was omitted is that all three networks have fewer viewers than last year.

Frankly, CBS has very little to lose keeping Katie Couric there.

He should have stolen away Anderson Cooper from CNN.

Who in their right mind would want to go from a network where he gets considerable celebrity and freedom to sitting behind a desk regurgitating everyone else's news?

I think that probably has a lot to do with why the cable news networks are attracting all of this generation's best news talent over the broadcast networks.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Les Moonves was responding to Dan Rather's comments that Katie was "tarting up" the news. I think Dan Rather is bitter about some personal stuff with CBS and I don't think "tart" was the best choice of words (for me tart has the implication of a bit "whorish" and has to do with sex, in that way it's sexist). Is Anderson Cooper "tarting" it up because he's so hot? Are good looking male anchors in general tarting it up? I would definitely agree though that Katie should not be sitting on the desk with her legs hanging out like they used to do, don't know if they do that anymore. I would doubt that that was solely her idea-if I were her I never would have done it. Until Charlie Gibson and Brian Williams sit on a desk in their boxers that's not a good idea at all. I think CBS tried to make her newscast like the Today Show, and even though news is infotainment now I think for one half hour people want straight on newscasts without gimmicks. Legs are fine on morning shows and entertainment shows, not the news.

Remember the comments made about Paula Zahn? I don't remember if that was Ted Turner, I'd have to look that up.

And it's certainly ironic that Les made the comment he made-even a guy defending her against sexism makes a sexist remark. Open mouth, insert foot.

If he really believes it's the leadership and not Katie, well he should have talked about them in the first place and left her out of it.

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=265509&GT1=7703

Later Tuesday, Rather said during an appearance on Fox News Channel's "Your World with Neil Cavuto" program that he didn't regret making his earlier remarks, but insisted he was referring to CBS's management of the newscast, not to Couric personally.

"It doesn't have to do with Katie, it doesn't have to do with gender," Rather said. "It has to do with the corporate leadership. ... Les Moonves knows about entertainment, but he doesn't know about news."

 

[Irvine511]

Who in their right mind would want to go from a network where he gets considerable celebrity and freedom to sitting behind a desk regurgitating everyone else's news?

amongst journalists, there's still a big distinction between reporting for one of the three networks and reporting for cable. and even though Anderson is handsomely rewarded at CNN, he'd get even more money at a network. they simply have more power and money and prestige. it's the difference between writing for Newsweek and writing for The New York Times.

i would imagine, for now, Anderson is building his "credibility" -- he goes all over, still goes deep into dangerous places, like New Orleans, because he's most likely too young to have any credibility as an anchor.

but he'll get there.

 

[CTU2fan]

I think Ormus nails it here, network evening news in general is down, ABC getting the best ratings is a hollow victory.

And to me, the word "tart" implies a negative meaning indeed...like whore or slut. Poor choice of words by Dan, I'd have thought he'd be above that.

I think it's difficult for an attractive woman to be taken seriously by the general public. It seems as if both men AND women have a negative perception of a successful woman who happens to be good looking...there seems to be an assumption that an attractive woman with a successful career came about it in a less than honorable way. So the American public will embrace a Barbara Walters, but be uncomfortable with a Katie Couric. But CBS doesn't/didn't get it, so they're touching up her pic and having her sitting on the desk flashing leg (I think maybe that's where Dan's "tart" comment comes from but still a poor choice of words).

It sucks, frankly, but I'm pretty sure it's true.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Well I would say in general in the news business an attractive man is still given more automatic credibility whereas an attractive woman has to earn it more. But given that, it's still not a good idea to go along with sitting on a desk with your legs hanging out. Yes women have legs and Katie's are fantastic-but legs have nothing to do with delivering the news.

I also think women in the news business have their looks scrutinized far more than men do. The "average" looking woman will have her looks commented upon far more than the average looking man will. Someone like Christiane Amanpour will still have her looks scrutinized and criticized no matter how incredibly accomplished she is-because tv is visual and because in general womens' looks are more scrutinized. Yes obviously tv is a visual medium, but her looks are ultimately irrelevant in the context of what she's there to do. By certain decisions they made, CBS forgot that with the newscast with Katie.

 

[Irvine511]

And to me, the word "tart" implies a negative meaning indeed...like whore or slut. Poor choice of words by Dan, I'd have thought he'd be above that.

okay, in Dan's defense, what i think he means by "tarting up" the news is what Alistair Campbell meant when he said that the British 2002 dossier on Iraq's missile capabilities needed "sexing up."

both were about sales. about selling stuff to a mass audience.

it's less about Katie being a woman and more that the news itself has become more titilating and sensational and salacious, and all for ratings. does an attractive, blond woman help one "tart" things up? probably. is he calling Katie, herself, a tart? i don't think so.

and Rather is right, btw. when news is about ratings, it becomes a race to the bottom.

get your news from NPR and PBS, especially Jim Lehrer. no advertising dollars to compete for.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

No one thinks he's calling Katie a tart, but it's still inappropriate-unless he says it within the context that you are saying it in Irvine. If he was he would have talked about what all the networks are doing, not just CBS. He also said she was "dumbing it down" and all networks are also doing that. Of course now he's attempting to clarify what he said, after the horse already left the barn. It's not just CBS and Katie Couric, it's the entire news business. Dan Rather just happens to be quite bitter against CBS, so it's personal as well.

 

[Irvine511]

and soon, no one will say anything lest it offend someone, somewhere, somehow.

[q]While referring to Couric as a "nice person," Rather said "the mistake was to try to bring the 'Today' show ethos to the 'Evening News,' and to dumb it down, tart it up in hopes of attracting a younger audience."[/q]

i totally agree with Rather. he was talking specificallly about CBS, which is the only network he's genuinely qualified to talk about. is he bitter? possibly. but i think the comment was appropriate; i'd make it myself. i can't stand the crap on the Today Show (or GMA). it is dumbed down, it is fluffy crap about fashion and how celebrty dads are celebrating father's day and Mom Makeovers! and it's that spirit that has been transmitted onto the news.

and if it had been Matt Laurer anchoring the CBS news, Rather's comment about "tarting" things up would have been just as appropriate. the "tart" comment isn't to do with Katie being attractive or blond. as you've noted, Anderson is quite attractive, as is Matt Laurer. it's the content itself that's had the "tarting" done to it, not necessarily the newsreader.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I definitely agree with him that the mistake was trying to make the CBS news like the Today Show, and I said that long before he did . Maybe that begs the question-if CBS had hired Latt Lauer to do the news instead of Katie would they have done the same things, made the same decisions? Would Matt have done the news in his swimsuit?

I just think he could have said it in a better way, and if he said Brian Williams and Charlie Gibson were tarting it up too well I'd say I agree. It's the appearance/possible inferences his comments created by specifically linking Katie to the tarting that created the issue. I believe in general that women in that business are still subjected to sexism even within the context of a general dumbing down and infotainmenting of the news.

 

[Irvine511]

Would Matt have done the news in his swimsuit?

and the fact that i'd watch that means that i'm part of the problem.

 

[U2democrat]

Personally I'd watch Brian Williams do the news wearing anything or nothing...

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

and the fact that i'd watch that means that i'm part of the problem.

Me too

 

[shart1780]

she looks almost anorexic in the 'touched up' photo

Um, no. She doesn't look bad at all in the doctored one. She's overweight in the undoctored one.

That said, it's still pretty silly.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Um, no. She doesn't look bad at all in the doctored one. She's overweight in the undoctored one.

You really think she's overweight? Wow. Maybe you're too used to stick figures in the media.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Um, no. She doesn't look bad at all in the doctored one. She's overweight in the undoctored one.

That said, it's still pretty silly.

Are you fucking kidding me?

 

[anitram]

Dear God. She is NOT overweight in the undoctored one! She looks like a size 6 at most! What the hell!

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Well I guess that is one small example of what the standards (bizarre) are these days-hopefully most men don't think she's overweight there. Suddenly I feel huge

 

[BVS]

Let's consider the poster...

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Just right? Extreme examples, but maybe shart could post a picture of what the ideal weight woman is in his opinion and thus women who are heavier are "overweight". Maybe he doesn't think they are too thin.

 

[phillyfan26]

Let's consider the poster...

Bingo.

 

[JanuaryStar]

Um, no. She doesn't look bad at all in the doctored one. She's overweight in the undoctored one.

That said, it's still pretty silly.

Excuse me??



Beauty standards these days... Created and reinforced by the media

BUT, I'm glad there are more and more countervoices though...

 

[BoMac]

All I have to say about this picture is:

Oh, and:

 

[randhail]

[/B]

boney sternums

 

[CTU2fan]

Indeed...nothing like hugging a woman and simultaneously grabbing your own elbows and being stabbed by her ribs. Ah, bliss.

 

[Canadiens1131]

And to me, the word "tart" implies a negative meaning indeed...like whore or slut. Poor choice of words by Dan, I'd have thought he'd be above that.

He's referring to the content of the show, not the host

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

No response-I guess that was a hit and run

 

[ylimeU2]

Nevermind.