A Look Back

On this solemn day many of us are taking some time to reflect on that awful morning five years ago when the world as we knew it changed forever. I'm not one to dwell in the past but I too have decided to take a look back to a day that changed our world in an important way...perhaps forever.
It was almost six days ago to the day that Katie Couric began her tenure at the helm of The CBS Evening News. I remember the details of that evening so vividly that it seems to have happened only yesterday.The stakes were high, the hype machine had raised expectations to levels that seemed insurmountable, and millions of TV viewers who had shared their morning coffee with Katie for years were now sitting down to their tuna casseroles, meat pies and "NutraSystem Pre-packaged Dinners". (I just got 5 bucks for that product placement!)
With the avuncular Walter Cronkite announcing her arrival in a heart rending and symbolic passing of the torch Katie took center stage and proceded to give the evening news the womanly touch that it's been so sorely missing lo these many years.
Part hard news, part news magazine , a pinch of humor and a dash of pop culture; Katie had succeeded in whipping enough fresh air into a stale format that the show, while still substancial, now had the frothy texture and tang of a citrus mousse.
Her sheeny legs were displayed prominently during a brief interview with columnist Tom Friedman but the constant close-ups on Friedman's trouser bulge were in poor taste and an obvious case of pandering to the "equal time" advocates.
So...Couric goes to CBS and is replaced at NBC by Meridith Veiera (or Meridith Viagra as I call her, mmmmm) who in turn is replaced at ABC by none other than Rosie O'Donnel who as far as I can tell had been doing not too much. O'Donnel's departure will no doubt free up a much coveted "nanny" spot but don't worry, I'm one step ahead of you all. The application is already in the mail!


The TV landscape has changed dramatically. The domino effect that followed the events of Sept. 5th is still playing itself out in ways that will only become clear with time. Stay tuned.....