Bob Schieffer Behind Katie Couric's Troubles?

Photo of Matthew Sheffield.

Bob Schieffer and Katie Couric Roger Friedman, gossip blogger for FNC has an interesting item about the anti-Katie Couric piece that I blogged about yesterday. According to Friedman, the piece was done partly at the behest of Couric's predecessor, the seemingly avuncular Bob Schieffer.

That wouldn't surprise me, but before I get into why, here's Friedman:

[O]ne of Couric's frequently mentioned enemies is Bob Schieffer, the lovable, durable veteran journalist who filled in as anchor of the "CBS Evening News" between Dan Rather's departure and Couric's arrival.

But sources say that Schieffer has been unhappy lately, mainly because his airtime, which was prominent when Couric first started, has dwindled in recent weeks.

It's been suggested that a hit piece on Couric written by Gail Shister in yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer was inspired by Schieffer as its main source.

"He has a direct line to her," one insider said.

This type of thing is hardly unprecedented within the television news business. CBS isn't quite the San Diego of "Anchorman," but it's had no shortage of anchor feuds.

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Back in 1981 when Dan Rather replaced Walter Cronkite as the anchor of the "CBS Evening News," there was a lot of bad blood between the two. Cronkite did not want to retire but was forced out. With Cronkite out, CBS News was remade into Dan Rather's personal image. That picture did include Cronkite.

Initially, Cronkite had intended to enjoy his retirement but also periodically file pieces for television. "Old anchormen, you see, don't fade away; they just keep coming back for more," was the way he described it.

But Cronkite's dream never happened. The new management team of Dan Rather and Van Sauter saw to it that Cronkite almost never appeared on "Evening," relegating him to special events coverage. Eventually, he was phased out entirely.

Cronkite never forgave Rather for this. Following Rather's infamous 1987 incident where he stormed off the set after a women's tennis match threatened to intrude on his show and left CBS with six minutes of dead air, Cronkite publicly said he would have fired his successor. In the intervening years, Cronkite has publicly and privately trashed Rather. After Rather was forced to quit in disgrace following his 2004 Memogate scandal, Cronkite showed Couric a helping hand by doing the voiceover for her "Evening News."

It wasn't just Rather and Cronkite who were at each other's throats, either. CBS's forgotten anchor, Connie Chung, also found herself subjected to merciless attacks from within CBS after she was hired to co-anchor "Evening" with Rather in 1993. The miffed Rather regularly called up the nation's TV columnists and trashed Chung and her coverage.

Now, it seems history is repeating itself. The new anchor, Couric, is finding an institution that is not her own (especially since she came over from NBC) turning against her. How long will she be able to hold out? Ratings probably are the only clue. If she does well, she'll stay. If she's in this spot two years from now, I doubt it.

—Matthew Sheffield is the creator and editor of NewsBusters.


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Couric will blame anyone but

Couric will blame anyone but herself. Seriously, does Bob Schieffer control Nielsen ratings?

Yeah...never her, not the per

Yeah...never her, not the perky one, like I said earlier in the other blog about this here this morning...I also inserted the same exact link too that Matthew is using...lol.

...anyway, I already spoke my piece about all of this earlier.

I cannot remember the last ti

I cannot remember the last time I watched any of the network evening news, so as far as I am concerned they could replace Couric with Sandaja from American Idol (probably would make CBS #1 overnight).

Don't forget that Dan Blather

Don't forget that Dan Blather burried Connie Chung after the OK bombings because she got there before he did.

Kouric is obviously in a tigh

Kouric is obviously in a tight spot. Bob Scheiffer had better ratings than Katie when he was in the chair. If Bob wasn't 110 years old, he would be the Anchor, not Katie. (Didn't Scheiffer work for Grover Cleveland back in the 1890's?)

Do you really think CBS will

Do you really think CBS will keep Katie for two long years, when her ratings remain in the basement?  I'm not so sure they'll be that tolerant nor patient.  If the 'in-fighting' is so bad it's becoming public right now, I give Katie another six months.  I think before the elections, there will be a new anchor at CBS.

No, C-BS needs Katie for next

No, C-BS needs Katie for next year's coronation of Mrs. Bill Clinton.

Network news survives because

Network news survives because there is still a market for people who need their news read to them by an authority figure. 

I wouldn't care if a trained seal barked the days news to me.

Mid, you mean libs still need

Mid, you mean libs still need their talking points read to them, and the insurgents need a propaganda outlet to spread their distorted news. And the Dems need their lab-dogs to bark at us and spin the news for us.

If CBS was smart

If CBS was smart, they would hire Earl Camembert to do their news. 

Katie Couric could learn a lot from him.

"Television as you've never seen it before. This is SCTV!"

I believe Earl is still on as

I believe Earl is still on assigment in the tiny republc of Togo.

Nobody covers an election like Camembert

Nobody can cover an election night like Camembert.  His predictions are always right on, and his post election commentary on how a Russian might view an election, has to be one of the greatest commentaries of all time.

"Television as you've never seen it before.  This is SCTV!"

Hey, Floyd Robertson ain't ex

Hey, Floyd Robertson ain't exactly chopped liver!

Mayor Tommy Shanks is the greatest politician

Mayor Tommy Shanks is the greatest politician of all time.  If all politicians would follow his lead, we would have the best government ever!

"Television as you've never seen it before.  This is SCTV!"

Nah.  They'd probably just h

Nah.  They'd probably just have Edith Prickley anchoring for all women, or have the 'sexy' edge with Lola Heatherton.

Lola has never been the same

Lola has never been the same since she had that embarrassing breakdown on the Sammy Maudlin Show...

Perky goes blame game

Well, the logical followup to this is the 'Old boy network' keeping the hard working single mother down. blah blah blah.

Not a chance the fault lies with Katie KuriK the Rude Perky Little Pig.

What's interesting about this

What's interesting about this is the fact that liberals at CBS have created this "old boy network". I thought liberals, including liberal men, had been brow-beaten enough by women to make them all inclusive to women. Better get N.O.W. on the phone!!

Blame Couric

CBS News was a failing news organization long before Katie Couric joined the team.  The twin Texas Democrats Schieffer and Rather played featured roles in its decline.

The evening newscasts have horrible demographics with a large over 50 audience.   Their ratings will continue to fade over time since younger viewers can find plenty of news instantly elsewhere.

I'm sure all of us at Newsbusters feel "sorry" for Ms. Courics diminished influence in the news game. Oh well. Bad career move Katie.

At least she doesn't have to

At least she doesn't have to get up so early in the morning . . . for now.  But when she gets that weekend backup job at "Good Morning Peoria" she'll be up at the crack of dawn (and on Central Time no less).

Bob Scheiffer is "lovabl

Bob Scheiffer is "lovable????"   By what standards?

Fight Terrorism at home - defeat a liberal!

bilious, octogenarian badger

If you were a bilious, octogenarian badger with hemorrhoids, myopia and atheletes foot, Bob would be downright lovable.

Maybe even hot!

I don't know any of you a

I don't know any of you all, but I consider my life too short to waste time on watching Katie Corrupt on C. BS, or any of the other dinosaur alphabets, these days. Growing up in the sixties, our family never watched Cronkite.

When a close personal friend of the family was washed overboard on the submarine he was captain of, I waited all day for a news report of it. When the report of it came on I happened to have CBS on and Dan Rather mispronounced his name. At the age of 11, I thought that to be highly incompetent, and unprofessional. For that I have hated Dan Rather since. So as far as I'm concerned this bad news can't happen to a better news organization. IMHO CBS is anti-military.

FTA the perky one was abbrasive, according to what I've read, off camera to the staff of "Today." I'll bet the leopard hasn't changed her spots, after moving to C. BS.

Only One Winner will emerge in the NBC/ABC/CBS Fight

Only One Winner will emerge in the NBC/ABC/CBS Fight

There is no longer any point to having 3 liberal news shows. 

ForeveronTheRight is correct, libs only need one anchor to read their liberal talking points.

The smart media will get rid of their news hour and put some ratings-winning reality show on during this time frame.

Katie Over/Under: 30 days?

Katie Over/Under: 30 days?