Entertainment

Katie Couric’s last CBS newscast to take place May 19

Laura Donovan Contributor
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Broadcast journalist Katie Couric’s final newscast for CBS News’ “CBS Evening News” will air on May 19, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“As some of you may already know I’m moving on from CBS News,” Couric reportedly said at the end of the broadcast, noting that on her last day she’ll reflect on “some of the amazing stories we’ve covered over the past five years.”

An official announcement on her next career move could come soon after June 4, the day her contract with CBS is up. The Hollywood Reporter reported that substitute anchors will probably temporarily take Couric’s place until replacement Scott Pelley comes on board on June 6 as the new anchor of the show.

It’s unclear where Couric will go next, but some speculate she will head to ABC daytime television to host a syndicated talk show. It’s also likely that she will contribute to the network’s news programming. Sources claim that an announcement on the plan might come soon after her contract with CBS News officially expires.

Last month, Couric confirmed widespread rumors when she told People magazine that she would be leaving her “CBS Evening News” position.

“I have decided to step down from the CBS Evening News,” Couric told the publication. “I’m really proud of the talented team on the CBS Evening News and the award-winning work we’ve been able to do in the past five years in addition to the reporting I’ve done for 60 Minutes and CBS Sunday Morning. In making the decision to move on, I know the Evening News will be in great hands, but I am excited about the future.”

On her new goals, Couric said, “I am looking at a format that will allow me to engage in more multi-dimensional storytelling,” adding that other plans, including when and where the program will air, are “still being discussed.”

When asked about Couric’s CBS leave, former Alaska gov. Sarah Palin told Fox News’ Greta van Susteren, “And yeah, I hear that she wants to now engage in more multidimensional storytelling…versus, I guess, just the straight-on reading-into-that-teleprompter-screen storytelling. So more power to her. I wish her well with her multidimensional storytelling.”

During the 2008 presidential election, Couric and Palin had a famously uncomfortable interview in which the CBS anchor grilled the vice presidential candidate on foreign policy experience and which newspapers she read.