Viera vs. Couric

Good news and bad news today for those of us who a) watch The CBS Evening News, and b) can't stand The Today Show.

The good news was that the insufferable Katie Couric is leaving Today to be replaced by the very cool Meredith Viera. Even though Viera is now most famous for hosting Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and shilling for Bayer, she has a real hard-news background; years ago she was a 60 Minutes correspondent. What really makes Viera stand out, though, is an astonishing capacity for self-effacing honesty--like when she revealed on national television that her husband sometimes bones her while she's asleep.

The bad news was that Couric is set to begin anchoring The CBS Evening News in September, taking over from the flawlessly classy Bob Schieffer. I've always liked the Evening News best of all the nightlies--no Brian Williams idiocy, no Elizabeth Vargas melodrama, no Lou Dobbs awkwardness. Just (mostly) good reporting. Well, those days are over. The idea of Couric anchoring an evening broadcast is repellent. Surely no one could or would seriously call her a "reporter"? Brainless perkiness in the dinner hour is the last thing anyone needs--and the last thing CBS needs is a further cheapening of the House That Murrow Built.

Then again, all CBS honcho Les Moonves cares about is money, and Couric is sure to bring in loads of it. In that regard she's an excellent investment. Rest assured: Edward R. is rolling.

A final irony is that, of all the possible candidates, Viera would probably have been the best choice to lead the Evening News.

Courage.