NEW YORK — Imagine what might have happened to Katie Couric a couple of weeks ago if she hadn’t kept her briefing books straight.
Tuesday she interviewed Lil’ Wayne, bowling with him and inviting the rap superstar to watch from the control room as she anchored the “CBS Evening News.” Wednesday she talked to President Barack Obama. Thursday she reported news outside on a frigid night overlooking the Hudson River landing site of a damaged US Airways jet, and anchored a report on former President George W. Bush’s farewell to the nation.
Then she flew overnight to Los Angeles, where she spent time hanging out with Justin Timberlake, on Friday.
The collision between music and politics came because of a pre-Grammy Awards special Couric is hosting at 9 p.m. Wednesday. Besides Timberlake and Lil Wayne, featured artists are Katy Perry and Taylor Swift.
The Grammys air Sunday on CBS, directly after a “60 Minutes” edition in which Couric has the first interview with Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot who guided stricken U.S. Airways Flight 1549 to that safe Hudson River landing.
Couric’s been on a nice run lately, at least in part because she and CBS seem to have recognized the futility of keeping her to 20 minutes of reading news each night.
“When Katie is seen as having diverse talents, as she does, everybody wins,” said Susan Zirinsky, executive producer of the Grammys special.
Versatility was not only a job requirement at the “Today” show, it was something Couric found necessary. She enjoys covering public policy and the Obama administration, but also loves following pop culture. She’s proud that she didn’t need a tutorial from her daughters to talk to the young music stars.
“These multiple platforms provide me with an opportunity to satisfy all of my interests, and this was really just a fun outlet for me,” Couric said.
“Sometimes people in show business get a bad name, that they are somehow shallow or vapid or not people of substance,” she said. “And, they all were (substantive) in their different ways. One thing they do have in common is they were all incredibly persistent and tenacious in a business where it’s easy to get eaten alive.”
It’s beginning to appear that CBS’s evening newscast is becoming more like its morning show, perpetually fated to third place, as the cable news networks increase their influence each year. That said, Couric’s broadcast is showing modest signs of ratings growth over the past few months after two years of relentless bad news.
“People who watch the ‘CBS Evening News’ don’t say, ‘I’m going to watch the third-rated newscast,’ ” Couric said. “They say, ‘We like this newscast, we think they’re doing really quality work.’ Of course, if more people are saying that and thinking that, it’s great news. But it’s not something that I think about every day.”
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