Help Wanted?

For the past ten years or so my secret dream has been to be the next Katie Couric. As a journalism major and fellow news junkie, I like the fact that she established her journalism cred doing hard news. I also admire how on the Today Show she seamlessly transitioned from talking fashion or food into in-depth interviews and more serious topics. I have followed her career with interest and rooted for her when she left NBC for CBS to be the managing editor and anchor of CBS News. I guess it's not working out as well as she or the media company hoped. Apparently her ratings aren't what they'd expected. Sadly, media is big business and ratings translate into advertising dollars. Unfortunately, the effort to attract more viewers often leads to watered-down news, which is one of my pet peeves. I think people can handle intelligent coverage that entails more than celebrity gossip, partisan pundits, and sound bites.

But I digress. According to today's WSJ, Katie might be leaving CBS News after the presidential inauguration in Jan. 2009. I just want to let the powers that be at CBS know that I am ready to take the job whenever they need me. I'm sure I won't be the first on the list, but a girl can always dream, right? I can just picture myself at the anchor desk in power suits, interviewing heads of state and covering topics of national and international import. The $15 million annual salary wouldn't be too shabby either. :)

You may rightly ask, what qualifications do I possess which would qualify me for this role? Granted, don't actually have any actual on-air experience as a news anchor, but I did do my undergrad and master's degrees in journalism/mass communication. Sometimes Andy teases me about going into journalist mode when I am engaged in a conversation and start interrogating people about their opinions on a particular topic or area of expertise. After seeing the hours and lifestyle that would be required to become a serious anchor, I decided to go the PR route, which lends itself more to freelance opportunities if I want to work while raising children. For now, I'll just have to indulge my grandiose fanstasies that my fascination with broadcast journalism, winning personality and enthusiam will catch someone's eye and they'll realize that I'm just what the news needs. When the phone call comes, I'll be ready.


The story on Katie: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120778369100203247.html?mod=most_viewed_day