Katie Couric Confirms She's leaving CBS News

The first woman to anchor a nightly network newscast steps away from her chair.

NEW YORK – Katie Couric confirmed that she is indeed leaving the ratings-basement "CBS Evening News," less than five years after she became the first woman to lead a network TV evening newscast by herself.
Couric, 54, told People magazine for a story published on its website Tuesday that she hasn't decided what she's doing next, but that she is "looking at a format that will allow me to engage in more multi-dimensional storytelling."
The Associated Press reported three weeks ago that Couric's tenure as CBS anchor would end just short of five years in the job. Her contract expires June 4.
CBS has not set an exit date but is expected to appoint Scott Pelley of "60 Minutes" as her successor as early as next week.
"There's a lot to be proud of during Katie Couric's time at evening news," said CBS News spokeswoman Sonya McNair. "CBS News, like Katie herself, is looking forward to the next chapter."
Couric left NBC's "Today" in 2006 for CBS and worked to incorporate her strengths as an interviewer into a standard evening news format.
After a few successful first weeks, the "CBS Evening News" settled into third place in the ratings, well behind the leader, NBC's "Nightly News" and the second-place newscast, ABC's "World News."
Couric's newscast retained critical acclaim, though. The "CBS Evening News" won the Edward R. Murrow Award as best newscast in 2008 and 2009. Couric's interview with Sarah Palin in 2008 was a memorable moment in the campaign after Palin couldn't — or wouldn't — answer Couric's question about books or magazines she regularly read.