Photo: Gregory Pace/BEImages.
Update: It's confirmed! Marissa Mayer has taken to her Tumblr page (where else?) to announce Katie Couric's addition to the Yahoo News team, citing her "unmatched" experience and "charismatic" approach to journalism. "Katie is dynamic, savvy and has a way of connecting with viewers that I really admire," wrote Mayer. Now that's one sweet welcome aboard message!
Things are shaking up in a big way over at ABC, thanks to Marissa Mayer: In an effort to continue the revamp over at Yahoo, the can-do CEO is negotiating a major poach. The Hollywood Reporter just broke the news that Katie Couric is planning on leaving ABC and moving over to — yes, Yahoo.
Couric has been with ABC for less than three years, where she hosted a daytime talk show and served as a special correspondent for the news department. She has a contract with the network, but according to THR, she's negotiating an exit package.
Rumor has it that the terms of Couric's new deal with Yahoo aren't finalized, but a personal wooing via Mayer? We're seeing dollar signs. While we can't say we're surprised that Katie was unhappy at ABC — her talk show ratings have been floundering — we were pretty taken aback that a longtime TV anchor would go the way of the World Wide Web. It's a sign of the times, indeed.