Katie Couric to Leave CBS Anchor Seat for Syndicated Talk Show?

Is Katie Couric leaving CBS?

The CBS news anchor Katie Couric may be leaving her post for good.  Couric, 54, has been an anchor at CBS for five years, and was a 15 year co-anchor at NBC News “Today” prior to that. Now Couric wants to try her hand at a syndicated talk show, due to begin September 2012.

While Katie and CBS have not made any definite plans for the future, there is talk toward making a change. CBS released a statement regarding Couric’s departure:

“We’re having ongoing discussions with Katie Couric,” said CBS News spokeswoman Sonya McNair. “We have no announcements to make at this time. Until we do, we will continue to decline comment on rumor and speculation,” the statement said.

Couric’s five year contract is up in June, making this the perfect time to make a transition to another side of television.

Will Couric be able to rise to Oprah’s popularity? She is well on her way, with arms already reaching far beyond her CBS news chair.

Couric writes a column for Glamour Magazine, anchors an online interview show through her twitter account, and was a guest star on Glee’s post-Super Bowl episode where she demonstrated her comedic abilities in an interview with Jane Lynch’s character, Sue Sylvester.

With all of these outlets for her menagerie of talents, why would Couric agree to stay on with CBS at a reduced salary? Currently, the anchor is making $15 million a year while broadcast news economics do not support that type of salary.

In an interview on the March 22 David Letterman show, Couric declined to give a straight response for her career’s future, indicating that an anchor spot was not the be-all, end-all for her.

Images by Martin H. via Wikimedia Commons and Image Gallery via Flickr.