Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Katie Couric is the first female solo anchor in nightly news, but that doesn't mean she's bringing more women along with her.
A published report found that her fellow female correspondents at the "CBS Evening News" are getting 40 percent less face time than they did under her predecessor, Bob Schieffer.
Since Couric's arrival, stories filed by women have averaged three minutes each night, down from 5.8 minutes under Schieffer, according to television news analyst Andrew Tyndall. In contrast, male correspondents continue to average 10.1 minutes.
Tyndall, whose analysis appeared in trade publication Broadcasting & Cable, attributed the decrease in large part to changes that emphasize Couric's role as anchor and cut back on correspondents' airtime.
For instance, Schieffer had correspondents introduce their stories, while Couric does all of the story teasing. She also has about 20 percent more voiceover time than Schieffer.
CBS replaced medical correspondent Elizabeth Kaledin with Jon LaPook. Sharyn Alfonsi, who was the fifth-most used correspondent under Schieffer, has fallen to the 14th position.
CBS said the network is focused on providing "the best information told by the best correspondents every day - without a preconceived plan as to the gender of the reporters.
"Andrew Tyndall has one fact correct: The 'CBS Evening News' is, indeed, changing the way news is presented, offering more context, perspective and, hopefully, relevancy for the viewer," CBS' statement continued. "It's more than a little ironic that Mr. Tyndall's analysis focuses on the only network that has a female anchor."
Copyright 2006 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
