Katie Couric

Emmy Award-winning news anchor Katie Couric helped turn NBC's morning news show "Today" (1951- ) into a ratings leader during her 15-year tenure, during which time she also made an impression as a contributor to a number of evening news programs and primetime news specials. Couric covered such historic events as the Gulf War, the Oklahoma City bombing, six Olympic Games, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, in addition to interviewing more than half a dozen presidents and heads of state during her time at NBC. Intelligent and serious, but with a grinning, girl-next-door quality that prevented some detractors from accepting her as a legitimate news journalist, Couric nonetheless rose through the television ranks to become anchor of the "CBS Evening News" (CBS, 1948- ) in a move that made her the first solo female to helm a network news broadcast, earning her a much-publicized $15 million dollar salary. During her tenure at CBS, she also contributed reporting to "60 Minutes" (1968- ) and hosted several primetime specials. She also won the Edward R. Murrow Award in 2008 and 2009 for Best Newscast. In 2011, Couric announced that she would be leaving CBS when her contract was up, and she gave her last broadcast on May 19, 2011. She then joined ABC News, serving as a special correspondent, and hosted a syndicated daytime talk show, "Katie" (2012-14). At the end of 2013, she accepted a new position with Yahoo! as Global Anchor of Yahoo! News. She remained in this position until June 2017, stepping down after Verizon purchased Yahoo! and renamed it Oath. In January 2018, it was announced that Couric would be returning to NBC to co-host the opening ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.