COURIC STAYS MUM ABOUT FUTURE PLANS

A seemingly awkward moment occurred on the syndicated The View Tuesday, when Barbara Walters, apparently referring to persistent reports that Katie Couric will be leaving as anchor of the CBS Evening News to host a daytime talk show, remarked, “I think you’re doing the right thing.” Couric retorted, “Well, you don’t know what I’m doing, but thank you for saying that.” Couric appeared on The View to promote her new book, The Best Advice I Ever Got. But when Walters attempted to draw her out on whether she is leaving the news program, she replied, “I haven’t made a decision. I am in the middle of discussions.” She added, “I respect you wanting to make news on The View, but I’m just not in a position to discuss it at this point in time.” Neither did Couric let Matt Lauer “make news” during an appearance on the Today show at her old stomping grounds at NBC this morning (Wednesday). When she makes a decision, she told Lauer, “I’ll call you.” There was no mention of recent speculation that she and Lauer may reteam for a daytime talk show produced by Jeff Zucker, the former NBC executive who originally brought them together on the morning show.