NO RATINGS DROP EXPECTED AFTER COURIC’S DEPARTURE

Katie Couric’s departure from the anchor desk of the CBS Evening News and her expected replacement by Scott Pelley is not likely to have any significant effect on ratings for the newscast or, by extension, on sales, according to Broadcasting & Cable magazine. The trade publication quoted one unnamed media buyer as saying, “I don’t think Katie staying or leaving will have much impact at all. … The advertisers are in the habit of buying the daypart regardless of who the anchor is and viewers seem to be loyal more to a network telecast rather than an anchor.” Some buyers expect that CBS may lower its ad rates for the newscast, at least in the short pull (ad rates for all the nightly newscasts are about 30 percent lower than they are for primetime programs), and, observed B&C: “Some advertisers with more mainstream or younger skewing products, may just test out the daypart — with its lower pricing structure-to see how well their commercials work.