REPORT: COURIC TO STEP DOWN AS CBS ANCHOR

Katie Couric will step down as anchor of the CBS Evening News and is expected to launch a syndicated talk show in 2012, the Associated Press reported on Sunday, citing a network executive who spoke on condition of anonymity. Her five-year contract, which has paid her $15 million annually, is due to expire on June 4. AP observed that she might agree to stay on temporarily past June 4 as part of a hoped-for syndication deal with the network but that other networks and syndication companies are vying for her show. The wire service said that no departure date has been set for Couric and no replacement for her has been selected. Neither CBS nor a spokesman for Couric would comment on the report.