After TVNewser reported on Tuesday that Larry King's contract would be renewed at CNN for another two years, Newsday TV blogger Verne Gay began sniffing around to see whether this meant that the door was actually closed for Katie Couric to move over to the 24-hour news network. Reports earlier this month all but swore the CBS anchor would be out after the election and that she was gunning to replace King in 2009 if he left. But since he's still around, will she be unable to move into the coveted 9 p.m. spot with her own show? When Gay asked, he got non-denial denials from Larry King's rep and from a CNN flack. Turns out that King's contract may not have included a guarantee for the 9 p.m. time slot. So Couric might be able to move in if she wanted to and develop her own show. She could combine some of the elements of a Larry King–style interview show, with the fun and spontaneity of an Oprah-like program. That would be something we could really get behind! (Except now we're just imagining what it would look like if Oprah and Larry King had a baby, and the result is not quite as adorable as Katie Couric. Ew.)

Katie Couric for Larry King? [TV Zone/Newsday]