Katie Couric Perhaps to Consider Lesbianism, Too?

Yes, yes, we’re a little late in getting around to today’s Observer. But have you seen soon-to-be-Timeswoman Rebecca Dana’s profile of the perkily gummy Katie Couric? The mega-million-dollar anchor has been severely ratings-challenged at the CBS Evening News, and the piece has lots of fun details on the woman, on the Iraqi-like divisions her arrival has caused in the CBS newsroom, and, especially, on her sometimes less-than-sensitive on-air reactions:

On Sept. 7, after a piece about the cervical cancer vaccine that mentioned teen sex practices, Ms. Couric, a mother of two adolescents, told correspondent Jonathan LaPook that he had “just ruined my day.” On Oct. 27, she handed correspondent Steve Hartman a pair of pink slippers after his feature about a Texas sheriff who makes his prisoners wear pink. On Oct. 30, in her introduction to a story about Arnold Schwarzenegger, she mimicked the California governor’s pattern of speech.

Which points, perhaps, to a strategy: What other TV show made a high-profile cast change recently? And what high-profile new TV star has been regularly offending people? And what regularly offensive new star has seen her show’s ratings jump — rather than fall — since those changes? Um, Miss O’Donnell, that’s Katie Couric on line one.

Katie Go-Nightly [NYO]