Background and Start of CareerKatie was born to mother Elinor Tullie and father John Martin Couric Jr. in Arlington Virginia on January 7 1957. She started her schooling at Jamestown Elementary, continued at Williamsburg Junior High and finished her high school career attending Yorktown High School. Katie became a Delta Delta Delta sorority sister attending University of Virginia in 1975, as she majored in english and history. She started her journalism career serving in many positions at UVA's award winning daily newspaper, The Cavalier Daily. She graduated in 1979 with a degree of American Studies.
Couric is mostly known for her position on NBC's Today show, but her career for television started back when she became a low-level assistant at ABC in 1979. It was a simple job that basically consisted of answering phones and brewing coffee. In 1980, she went to work for CNN, where she would become the producer of a two hour news show from Atlanta, Georgia. She then worked as a reporter on NBC's local stations in 1984 in Miami, and Washington D.C. until she joined NBC news. Her real career began when she joined NBC news in 1989. She was soon fired, however, because the president of the network disapproved of her voice. After this downfall, she was re-hired in 1991 after various voice lessons. She soon became a celebrity on NBC's The Today Show. She also began working as part of Dateline NBC in 1992. One extra thing she did was she played as the voice of "Katie Current" in the cartoon animation called Shark Tale. Couric made a big move on April 5, 2006 and left The today Show on NBC by starting a new job, working for CBS as the new, first solo female anchor and managing editor of CBS evening news. She would also take part in 60 minutes and do prime time news specials for CBS. Many criticized her move to CBS, saying she lacked experience in hard journalism.
Accomplishments
Couric earned many of her accomplishments working for The Today Show for the majority of her career, working there for 15 years. Couric was able to interview many political figures and celebrities. Some include presidents Gerald R. Ford, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. She also interviewed first lady Barbara Bush. She has worked on a big number of news specials like Everybody's Business: American Children, Legend to Legend Night: A Celebrity Cavalcade, and Harry Potter: Behind the Magic. She also co-hosted the opening ceremonies for the Olympics.
Awards
- Peabody Award for her series Confront Colon Cancer
- Special Acheivement for National Impact on the 2008 Campaign by Reliable Resources
- Emmy Governors Award
Public Image
Cour
ic is famous for her legs and choice of short skirts. She has been called "Americas Sweetheart" mainly from her years at The Today Show. Couric was a guest host on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and she brought in 45 percent more viewers. It was noticed that instead of using Jay Leno's regular solid desk, workers took out the front of her desk to show off her legs while she interviewed American Idol Judge Simon Cowell and Austin Powers star Mike Meyers. Personal Life
Katie Couric married her husband, Jay Monahan in 1989, who later died of colon cancer in 1998 at age of 42. Because of this Couric is a spokeswoman for colon cancer awareness. She had her first daughter Elinor Tully Monahan on July 3, 1991 and her second daughter, Caroline Couric Monahan, who was born on January 5, 1996. Couric did a colonoscopy live on the Today Show in March 2000. She inspired many others to get checked as well. She is also very involved in the National Hockey League's Hockey Fights Cancer campaign.
Biggest Stories
One of Katies biggest or well known stories was her recent, year ago interview with Sarah Palin. Couric interviewed Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin in September 2008. Couric earned respect among critic for asking tough questions. From this story, Couric's rating rose a huge amount in 2008, averaging 7.4 million, compared with 5.6 million for the year.
Interview with Hip Hop Star Lil' Wayne
Interview with Sarah Palin on Foreign Policy
Where is She Now?
Katie Couric currently works for CBS evening news where she has been since 2006. She will be hosting a weekly, one-hour interview program on CBSNews.com. Glenn Beck from Fox News Channel will be her first gurst. Interviews with Former Vice President Al Gore and Hugh Jackman are to follow.
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