Official: Mickey Mouse Gets Katie Couric Deal

Katie Couric is a corporate bunkmate of Mickey Mouse

After months of negotiations, posturing and extensive press coverage, the newswoman announced Monday she has signed a deal with the Walt Disney Co. to develop and host a daytime syndicated talk show on Disney-owned ABC. She'll also contribute to ABC News, according to a story by richard Huff at nydailynews.com.

The deal was announced on the day her "CBS Evening News" replacement, Scott Pelley, starts his run on that network's flagship evening newscast.

Couric's announcement comes after five years at CBS News, where the 54-year-old was the first solo female anchor of a broadcast network newscast.

There was constant speculation she was unhappy and wanted out, which didn't end until she finally told People magazine she was leaving the "Evening News."

CBS and NBC also courted her, but ABC won her over.

Her new talk show will launch in the fall of 2012. She's  said the format appeals to her because it frees her from the rigidity of an evening newscast and still lets her  interview newsmakers on a variety of topics.
Moving into daytime will bring comparisons to Oprah Winfrey, whose time slot Couric will inherit, but the chance of Couric -- or anyone else -- ever matching Winfrey's stature are slim, at best, due to a changed TV landscape.

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