Dive Brief:
- According to an exclusive piece from The Hollywood Reporter, journalist Katie Couric is negotiating an exit package with ABC from her obligations as correspondent for ABC news and possibly from the daytime talkshow Katie.
- Couric is leaving ABC to work with Yahoo, a still-in-the-works deal that was personally initiated by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer. Couric will host her own news-interview show to be featured on the site's homepage.
- Yahoo has been working to assemble an impressive roster of journalists—including the recent hire of New York Times columnist David Pogue—to help build excitement and draw traffic.
Dive Insight:
From outsiders, it's surprising that an online publication like Yahoo would be attractive enough for a TV celebrity like Katie Couric, but the new deal might be evidence that Yahoo is on a better track than one might imagine. Big names like Couric will certainly draw in ad dollars that were previously unreachable for Yahoo.
