Maybe throw this anchor overboard

Re “Don’t Adjust Your Set: Her Brightness Is a Contrast,” television review, Sept. 6

One need look no further than all of the attention being lavished on new “CBS Evening News” anchor Katie Couric to see the current sad state of our mainstream media. It is no longer about informing the public but about personalities and attractiveness.

What’s amazing is that highly paid executives still don’t grasp why millions like me flock to non-mainstream sources to find out what’s really happening; meanwhile, their ratings continue to decline.

I recommend these execs go back and view Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite and “The Huntley-Brinkley Report” to get a grasp on what the media could and should do to fulfill their duty of informing the public.

MATT GIORGI

Brea

*

I admit to catching only the last 10 minutes of Couric’s debut news broadcast, but they were golden. First, she wore a stark black-and-white outfit, which not only brought out her skin tone but allowed the director to show off her gams as she leaned against a sprawling news desk.

The first segment I saw was an editorial by some angry fellow. Then Katie announced that Rush Limbaugh will be doing an editorial later in the week.

That was followed by a montage of generic black-and-white baby snapshots, leading to the unveiling of baby pictures of Tom Cruise’s daughter from Vanity Fair.

This was followed by a feature about American schoolkids who paint pictures of foreign orphans, which are sent to the orphans, making everybody happy.

Then there was a montage of how newscasters in the past signed off their shows, with Katie inviting the audience to send in their ideas for how she should end her broadcast. She said she would be delighted to read them on the air.

I’ve already sent in my suggestion: “This is Katie Couric. Shoot me now.”

A.J. BURNETT

Burbank