The Great Gender Experiment among network-news anchors appears to be over.
The search for reportedly outgoing "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric has seemingly narrowed down to one candidate. In a shocking reversal from recent trends — or a predictable return to form, depending on one's viewpoint — Couric will be succeeded by a male anchor, partially restoring the Big Three's nightly newscasts to their prior boys' club mentality.
So much for five years of refreshing — if not particularly ratings-grabbing — reform.
Politico, TMZ.com and The Daily name "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley as the favorite for the job. According to TMZ, he is CBS chairman Jeff Fager's top choice to fill Couric's chair when her contract expires in June, and Fager reportedly made it a condition that he be allowed to pick Couric's successor when he took his current position in February.
Also read: "From Arianna to Olbermann: Who Should Replace Katie Couric? (Sideshow)"
CBS News did not immediately respond to TheWrap's request for comment.
So why is Fager so keen on Pelley? The Daily theorizes that the choice might go beyond the obvious Y chromosome. Noting that Pelley hails from San Antonio and thus, bears an accent similar to that of Dan Rather and Bob Schieffer, one source suggests, "Anyone with a twang has an advantage."
And, to be fair, the guy does have a pretty varied résumé, having covered 9/11 and both Gulf Wars, as well as having interviewed leaders ranging from former president Bill Clinton to Iraq's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
As for Couric, a source told TheWrap that she's currently entertaining job offers from multiple outlets, including ABC, NBC and CNN.
Meanwhile, Couric has wrangled a trip to London out of her gig before a she heads for the exit. The network announced on Tuesday that Couric will be anchoring "CBS Evening News" from London in the days running up to the April 29 royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. Couric will begin her overseas broadcast beginning on April 25.
Which, as far as parting gifts go, isn't too bad.