I had a sinking feeling when the evening news world was all abuzz about Katie taking over the CBS Evening News. I was happy that she got the offer and behind her all the way in hoping she would succeed in her new role. But I was afraid she was going to do exactly what she ended up doing.
Katie threw the baby out with the bath water. With her very first broadcast she ditched almost every familiar aspect of the news program. She made it folksy and familiar. She came out from behind the desk — even sat on it with one high-heeled foot dangling. She wore soft sweater sets and silky blouses without a jacket rather than the traditional dark power suit. She conducted on-set interviews. She asked viewers to help her come up with a pithy closing. And with those decisions, virtually sealed her fate. A distant third to her two network competitors.
Was the CBS Evening News dated? Yes. Could it have used a shot of adrenaline to pump some life back into a tired atmosphere? Maybe. But Katie (And my guess is more likely producers and handlers by the dozen.) decided that this news show would dump all tradition and leave ABC and NBC in the dust.
The problem was that after some high curiosity-induced ratings, CBS ended up with a style that appeals to an audience they never attracted while alienating the only loyal viewers they ever had. (At the time Katie said she didn’t care about ratings, just quality. This is about as absurd as a company saying they don’t care about profits.)
Don’t let this happen to you. Business people everywhere and anywhere can learn from this blunder.
In almost every instance (elimination of common-knowledge corruption a reasonable exception) change must be gradual. New to your company or job? Step in and spend time getting to know the situation. Deeply understand your clients or customers. Develop productive relationships with your colleagues. Learn everything you can about your competitors. Understand internal processes and know the culture of the organization. Then, and only then, should you start initiating changes.
*I like and respect Katie Couric and will be glad to see her re-emerge in a capacity that will allow her gift for connecting with people to shine.
