Katherine Anne Couric was born in Arlington, Virginia, to Emily (née Small; born 1923) and John L. Couric (1923–2013),[1] who was the news director of radio station WTOP in Washington, D.C., and later of the ABC television and radio networks. She has two brothers, Andrew (born 1955) and Peter (born 1957). Her father was of Lithuanian descent.[2] Through her father, she is related to French-Canadian journalist Jacques Lacoursière.[3]
Early life and education
Couric was born in Arlington, Virginia to a Presbyterian family, however she was raised as a Roman Catholic. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 1974 with degrees in English and history, having written her thesis on African history and the slave trade. She then attended Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, where she earned a Master's degree in journalism.
Couric spent two years as an anchorwoman for ABC News before joining CBS News in 1991.
She became co-anchor for the CBS Evening News from 1995 to 2006, and subsequently anchored Katie (a talk show) from 2012-2015. Couric also serves as Global Anchor for Yahoo! News, since September 2014. In 2004, she published the book The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives. The next year, Couric was listed among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World. In 2007, Forbes ranked Couric no. 66 on their list of Most Powerful Women and no. 18 in their list of Top-Earning Women Entertainers . Other accolades include a Peabody Award and multiple Emmy Awards. Couric continued her work at CBS until earlier this year when she announced that she would be leaving due to cutbacks.
It is unclear what will happen to Couric now, but if past successes are anything to go by, it seems likely that there are still great things ahead for this talented and versatile woman.
Personal life
Couric was born in Arlington, Virginia, to Nina Bruce (née Gentry) and John Cameron Couric, a local news anchor for CBS News. Her father was of Alsatian descent and her mother was of Irish ancestry; she also has French Canadian roots. Couric attended St. Matthew's School, an all-girls school in the upscale Potomac section of Washington DC where she played field hockey with future Olympic champion Nancy Metcalf. She then went on to graduate from Trinity College at the University of Virginia in 1982 with a degree in international affairs. After graduation, she worked at ABC News as both a producer for Peter Jennings and as a general assignment reporter based first in Buenos Aires and later in Jerusalem. In 1989, Couric joined NBC News and became their national correspondent. From 1994 until 1997 Couric hosted the talk show Katie which ran on daytime TV until 2001 when it ended due to low ratings after six seasons on air. Her next stint on TV came in 2006 when she became co-host of Today along with Matt Lauer and Ann Curry. Four years later, Couric left Today to become global news anchor for Yahoo! News. Most recently, she's been hosting the documentary series National Geographic: America’s Journey through History since 2016. Couric is married to Dr. John Hirsh and has two children, Ellie (born 1990) and Carrie (born 1992). They live in Manhattan. Couric became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2013. A best-selling author, Couric has published several books including The Best Advice I Ever Got and The Best Advice I Ever Got: Extraordinary Wisdom for Everyday Life.
External links
Couric's success as a broadcast journalist is multifaceted, encompassing print, television, audio, video, and the Internet. From 1991 to 2006 she was co-anchor of the NBC News weekday evening news program, Today with Matt Lauer from 1994 to 2000. Couric also worked for nine years at ABC, first as the national correspondent for World News Tonight and later hosting her own talk show called Katie (2005–2012). In addition, she currently hosts America’s Funniest Home Videos (since 1989) on ABC. In 2010, after leaving CBS Evening News in 2007 following a public disagreement with management over editorial decisions involving coverage of US President George W. Bush's Iraq War troop surge of 2007, she founded Katie Couric Media, a production company that specializes in documentaries such as Inside Guantanamo Bay and Under Fire: Journalists under Assault. Her films have been nominated for two Emmy Awards, one in 2012 and one in 2013. Couric's breakthrough came early in her career while working as a Washington correspondent covering Capitol Hill during the Iran Contra Affair. She received this job due to her connection with Frank McCulloch, then managing editor of the Associated Press and future president of CBS News. During this time Couric began hosting what became known as The Polly Peckenpaugh Report on PBS both before and after joining Today. After returning to full-time employment at ABC in 1989, Couric was tapped by Roone Arledge to become a presenter on the flagship 20/20 program; she joined the team in 1990.
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