Katie Couric Opens Up About Her New Talk Show

On the heels of Katie Couric's announcement that she will be launching a talk show with ABC in September of 2012, The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Couric and Disney/ABC Television Group president Anne Sweeney to discuss the format, the desired guests and how Couric's new ABC colleagues have responded.
The Hollywood Reporter: Katie, what do you envision for the talk show?

Katie Couric: Well, the ink is barely dry. We’ve started to talk about it in broad terms, and I think we’d like the show to be topical and to really capture the zeitgeist of what people are talking about. It will be serious at times, obviously informative and fun. Really, a mixture of things we hope people will be interested in. It’s not going to be a news show, but we’ll be talking about the news and issues that I think people care about, whether it’s bullying or the effect technology has on our kids. It might be a profile of a navy seal after Osama Bin Laden has been killed; it might talk about women in the military and some of the stresses they experience in reentry with their families.

What’s nice is that I’ve been in television news for 32 years now and I have so many different interests and have been exposed to so many fascinating topics throughout the course of my career, whether it was when I was covering the pentagon for NBC, working on the Today show or even in my personal life learning about Cancer research because of my husband. I think I have a wealth of experience that I hope will be brought to bear to help enlighten people about a number of issues. I care so much about so many things. At 54 – I don’t know why I keep insisting on revealing my age -- I still have this insatiable curiousity and this need to understand the world around me. I hope that that will translate to and appeal to the audience.

THR: On the news front, are their specific topics that you intend to focus on as you become a member of the news division?

Couric: Wherever I can be helpful. Obviously I love doing newsmaker interviews, and if I can contribute in any way to that, I would love to. I love reporting, getting out in the field and talking to people about various issues. I love figuring out how things that are going on on Capitol Hill impact everyday Americans. I love to just get out and talk to folks and hear what they have to say and bring important issues to light that may not be getting attention. So, I’m here to serve.