Katie Couric's Big Announcement

ABC has at long last officially announced that it's signed Katie Couric to host an afternoon talk show, beating out a last-minute push from NBC. In a statement, the network said it had a "multi-year, multi-platform" agreement with the former CBS anchor, that will also include appearances on all of ABC's other news shows. Details of what the New York Times calls "one of television's worst-kept secrets" have not yet been released, but Couric will be co-owner of the program and will share in the profits.

"Looking at the landscape, I thought it would be a good time for a show like this,” Couric told the Times. “It just gives me a lot of creative freedom and allows me to be me.” Part of that landscape is a talk-show scene that no longer includes Oprah Winfrey. “I never wanted to compete with her,” Couric said, “because no one could.” (More Katie Couric stories.)