Grand Opening, Grand Closing.

…Katie Couric, has officially admitted today, her fifteenth anniversary of being on The Today Show, that she’ll be defecting for The CBS Evening News. She’ll be the first woman to anchor an evening news program without a (male) co-host.

Per the New York Times:

Ms. Couric described it as a “really difficult decision” first, because of the relationship she had established with the “Today” audience, which she said had “been with me through a lot of good times and some very difficult ones.”

She also said the decision to leave was complicated by her strong friendships with the people of NBC, the “Today” staff and especially her on-camera partners, Al Roker, Ann Curry and her co-anchor, Matt Lauer, of whom she said, “Once in awhile we get on each other’s nerves.” She then joked, “Well, he gets on my nerves,” before she said she could not have had a better partner or friend.

After her statement to the audience, Mr. Lauer said he would ask any guest the next question: where was she going? And Ms. Couric confirmed that, as the widespread coverage of the past week had indicated, she would be joining CBS to lead the evening newscast and work on “60 Minutes.”

No mention was made of her successor, but NBC has nearly concluded an agreement with Meredith Vieira of ABC to replace Ms. Couric.

Good for you, Katie!!!

She belongs on an evening show anyway. Ol’ girl was flashing way too much cheesecake for morning consumption.

Her legs were like a persona all their own, itching to be admired by the masses. At times, they could be quite a distraction. It was like watching a one-woman Rockettes show or something.