Couric to host daytime talk show

NEW YORK – Katie Couric has worked in morning television, the evening news and now – thanks in part to Oprah Winfrey – will try out a daytime talk show.

Winfrey’s exit from the market she dominated for much of the last two decades is providing Couric with an opening. The former “CBS Evening News” anchor and “Today” show host and ABC announced their long-anticipated deal on Monday, setting September 2012 for the premiere of Couric’s new show.

“Oprah leaving made it seem like it was feasible,” Couric said. “Because to go up against Oprah would be pretty terrifying. I don’t think anybody could really do that.”

Couric will have a part ownership stake in her new talk show, which reunites her with Jeff Zucker. The former NBC Universal chief, who was in the control room during many of Couric’s years at the “Today” show, will be executive producer of the talk show, which doesn’t have a name yet.

“I don’t think there’s anybody better to take us through the news of the day, what’s in the zeitgeist,” said Anne Sweeney, president of the Disney/ABC Television Group. “Certainly Katie and Jeff have shown us that they know how to take hold of that.”

The announcement came the day her “CBS Evening News” successor Scott Pelley made his debut as anchor.