Couric’s debut solid, but should play it straight

The segment called “CBS News Snapshots” shows some promise, as long as the network keeps it brief. But it will be interesting to see where Couric goes with it, since the first one was about the much-anticipated Vanity Fair issue with the Suri Cruise photos. It will be hard to top that for famous images. A little frivolous entertainment news sprinkled in here and there is acceptable, as long as it’s over in the time it takes to take a snapshot.

The news about the “News” wasn’t all bad Tuesday night. Couric was smart to open the show without calling too much attention to the new anchor. She said she was “very happy to be with you tonight,” then got right to the day’s top stories, including a fascinating piece by correspondent Lara Logan from Afghanistan. Like a good quarterback, Couric managed the game rather than try to do too much.

The final segment on art students in Nicaragua was the perfect close. It doesn’t have to be all war and ugliness. Humans doing good deeds for other humans is news also.

Couric made a fine first impression. She came on in a simple white jacket over a black top and anchored the show in a mostly straightforward manner that instantly made viewers forget about the attention paid to the 20 or so pounds that were airbrushed from a recent publicity photo, or her world-famous legs. But she needs to do something about the raccoon eyes. It appeared as though her makeup person allowed her to fall asleep under a sun lamp with cucumber slices over her peepers.

The show itself seemed to have trouble with pacing. The segues from one story to another seemed jumpy and abrupt. Perhaps with time Couric will smooth that out.

Maybe Couric’s most successful moment came at the very end, when she admitted she hasn’t been able to figure out a signature catch phrase to end her nightly broadcast. She invited viewers to log on to the network’s Web site to make suggestions, a cunning ploy to increase Web traffic.

But then she showed a series of famous sign-offs by some of the giants who preceded her, including Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite. While she ponders which group of words she will adopt for her own, she would be wise to remember that all of those anchors are respected and remembered not for their catchy closing remarks, but because of their devotion to the news that came before them.

Michael Ventre is a frequent contributor to MSNBC.com. He lives in Los Angeles.

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