CBS Thinks ABC Will Get Katie Couric 
 
 Exiting CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric now appears headed for a deal at ABC, according to sources familiar with the talks. 
 
 
 
 There is still an offer on the table for Couric to stay at CBS with a syndicated talk show and a role on the newsmagazine show 60 Minutes. But ABC has made a big push for a Couric talk show plus even wider exposure across its network news platforms, including a presence on its 2012 presidential election coverage and prime time specials. CBS News is not willing to match that end of the offer. NBC, which had expressed interest, is no longer in the running. 
 
 
 
 One person close to Couric described the ABC move as "a distinct possibility." 
 
 
 
 Sources say CBS News insiders initially accepted the idea of having Couric keep a role in the division, but have grown weary with the drawn-out negotiation process. "They are ready to wish her well," says one person close to the talks. 
 
 
 
 "No comment," says a spokesman at ABC News. 
 
 
 
 Couric is expected to officially confirm her departure from The CBS Evening News this week, with no announcement on her next move. 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley will be named as her successor on the evening newscast. Couric has been in the job since September 2006. 
 
 
 
 ABC's last minute surge to get Couric may be driven by the loss of The Oprah Winfrey Show on its owned and operated TV stations. "They are still in the station business," says one industry insider. "They are not going to go with those new daytime shows after killing their soaps and losing Oprah, leading into the evening news and prime time." 
 
 
 
 Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now! ||||| Katie Couric was chided by David Letterman this week for thinking of leaving her job as anchor of the CBS Evening News. 
 
 "It's not like it's a temp gig," Letterman told Couric, reminding her that other anchors "ride into the sunset." 
 
 For Couric, the sun apparently sets around 2 p.m. Don't blame her, though. That anchor seat has lost a lot of value since it was occupied by Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather. In fact, a case could be made that Couric traded down when she left NBC's "Today" for CBS. 
 
 Now she wants to try daytime. What's interesting is that CBS does not appear to be making a big push to keep her in the anchor chair. CBS CEO Leslie Moonves, who was instrumental in wooing Couric away from NBC to CBS, is sitting back and letting the new leadership at CBS News -- Chairman Jeff Fager and President David Rhodes, call the shots, according to people familiar with the situation. 
 
 Moonves may not want to be seen publicly pursuing someone who clearly has their mind made up. Perhaps singing "Happy Birthday" to Couric for a video the network made for her in January was as far as he was willing to go. 
 
 That Couric is consulting with her former "Today" producer (and ex-NBC Universal CEO) Jeff Zucker probably hasn't helped her relationship with her current bosses at CBS. It will be interesting to see if CBS seriously considers going after a Couric talk show or passes. 
 
 Inside CBS, attention is starting to focus on Scott Pelley as the leading candidate for Couric's job should she bolt, which seems to be a foregone conclusion. 
 
 Pelley, a "60 Minutes" correspondent, is close to Fager, who besides being chairman of CBS News continues to executive produce the newsmagazine. 
 
 Pelley has been with CBS for more than 21 years. If he is given the job, odds are the network won't have to worry about him eyeing his next big deal or wondering what else is on the horizon. 
 
 If Couric does leave, her stint at CBS will be one of the shortest for an evening news anchor. Cronkite did it for almost 20 years and Rather for more than two decades. ABC's Peter Jennings and NBC's Tom Brokaw also put in over 20 years anchoring. While ABC weathered some instability with the anchor slot after Jennings died, Diane Sawyer seems willing to take Letterman's advice and ride into the sunset. NBC's Brian Williams also seems entirely comfortable in his job. 
 
 There will be lots of analysis about Couric's run at CBS News. She did not boost ratings the way CBS would have liked. Her persona, perfect for the morning, ultimately did not work as well in the evenings. The media seemed more obsessed than viewers about her role as CBS News anchor. In daytime, she will be back in her comfort zone. 
 
 -- Joe Flint 
 
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 Photos: Top right: Katie Couric. Credit: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images. Bottom left: Scott Pelley. Credit: John Filo/CBS. ||||| Katie Couric I'm LEAVING CBS News 
 
 has finally made it official -- announcing moments ago that she's decided to "step down" from her post at the "."Couric told People.com, "In making the decision to move on, I know the Evening News will be in great hands, but I am excited about the future."As for Couric's future in TV, she added, "I am looking at a format that will allow me to engage in more multi-dimensional storytelling."Couric insists the details -- including which network she will land with -- are "still being discussed."As TMZ previously reported, she is talking with CBS about a possible daytime syndicated show ... in addition in continuing with the news division -- probably "."Couric's contract is up in June -- it's likely she won't leave the show until then.TMZ broke the story -- Katie's replacement will be "" correspondent-- we're told that announcement will be made sometime around May 6.
– Let the Katie Couric bidding war begin in earnest: Couric confirmed to People that she is indeed leaving her job as anchor of CBS Evening News to focus on "multidimensional storytelling" elsewhere. Exactly what that means is unclear, but TV Guide quotes sources as saying she's close to a deal with ABC, where she'd have a big presence on its network news programs and prime-time specials. TMZ, meanwhile, says she's in talks to stay at CBS with a syndicated talk show. And rumors of a reunion with Matt Lauer remain in the mix as well. Her contract isn't up until June, so don't expect to know much for sure before then. "I have decided to step down from the CBS Evening News," Couric says. "I'm really proud of the talented team on the CBS Evening News and the award-winning work we've been able to do in the past five years in addition to the reporting I've done for 60 Minutes and CBS Sunday Morning. In making the decision to move on, I know the Evening News will be in great hands, but I am excited about the future." Click for more.