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 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. ||||| One of the most high-profile media courtships may soon be consummated: Katie Couric is closing in on a deal with Walt Disney Co.'s ABC to host an afternoon talk show. 
 
 Couric, who anchored the CBS Evening News for the last time Thursday night, would begin her new syndicated show in the fall of 2012, according to people familiar with the negotiations who were not authorized to speak publicly about them. 
 
 Some of the major deal points have been hammered out, although there are still outstanding issues surrounding compensation. The agreement is not expected to be finalized for at least a week. Couric's contract with CBS ends June 6. 
 
 CBS, which until a few weeks ago had also been vying to distribute Couric's proposed syndicated show, has the right to match any offer to Couric before her contract ends. The network has not yet waived that right, nor is it expected to make a counteroffer, said these people with knowledge of the situation. 
 
 Disney Chief Executive Robert A. Iger has been "very involved" in the deal, the people said. He has been particularly interested in bringing Couric to ABC, in part, to fill the programming void that will be created by the departure of the queen of daytime TV, Oprah Winfrey. Disney's ABC-owned stations carrry "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which will broadcast its last episode Wednesday. 
 
 "Speculation around Katie is exciting, but there is no new deal to announce," said Couric's spokesman, Matthew Hiltzik. 
 
 Joining her in the new venture would be Jeff Zucker, former chief executive of NBC Universal, who started working with Couric in the late 1980s when he was a producer with NBC's morning show, "Today." Zucker is credited with building "Today" into a financial and ratings juggernaut, and his and Couric's career trajectories were closely tied for more than a decade. 
 
 The new Couric show is expected to cost about $40 million a year to produce, according to someone with knowledge of the proposed terms. Couric and Zucker would have an opportunity to participate in the profits of the show. 
 
 Couric raked in $15 million a year salary at the CBS Evening News, a lofty amount that was criticized at a time when CBS was paring its news operations. Despite the high salary and expectations, she failed to pull the newscast out of third place. 
 
 ABC News President Ben Sherwood has also been instrumental in the negotiations, but the ABC News organization's financial contribution will be relatively small, said another person familiar with the matter. The company's syndication arm would largely finance the production, which would be sold to other TV station groups. 
 
 Couric's team has long wanted to build a show that would reunite Couric and longtime "Today" show co-host Matt Lauer. There were internal discussions within Disney about whether to postpone the debut until 2013, when Lauer would be available. His NBC contract expires in December 2012. 
 
 Inside Disney, the operation to land Couric has been code-named "Ginger," said a person with the knowledge of the matter. Executives quip about the importance of the pairing, joking that "Ginger" would need its "Fred" for the show to take off. 
 
 At a news conference last week after the announcement that Meredith Vieira will be leaving the "Today" show, Lauer did his best to dismiss rumors that he would soon be following Vieira out the door. "I have a long-term deal with NBC," Lauer said. "I'm gonna be here for a while." 
 
 -- Dawn C. Chiemelewksi and Meg James 
 
 Photo: Katie Couric attends the 46th annual National Magazine Awards in May 2011. Credit: Charles Sykes /Associated Press.
– 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.