"I hope I have a little talent, but a lot of it was luck. I went through setbacks. People said I looked too young, people said I wasn't good, nobody said, 'Come here, baby, we're going to make you a star.' Early on, when I'd say, 'Can I do some anchoring?'" ~ Katie Couric
A woman with loads of talent and popular with millions, broadcast journalist Katherine Anne Couric (1957-) was born on this day in Arlington, Virginia, the youngest of four children. A straight-A student, she decided on Journalism after college.
"I don't think I'm disgustingly wholesome," she explained. "But I don't feel I should be an apologist for the fact that I don't have a dysfunctional family."
As co-host of the NBC morning news show Today Show since 1991, her cheery personality and credible news casting has kept the show #1 in the ratings. With skill, Katie perpetuated the respect her predecessor Jane Pauley had established for 13 years.
In December 2001, Couric signed a lucrative contract which paid her more than $60 million over 4 1/2 years, making her the highest-paid woman in network news.
About her appeal, Couric said, "I think I have the ability to laugh at myself... And I don't think I'm better than other people. I don't have an air of superiority. If anything, I think I'm a bit of a reverse snob."
In March 2000, Couric launched a national campaign to increase awareness about colon cancer. Her husband died at age 45 from the disease in 1998. "I feel so passionately about this, because of personal experience and the tremendous void I saw that needed to be filled," she said.
"This comes from the purest place for me, it comes from such an important place, in terms of my desire to educate people."
Everyone needs a little luck with their talent.