'CBS EVENING NEWS' Network promotes Couric as new anchor in ad push

People already know she is coming, but CBS hopes to build excitement.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
In the unlikely event anyone forgot, CBS has launched a summer-long campaign to lure viewers to watch Katie Couric when she takes over as "CBS Evening News" anchor on Sept. 5.
The first phase of the campaign includes current anchor Bob Schieffer telling viewers that Couric is going to be much more than they may expect.
"Just watch," Schieffer says in his folksy style.
The network knows people have already heard that the $15 million-a-year perky princess of morning TV is coming to CBS.
But it wants to build excitement around her arrival.
"There's not a great necessity to let people know that she is starting on Sept. 5," CBS News President Sean McManus told The Associated Press. "The entire world will know that. We're trying to give a sense of transition."
Phase two later this month will include ads featuring Couric herself talking about the news and how to cover it.
Those spots will run on other CBS shows and other networks, too.
Starting next month, CBS will start promoting segments that Couric will run on the network's flagship news show.
Couric will also travel to six cities, including Denver and San Diego, in a "listening tour" with viewers.
McManus said CBS will resist the temptation to give the "Evening News" a dramatic makeover when Couric debuts.
"If we can bring in a younger audience and a different audience, great," he said. "But we would be very shortsighted if we were to do something that would alienate the people who are used to watching."