Industry contemplates Couric's life after 'Today'

By Verne Gay
Newsday

And so, it is finally "official": Katie Couric told The New Yorker in a profile out this week that she will decide sometime this fall whether she will continue in the job that has made her one of the highest-paid and most well-known news figures on the planet.

While Couric suggested the end may be near -- confirming speculation that has surrounded her for months -- she also told the magazine, "I have, when it's operating on all four cylinders, one of the best jobs in television. At the same time, everybody needs recharging."

Some industry observers have long thought Couric would stay at her post another year after her contract ends in May. Reasons: Her final year could be construed as a "victory lap," capping one of the longest host tenures in "Today" history (another year would give her a total of 15).

Meanwhile, some insiders think that Couric, 48, has no idea what she will do after leaving "Today," while she has reportedly scotched thoughts of starring in a syndicated program.

Another year presumably buys her time to figure out her future.