The debut of Katie Couric on the CBS Evening News was not encouraging.

The problem is not Couric. She can read the news. She knows how to apply herself. The problem is the idea that a “personality” is needed to revitalize the news, which itself is dying because its content is no longer news-worthy.

For many years, network news has corrupted itself by devoting less and less time to world events. The stories revolve around America, and American health problems. There is almost no in-depth reporting about the world, such as one sees on BBC or hears on NPR.

Even tonight’s debut of Couric had to pander to celebrity with its teaser of the Vanity Fair cover showing Cruise’s new kid. Do these network executives ever understand that people are tuning out because of the very vapidness of pandering to the entertainment mafia?

It was almost sad, not triumphal, to see the charming, funny, sexy, witty Ms. Couric have to repress all of her humanness to deliver the “serious” news. We have watched her for almost 20 years on “Today” and learned to laugh and cry with her. Now we see her lobotomized and tranquillized into a news-clone and story-pod, in the blank faced style of the raccoon-eyed, rep-tied Brian Williams.

She will not last, I predict, because this is not the right place for her. She should go back to “Today” which will welcome her back with open arms as it too slides in the ratings.