It’s weird that Katie Couric will be doing a book promotion on the “Today” show this Wednesday. But she’s doing CBS’s “Early Show” first, tomorrow morning, to hedge her bets. Couric still holds out hope of sticking with CBS after she exits the Evening News in June. As I reported first — hello, everyone–Katie had been talking to CBS about being around for fill in stints and doing pieces for “60 Minutes” while she developed her own syndicated talk show for fall 2012. Thus, she must give “The Early Show” the courtesy of first appearance even if her Wednesday to return to NBC and Matt Lauer will generate more publicity. There’s been some talk of Katie and Matt Lauer re-teaming for some kind of “Regis and Kelly” type show if Lauer leaves “Today.” But Lauer’s departure seems unlikely. While Meredith Vieira is definitely leaving “Today,” Lauer is just doing a little public negotiating by reminding everyone when his contract is up. As several of my key TV sources have reiterated, Lauer will stay at “Today” and get a hefty increase in pay rather than cut loose for the uncertainty of syndication. All he has to do is ask Jane Pauley how it worked out for her.
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