Don’t blame Katie Couric. But in the first week she guest hosted “Jeopardy!” ratings dropped 5%.
Katie was an excellent host, but “Jeopardy!” fans are very particular. They don’t want an “outsider” subbing for Alex Trebek.
The fans welcomed Ken Jennings, the heir apparent, and even were nice to EP Mike Richards. But Katie may have been too much– a woman, and someone who has nothing to do with the history of the game.
“Jeopardy!” fell to 5.6 million viewers from 5.9 with Richards and 6.0 with Jennings.
Now, of course, the hardcore fans are protesting Dr. Oz’s guest stint with petitions and bad publicity. They say he’s a quack and should not be on the show. While Dr. Oz has had some questionable public situations, I’m sure he’s capable of hosting the show. Art Fleming, the show’s original host, was no Einstein.
I thought Katie gave the show a nice, cheerful demeanor, not as dour as usual.
Still to come before Jennings gets the job: quarterback Aaron Rodgers. But don’t worry, all these people have jobs and lives in other cities and have no illusions about hosting the show permanently.
