Couric struggling to lift CBS

NEW YORK, April 12 (UPI) -- Newscaster Katie Couric thus far has failed to restore CBS to its former broadcasting greatness as the U.S. TV network had hoped, experts say.

Nicholas Lemann, dean of Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, said while CBS brought in Couric to help improve the network's popularity, the former NBC star's presence has not translated into the anticipated ratings boost, The New York Times reported Saturday.

"Could anybody hire somebody in an anchor chair now for a nightly news show that would cause either significant audience growth or bring in an audience that just looks different -- younger, more female?" Lemann said of the broadcasting effort. "I can't think of a case in recent years where someone has succeeded in doing that."

Recent reports now have the "CBS Evening News" star discussing a possible end to her contract with the TV network two years before it is set to expire, the Times said.

The apparent failure of the Couric experiment comes as CBS is facing a lawsuit from former CBS newscaster Dan Rather and is considering outsourcing its news operations in Baghdad to CNN.