Katie Couric Leaving 'CBS Evening News' Anchor Chair

Katie Couric is leaving her anchor post at "CBS Evening News" less than five years after becoming the first woman to solely helm a network TV evening newscast.

A network executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity because Couric has not officially announced her plans, reported the move to The Associated Press on Sunday night. The 54-year-old anchor is expected to launch a syndicated talk show in 2012 and several companies are vying for her services.

Couric's move from NBC's "Today" show was big news in 2006, and she began in the anchor chair with a flourish that September. She tried to incorporate her strengths as an interviewer into a standard evening news format and millions of people who normally didn't watch the news at night checked it out. But they drifted away and the evening newscast reverted to a more traditional broadcast.

After those first few weeks, the "CBS Evening News" settled into third place in the ratings and is well behind leader Brian Williams at NBC's "Nightly News" and second-place Diane Sawyer at ABC's "World News."

Warrant out for Katie Couric to pay bill

Katie Couric reportedly earns $15 million a year as anchor of CBS Evening News. But the preternaturally perky newswoman failed to pay a bill for $210.41 in 2003, and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance has issued a warrant for her.

Her rep, Matthew Hiltzik, told the New York Daily News that the debt was a minor oversight because her bills were being sent to an old address. Hiltzik added that Couric will settle the matter when she returns from vacation.

In other news about Couric, she has been honored by the National Organization for Women (NOW) for her work as a "groundbreaking anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News."

Senior director of Issues Analysis for Focus on the Family Action, Carrie Gordon Earll, said Couric's acceptance of the award speaks to her journalistic credibility.

"NOW's agenda is very clear - it is pro-homosexual, pro-abortion and anti-male," Earll said. "Couric is giving her personal and professional approval of this radical agenda by accepting this award."