Embattled anchor Katie Couric (legs!) of the long-withering CBS Evening News got a vote of confidence from network boss Les Moonves yesterday, but it was probably just a bunch of meaningless hoo-ha. Moonves said at a staff meeting that Couric "is my anchor today, tomorrow and in the future." Aw, sweet. "But the public display does not change the reality that Couric is likely to relinquish the anchor chair after the election, according to two top network executives who declined to be named discussing a private meeting."

"Moonves asked to address the Friday staff meeting, held at the CBS News offices in New York and broadcast to network bureaus around the world, out of concern that Couric is being portrayed as a lame duck and that his support for the news division is the subject of media speculation. He said he was "proud" of Couric and that CBS was lucky to have her. Moonves said he cared about the ratings of the third-place 'CBS Evening News' 'as much as I care about 'CSI's' ratings.'"

Yeah, that'll boost morale around the news division. Schmuck. [Washington Post via Poynter.org]