Katie Couric is closing in on a lucrative deal with ABC, where she would join an all-star lineup of women journalists that includes Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer and Christiane Amanpour. The Daily Beast's Howard Kurtz reports, "If the deal is struck, Couric will occasionally fly off to big stories or snag major interviews, which would be featured on Good Morning America or Nightline," while Couric would also work on a daytime show to be syndicated to the network's strongest stations. The syndication deal, Kurtz claims, hooked Couric after talks for a network-owned daytime show fizzled--presumably because Couric wanted more money--but she's now close to signing. If she does, the new job would round out Couric's hat trick of the major networks; ABC is the only of the Big Three at which Couric has not worked.

Kurtz is hardly breaking the news about Couric heading to ABC for to work on a syndicated talk show. The Los Angeles Times reported a week ago that talks between the former CBS Evening News anchor and ABC executives were hammering out the details of Couric's compensation package. Kurtz's report does offer telling details like a lunch between Couric and ABC president Ben Sherwood and a courtesy call to Couric from Barbara Walters. Couric's spokesperson called the speculation "exciting." A full announcement is expected early next month, likely around June 6 when Couric's CBS contract expires. Based on her latest tweet, Couric sounds ready to get back to work.

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Adam Clark Estes