Katie Couric Fights Back!

Ratings-challenged news anchor Katie Couric isn't going down without a fight!

Katie made history when she became the first female solo anchor of the CBS Evening News. But despite her estimated $15 million-a-year paycheck and five-year contract, ratings have been dismal, and Katie is shoveling the blame directly on her network bosses, say insiders.

“Nothing is right for Katie,� a source tells Star. “She’s been writing the human resources department at CBS complaining that she’s been treated unfairly. She feels she’s being treated unfairly. She feels she’s being discriminated against because she’s a woman.�

The flood of negative fallout put her on the defensive – but now she’s going on the offensive.

“Katie thought this job was going to be a milestone in her career, but she’s frantic. She complains that she can’t sleep at night,� the source tells Star. “Katie is worried that they may let her go, and that would make her look bad. So she’s turning tables by filing complaints.�

“She says she can’t handle the style of the show and the way they micromanage her,� says the source. “When she signed on, she was told she’d have control, but she complains that they haven’t’ lived up to their promises. She doesn’t like her image; she doesn’t like her hair and makeup. She wants to approach the news one way; they want another.�

But in the ratings-driven world of network news, Katie is really up against a wall. A source reveals to Star, “She’s not pulling in the numbers; she’s turning off the viewers. By writing the HR people, I think Katie’s trying to beat CBS at their own game. If they let her go before her contract expires, she wants it to look like the poor ratings were their fault, not hers.�