Dave on Demand | Field day with Katie

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, June, 2006 | by David Hiltbrand

A lot of people found the going-away party for Katie Couric on Today this week to be a little cloying, but personally, I enjoyed it.

Yes, it was predictable at times, but often quite moving. And the numerous themed clip compilations of her 15 years as a sparkly early bird were excellently produced and packaged.

One quibble: At the beginning of Wednesday's send-off, the goodbye girl feigned nervousness about the surprises in store. That was followed by a long retrospective of her tenure that - surprise, surprise - Couric narrated. How can you get ambushed when you organized the posse? It just goes to show that you can ice your cake and eat it, too.

During this teary tribute, Matt Lauer described her as "the perfect combination of Edward R. Murrow and Lucille...