Asked why she thinks her broadcast remains in third place, Couric responded, "I believe we were in third place for 13 years before I got here, and I think habits, particularly with an evening news broadcast, move at a glacial pace. And I think that local news stations have something to do with it."
But Couric backed off when asked whether she meant local affiliates weren't providing a strong enough lead-in. "Some people have said that local news is really important in terms of lead-ins,” she said. “I haven’t really analyzed that. I’m just saying what I’ve read or some of the theories about it."