Katie Couric Joins Disney/ABC for 2012 Talk Show; ABC News President Welcomes Couric to News Division

June 6, 2011— -- ABC News President Ben Sherwood sent the following email to ABC News staff:

I'm pleased to share important news: Anne Sweeney is announcing at this hour that Katie Couric will join the Disney/ABC Television Group to produce and host a syndicated daytime talk show that will debut in the Fall of 2012.

While her primary mission will be to create and launch the new show, Katie is also joining our team at ABC News this summer, bringing her many talents to some of the most important and interesting stories of the day.

A versatile journalist, interviewer and storyteller, Katie will contribute across all of our broadcasts and online, joining our powerhouse line-up of anchors and correspondents as the ultimate utility player. Katie is committed to helping us uphold the great traditions of ABC News as we strive to build the news division of the future.

Katie's remarkable career spans more than three decades. In 2010, she won the duPont Award for her interview with Sarah Palin. In 2008 and 2009, Couric's CBS Evening News was honored with the Murrow Award for Best Newscast. In 2004, she was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame. In 2001, she won a Murrow Award for Overall Excellence and in 2000 she earned a Peabody Award for her landmark series on colon cancer.

While many are familiar with her myriad accomplishments, I'm delighted to remind you that Katie got her start in our business in 1979 as an ABC News desk assistant in our Washington bureau.

On a personal note, I've known Katie for 14 years, and even with all of her success, I'm confident that her best days, biggest scoops and most powerful journalism lie directly ahead.

So help me to welcome Katie (@katiecouric) back to ABC News. This is a great day as we all look forward to new possibilities.