Katie Couric’s got a new leading man.
Morgan Freeman has replaced Walter Cronkite as the disembodied voice introducing Couric’s “CBS Evening News” broadcast.
The change, effective last night, comes nearly six months after Cronkite’s death on July 17 at the age of 92.
Cronkite’s avuncular introduction, which CBS kept even after he died, had been used ever since Couric debuted as the “Evening News” anchor in September 2006.
“We wanted to make sure the time was right” to make a change, said CBS News executive creative director Bob Peterson.
Peterson said Freeman, 72 — who won an Oscar for “Million Dollar Baby” — was the only person considered as Cronkite’s vocal replacement.
“If you look at all the voices in all the ranges, he’s at the top of the list,” he said. “He’s got such an iconic voice — recognizable but not too recognizable.
“It’s just such a classic, human voice.”
Peterson said Freeman recorded his voiceovers in New York and LA while he was filming “Invictus.”
“Once we heard his voice, we didn’t need to audition anyone else,” Peterson said.