After Katie Couric‘s much-anticipated interview with Manti Te’o aired in New York this afternoon, the “Katie” host dropped by ABC O&O WABC.

“I don’t think he was complicit in the hoax,” Couric told David Novarro and Lori Stokes. “I don’t think he and the guy got together and said, ‘hey, let’s pretend like I have this online girlfriend’ … I don’t think that’s the case. I think that he didn’t really make an effort to refute some of the things that were being said.”

• Related, TVNewser: Here’s the Katie Couric We Haven’t Seen in Awhile

Couric was also interviewed Thursday morning on KTRK, the ABC O&O in Houston. Watch Couric’s WABC interview after the jump. Read more

Andre Hepkins joins KMOV in St. Louis as a weekday anchor-reporter, anchoring the weekday 6 p.m. newscasts and reporting for the weeknight 10 p.m. news. Previously, Hepkins was a reporter and fill-in anchor at Miami’s WSVN.

Rob Munoz joins KSNV in Las Vegas as a reporter from KXXV in Waco.

Alexis Rivera joins WSVN in Miami as a reporter from WPBF in West Palm
Beach.

Diana Perez joins Boston’s WBZ as a reporter/fill-in anchor from WVIT in Hartford.

Ann Sterling joins KCBS and KCAL in Los Angeles as a freelance reporter from weekday morning anchor at KOKI-TV in Tulsa. Read more

New York stations preempted regularly scheduled programming this afternoon to bring live coverage of President Obama’s visit to Ground Zero, which occurred around 1:00 p.m. today.

Bill Ritter anchored WABC‘s special coverage from Ground Zero, with Dianna Williams and Sade Baderinwa appearing in the studio. Reporters David Novarro, Tim Fleischer, and Anthony Johnson covered the president’s movements through Manhattan, from a local fire house, to Ground Zero, to an NYPD precinct.

On WCBS, Maurice DuBois was stationed at Ground Zero, in a position similar to Ritter’s, while Marcia Kramer reported live on the president’s appearance, in which he hung a wreath in honor of those that died on 9/11.

“It was truly the most somber ceremony I have ever seen,” Kramer said. “It was a very moving one for the very simplicity… President Obama said much more with his silence than he ever could have with his words.” Read more

As WABC prepares for its post-Oprah life, the ABC flagship is making anchor changes to its late night newscast as well.

In an email obtained by TVSpy, VP & news director Kenny Plotnik announced 11pm co-anchor Liz Cho (right) will be the co-anchor of the new “Eyewitness News…First at 4″ alongside David Novarro.

Sade Baderinwa, who currently co-anchors the 5pm with Diana Williams will now add 11pm duties next to Bill Ritter.

Cho continues at 6pm with Ritter.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Liz’s credentials and rapport with our viewers to tackle this important new assignment,” writes Plotnick. “And it will be exciting to watch David assume this new level of responsibility in his home town.”

Novarro returned to WABC last year after a stint in Chicago where he anchored at WFLD Fox Chicago. He’d spent 14 years at WABC in his first go-round.

Plotnick’s memo after the jump… Read more

Laura Behnke joins WABC in New York City as a sports anchor-reporter from her position at KNTV in San Jose.

David Novarro has joined WABC as a reporter-anchor. He comes back to Channel 7 where he worked for 14 years prior to going to WFLD Fox Chicago as an anchor.

Sheldon Dutes jumps over 70 markets and joins WBAL-TV in Baltimore as a reporter from WCSC-TV in Charleston.

Gaard Swanson joins WKMG-TV in Orlando as the weeknight main anchor from sportscaster at KIRO-TV in Seattle.

Jillian Mele moves from NAVTEQ’s Traffic.com and a freelance position at WCAU into a fulltime staff reporter position with WCAU-TV in Philadelphia. Read more