Katie Couric may end her anchor job at CBS Evening News a couple of years earlier than the 2011 date when her contract expires, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Katie Couric replaced Dan Rather as anchor of the “CBS Evening News” in 2006 and signed a contract that expires in 2011 but things may not unfold as initially planned. Citing CBS News executives and persons close to Couric, the Wall Street Journal reports that the journalist may leave the network after the presidential inauguration in January 2009.

Factors pushing towards this change are the two years that Couric has worked as anchor characterized by record-low ratings; her annual salary amounting to $15 million; and the pressure for CBS executives to cut costs and improve ratings for the broadcast.

In a statement Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the program told the Journal, “We are very proud of the ‘CBS Evening News,’ particularly our political coverage, and we have no plans for any changes regarding Katie or the broadcast.”

Couric responded similarly, in a different statement, “I am working hard and having fun. My colleagues continue to impress me with their commitment to the newscast, and I am very proud of the show we put on every day.”

The Journal hypothesizes that the meager ratings could benefit from a boost should a major news event emerge. Over the past week in March, Couric’s broadcast was watched by an average of 5.9 million viewers, significantly lower than her rivals’. NBC’s “Nightly News” with Brian Williams had 8.3 million viewers, while ABC’s “World News” with Charles Gibson was watched by 8 million people.

The paper also ponders on possible scenarios if Couric, 51, leaves CBS, and sees her succeeding Larry King at CNN, for example. The 74-year-old King’s contract with the network expires next year.

CNN said, “Larry King is a great talent who consistently delivers the highest profile guests, and we have no plans to make a change,” while King declined to comment through a publicist.

Couric’s first weeks with CBS were avidly followed by viewers, but ratings soon started to slip and never quite managed to rise again.