ABC hires former Rocketboom host
Amanda Congdon, who rose to become the Katie Couric of the Internet while host of video blog Rocketboom.com, has accepted a job with ABC News Digital Entertainment.
Congdon will be part of a weekly video blog at ABCNEWS.com and also appear on the network's broadband channel, ABC News Now.
"(ABC is) breaking new ground online and I am eager to forge ahead with them," Congdon said in a statement. "Many people use the Internet as their No. 1 news source. So it's exciting that a major news provider like ABC News is actively expanding their original program offerings in this space."
A mixture of wit and good looks helped Congdon build a grassroots following among techies and newshounds. But her star power received a powerful boost following an acrimonious and much publicized split last summer with Andrew Baron, Rocketboom's owner.
For reasons that remain unclear, the mainstream media took a sudden interest in Rocketboom as a result of the split. Congdon and Baron sparred in the pages of The New York Times, The Washington Post and other publications.
After Congdon left Rocketboom, rumors have floated ever since that she was being wooed by several TV networks.
Greg Sandoval covers media and digital entertainment for CNET News. He is a former reporter for The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. E-mail Greg, or follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sandoCNET. 
