Posted on 11/30/2003 1:11:41 PM PST by RatherBiased.com
Brokaw Move Rekindles Rumors of Rather Retirement. Following Dan Rather's historically low ratings at the 2000 political conventions, speculation abounded in the television industry that CBS wanted to replace its 72-year-old anchorman.
Those rumors have continued to swirl about as Rather's ratings have declined and CBS's entertainment division has seen impressive gains. But the No. 1-ranked entertainment network is having trouble getting someone to boost its perennially last-place Evening News out of the cellar.
The network's predicament is partly of its own making. At this point, there is not really anyone at CBS News in whom network execs and market researchers have confidence. Younger correspondents like John Roberts and Scott Pelley are said to be jockeying for position behind-the-scenes but do not seem to have gained much traction. Neither has scored well with viewers and aside from an exclusive interview Pelley scored with President Bush on the first anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, neither aspirant has managed to snare any memorable scoops.
Some within CBS believe the current situation is partly due to Rather's efforts to escape being forced out in a fashion similar to the way in which he ousted his predecessor Walter Cronkite. By preventing younger colleagues from acquiring any real power or notoriety, Rather has managed to remain in the anchor's chair.
"The most masterful thing he's done at CBS over the years is to convince one news director after another not to bring along a successor," argues one producer.
Bill Carter, television reporter for the New York Times agrees:
"If [CBS's] news division was stronger, I think he'd be gone. But right now nobody could point to a single person who is of a similar stature."
"Their audience has dropped to under seven million - some of the lowest numbers they have ever seen. There is a crisis at their news division."
Rather has said repeatedly that he has no intention of quitting and corporate brass have had little help in their quest to replace him from the likes of news president Andrew Heyward who is known for his fealty to Rather and a status-quo approach to management.
Speaking of a similar situation at 60 Minutes, one producer argued to the New York Observer that Heyward and his underlings are fecklessly procrastinating the inevitable:
"As a manager, how could you take that kind of a trademark and allow yourself to get this point?"
"Imagine you were running the world and you suddenly discovered everybody was 85 and you hadn't made plans for next year? Everybody's taking their long summer vacation and pretending it's business as usual."
But the dynamics of the succession struggle appear to be changing, though not due to actions of anyone at CBS. The impending retirement of NBC's Tom Brokaw (who has led the ratings race for most of the past 15 years) is causing everyone at CBS to wonder what kind of impact it may have on the Eyemark network's Evening News.
On the one hand, keeping Rather on while Brokaw successor Brian Williams settles in may boost CBS out of last-place but it also might also give a new CBS anchor room to breathe. Or it may have little effect at all.
Whenever CBS does decide to show Rather the door is not clear at present but it is apparently giving serious consideration to replacing the Texan following the 2004 election, one which Rather had earlier said he did not intend on covering.
"After the election, we are looking at changes," the Web site DrudgeReport.com quoted a "top network source" as saying.
And one hint for the netowork execs if they want to get out of the cellar. Take a lesson from FOX and hire more conservatives and fire the liberals with an attitude.
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