NYT: '60 Minutes' May Be Too Few for All the Stars - CBS Ponders Depth on Bench after Death of Show

New York Times ^ | June 3, 2005 | JACQUES STEINBERG

[OESY]

A year after it changed executive producers for the first time in its 37-year history, the CBS news magazine "60 Minutes" is in the midst of yet another transition.

After the chairman of CBS, Leslie Moonves, announced last month that he was canceling the Wednesday spinoff of the Sunday program because of low ratings, the news division has been struggling to relocate about 75 producers, editors, assistants and others who worked on the weekday broadcast; at least 40 of them are expected to lose their jobs, with the remainder dispersed to other programs, including the Sunday edition of "60 Minutes," a senior network executive said yesterday.*

Meanwhile, producers of the Sunday broadcast must make room for an additional correspondent - Dan Rather - who left the "CBS Evening News" in March for the Wednesday program, and who is now entitled to work on the Sunday program, at least until his contract expires late next year. It has not yet been resolved how extensive a role will be played by Mr. Rather, who announced last fall that he was quitting the anchor desk in the midst of the fallout from a discredited report on President Bush's military service....

[T]he pending arrival of Mr. Rather has presented Mr. Fager with a series of chess moves; he is being given an opportunity to seed for the program's future. Mr. Wallace is 87 and Mr. Safer is 73, while Mr. Simon is 64 and Mr. Pelley is 47. Mr. Rather is 73.

However, those who are counting on the eventual retirement of Mr. Wallace to open up much space on the program's lineup would do well to consider the conditions he has set for quitting as a television reporter.

He would stop, he said in an interview last month, "when my toes turn up."

[OESY]

Dan Rather: Working the problems out with a pencil.

* NOTE: Under the new ethics guidelines now in effect at CBS, this statement (above) qualifies
as the type of "extraordinary emergency circumstances" that justifies using unnamed sources.

[Enterprise]

I hear Lowes and McDonalds are hiring.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Bummer.

Maybe they can apply at Fox.

Their ratings are pretty good.... But Fox usually hires competent journalists. Most of the time. (Geraldo, etc.

[Bommer]

[T]he pending arrival of Mr. Rather has presented Mr. Fager with a series of chess moves; he is being given an opportunity to seed for the program's future. Mr. Wallace is 87 and Mr. Safer is 73, while Mr. Simon is 64 and Mr. Pelley is 47. Mr. Rather is 73.

GREAT NEWS! Finally with the additon of Blather, the stake through the heart of 60 minutes!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Mike Wallace is looking particularly cadaverous lately. Anyone checked for a pulse ?

[Dahoser]

Plenty of identity ^theft rings looking for help.

[ARCADIA]

the news division has been struggling to relocate about 75 producers, editors, assistants and others who worked on the weekday broadcast; at least 40 of them are expected to lose their jobs

It could not have happen to a more deserving bunch. Too bad the 35 that get to stay are probably the ones who need it most.

[AD from SpringBay]

I'm sure they could find a spot at PBS.

[1Old Pro]

Dan Rather -who is now entitled to work on the Sunday program, at least until his contract expires late next year. It has not yet been resolved how extensive a role will be played by Mr. Rather,

Make the coffee?

[Uncle Fud]

Well, they certainly would have good resumes for Air America, Howard Dean's office, or International ANSWER, but all those budgets are pretty tight lately......

[softwarecreator]

Seems like CBS is quietly trying to get rid of Rather, but don't want to admit it.

[sgtbono2002]

*****the news division has been struggling to relocate about 75 producers, editors, assistants and others who worked on the weekday broadcast; at least 40 of them are expected to lose their jobs******

75 people leaving and the one most to blame stays.

Makes sense to me-----not.

[wagglebee]

I think seeBS should do a "reality" show with all of these people and see who is the most talented at "making up" the news.

[sticker]

The would be a better fit handing out breadsticks at Fazoli's

[rcocean]

Dan Schoor at NPR is almost 100. So we could be looking at Dan Rather for at least another 25 years.

[EQAndyBuzz]

"Dan Rather -who is now entitled to work on the Sunday program, at least until his contract expires late next year."

Entitled?

[crosslink]

"I hear Lowes and McDonalds are hiring."


Your comment reminds me of a radio interview that Bob Dole gave after he retired. The host said "hay Bob what will you do now your out of the Senate" and Bob said " hang on a second i am at work, you herd a pause and the phone leave his mouth and then he said "High and welcome to Walmart sir"

What a classy guy.

[Calvin Locke]

Boston radio host Howie Carr usually has Chris Wallace on during the 3-3:30 EDT portion on Fridays.

Howie's an old-school paperboy and will ask Chris about Mike. Howie, like Chris, is a member of the Murdoch
Mob, too, via The Boston Herald, and sometimes the NY Post.

Any way, howiecarr.com has the link for streaming.

Not that Chris will say any thing of substance concerning his father, but it may provide some laughs if Howie knows
of the CBS shuffling.

[Red Badger]

How many egos can you fit (or stroke) in 60 minutes?.......

[Enterprise]

Yeah, it was too bad that he didn't get elected. We had to bear another 4 years of a dysfunctional White House. But Dole is a classy guy.