Schieffer set to fill Rather's CBS seat
Interim post could lead to new format
By Peter Johnson
USA TODAY
Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer is all but certain to be named interim anchor on The CBS Evening News when Dan Rather steps down next month, sources within CBS News say.
Though no final decision has been made, sources with knowledge of the deliberations say Schieffer, 67, would provide a smooth transition between Rather and a new, multi-anchor program.
Rather announced in November that he would leave March 9. His announcement came in the middle of an investigation into the “Memogate” scandal, in which Rather cited documents, later discredited, as the basis for a 60 Minutes report on President Bush's military career.
The possibility of Schieffer as interim anchor surfaced quickly. Schieffer knows the ropes, having anchored the Saturday CBS Evening News for 20 years until 1996.
With Rather's departure a month away and a new format still under development, it's likely CBS will tap Schieffer to anchor from New York, probably until late spring or early summer when the new program is ready.
Meanwhile, CBS News executives, led by division president Andrew Heyward, have been meeting behind closed doors to work on a variety of anchor and format proposals. They are in close touch with CBS chief Leslie Moonves, who has made the project a top priority.
White House correspondent John Roberts, once viewed as a possible heir to Rather, remains in the running as a member of an ensemble cast, CBS News sources confirmed. Though executives are looking inside and outside the operation to fill the roster of possible candidates, others under consideration at CBS include Mika Brzezinski, Jim Axelrod, Russ Mitchell, Lara Logan and Thalia Assuras.
The network would not comment Tuesday. Evening News is languishing deep in third place behind ABC's World News Tonight and top-rated NBC Nightly News.
Schieffer has hosted CBS' Face the Nation since 1991, which beats ABC's This Week and places second to NBC's Meet the Press Sundays. Last week, Face the Nation beat Meet the Press among adults ages 35 to 54, a relatively young news audience and a plus for Schieffer.
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