The New Face of TV News

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If CBS was slightly casual about losing people to other networks, it pulled out all the stops when word got out that Rather was talking to Arledge. Losing Cronkite to retirement would be hard enough without having to butt heads with the formidable Rather. No one had to be reminded that CBS opened up its ratings lead only when Chet Huntley retired in 1970 from NBC's Huntley-Brinkley Report.

Cronkite first gained national repute at the 1952 political conventions, where CBS coined the term anchor to describe his role. In 1962, at age 45, he took over the evening news and gradually assumed a stature approaching the President's. Says Eric Sevareid, a former colleague at CBS who retired in 1977: "People see Cronkite as they used to see Eisenhower—the fellow next door who'd invite you to his backyard barbecue, and a world statesman at the same time."

Replacing him was unthinkable, and would-be successors—like Harry Reasoner, heir apparent in the late 1960s—either left or steeled themselves for a long wait. When Reasoner finally moved on, he remarked: "Walter Cronkite was showing no inclination toward stepping in front of a speeding truck."

By 1973, Roger Mudd had established himself as Cronkite's summer replacement and likely successor. But in the next years, the smart money began shifting to Rather. With his stints in London and Viet Nam, he had a broader range of experience. He got along better with superiors and subalterns. And he had a special air about him. "Star quality was important with Murrow, with Huntley and Brinkley and with Walter," says ABC'S Barbara Walters. "Dan has star quality too, and he is a good newsman."

The competition for Rather began last November, when CBS's Bill Leonard broached the subject of a long-term contract. Rather was already committed to the network until September 1981, but after the exodus of so many staffers CBS was in no mood to take chances. Rather's agent, Richard Leibner, advised him to shop around. Although the newsman claims he did not want a bidding war, he told Leibner to contact ABC and NBC.

Despite Rather's friendship with Bill Small at NBC, it quickly became a two-way contest between CBS and ABC. For a while, ABC was ahead. The flexibility there, the streamlined hierarchy, the willingness to experiment, all appealed to Rather. He was also highly impressed with Arledge, likening his energy and creativity to that of his boss at 60 Minutes, Executive Producer Don Hewitt.

But Rather was mindful that while ABC was becoming stronger, CBS already had legions of talented people. As a former network executive points out, "Without an organization like CBS behind him, Rather could find himself in the position of the cavalry captain who charges off against the enemy and discovers that he is out there all alone."

The bidding for Rather signaled more than a willingness to spend top money for top talent. For each of the networks, and especially CBS, it was an acknowledgment that perhaps the time had come for a fundamental shift in the way news is presented. Rather has a harder edge than any of his predecessors. He is not reassuring like Cronkite, not professorial like Chancellor, not chummy like Reynolds.