Dan Rather leaving CBS corp.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060620/ap_on_en_tv/tv_cbs_rather_8

Can't say I blame him. I haven't seen one of his segments at all since his stepdown in 2005. I think the whole thing with that report was political crap, and if it would have been about something other than Bush, it would have never entered the radar scope.

[TVC]

Rather still has something important to contribute to the profession of journalism. It's sad that CEO Mooves would not find a place for him at CBS News.

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2006/06/20/publiceye/entry1732319.shtml

[temptation1979ga]

I, for one, am thankful he is leaving.  I never enjoyed watching him on the news and I was annoyed many a time as a CBS News (Not so) Special Report with Dan Rather appeared during TPIR.  Thankfully, since he's been gone, those have decreased dramatically.

[Patchy]

I look forward to seeing him on HDNet.

[TVC]

temptation1979ga:

I don't believe Mr. Rather made the call when to pre-empt network programming for a Special Report. That type of decision is usually left to the president of the News Division (unless there is a bulletin).

A quick aside -- The CBS Broadcast Center in New York has something called a "Flash System" that is used to interrupt regular programming with a news bulletin. The senior news executive on duty has possession of a code word. Should there be a need to air a news bulletin, this person reads their code word to the Master Control operator in the basement, who also possesses a code word. If the two words match, the Master Control operator will enable Flash to a designated control room. The technical director there may then push their Flash button to instantly switch the news studio onto all of the CBS network feeds.

[Axl]

While Dan Rather is a great reporter on non-political stories (even the head of Fox News once said he'd like to have Rather if he could afford him), I can't help but think there was a bit of karma at work here.  Rather basically shoved Walter Cronkite to the curb in the 80's, making sure he stayed locked away in his CBS office drawing a salary and doing nothing.  That was roughly the same offer Rather was just given and turned down.  What goes around comes around.

[The Big Wheel]

TVC wrote:

A quick aside -- The CBS Broadcast Center in New York has something called a "Flash System" that is used to interrupt regular programming with a news bulletin. The senior news executive on duty has possession of a code word. Should there be a need to air a news bulletin, this person reads their code word to the Master Control operator in the basement, who also possesses a code word. If the two words match, the Master Control operator will enable Flash to a designated control room. The technical director there may then push their Flash button to instantly switch the news studio onto all of the CBS network feeds.

Most of the time, we see a ten-second countdown just before breaking news.  If all of the above has to happen before the news broadcast, why the additional ten seconds?

[Axl]

The Big Wheel wrote:

...why the additional ten seconds?

So stations that aren't already in network programming have time to make the switch before the Special Report actually starts.  NBC and ABC have cut this down to five seconds over the past few years (and without a countdown).

CBS recently rendered an alternate five-second version of the Special Report countdown for when they want to go on the air more quickly, but I don't think they've had the occasion to use it yet.

[OldPrice75]

I for one am going to miss Dan.  He was always my favorite.  Still, at 73 you have every right to retire!  (My math teacher just retired at 52)

br wrote:
I think the whole thing with that report was political crap, and if it would have been about something other than Bush, it would have never entered the radar scope.

Yup, I think so too.  Yet if it had been Kerry, I'd bet he would have not lost his job.

[temptation1979ga]

"temptation1979ga:

I don't believe Mr. Rather made the call when to pre-empt network programming for a Special Report. That type of decision is usually left to the president of the News Division (unless there is a bulletin)."

Oh yes, I was well aware of all that, but it was usually Rather's face and his rambling on and on and on that we saw during the reports.
That's all I meant by that.