danrather

Dan Rather told the Philadelphia Inquirer today that he is in contract negotiations with CBS five months before his contract ends in November. The scuttlebutt is that his days at the network, where he's worked for 44 years, are coming to an end. According to the Inquirer article, there are no plans for Rather to return to 60 Minutes after November, and his presence at CBS is causing some resentment (remember he was forced from the Evening News anchor chair in 2005 after presenting a sketchy 60 Minutes II story on President Bush's National Guard service).

Other articles, like these from Reuters appear to be more definitive; one even quotes Rather as saying that "finishing details are being worked out for me to leave CBS News after 44 years." Stay tuned on this one.

Former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather has good wishes and warnings for incoming anchor Katie Couric. During an appearance at the annual National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas, Rather, who was honored at the NAB conference along with Tom Brokaw and the late Peter Jennings, wished Couric luck, but warned that she would need to be a leader and have a passion for the news in order for her to succeed in the anchor chair.

Rather had no doubts that the CBS Evening News would be different under the reign of the current Today show co-host, who will be leaving the morning news show at the end of May. He added that the role of the news anchor is not like the one a field journalist would have; it's more of a management position where the organization takes on the personality of the person behind the desk.

So, there's a good possibility that everyone will have a colonoscopy dressed up as SpongeBob SquarePants sometime during Couric's tenure.