New York – CBS News said Tuesday that it is cutting ties to Dan Rather, concluding a messy professional divorce with the hard- charging anchor who had worked there for 44 years until things went sour over a story about the president’s military service.
His departure before the November end of his contract is an acknowledgment that CBS News wants to leave the Rather era behind as it awaits the arrival of new evening news anchor Katie Couric.
Rather, 74, is weighing an offer to do a weekly show at HDNet, a high-definition network offered on some cable and satellite systems.
“It just isn’t in me to sit around doing nothing,” he said.
CBS was last in the ratings and without a transition plan even before the ill-fated September 2004 story about President Bush’s military service. Rather narrated the report, in the midst of the presidential campaign, which CBS later concluded after much criticism it could not substantiate. Six months later, on March 9, 2005, he signed off for the last time after 24 years as the “CBS Evening News” anchor.
Rather contributed eight stories to “60 Minutes” this past season, but he complained it wasn’t enough work to satisfy him. He said CBS offered him a new contract with no assignments. His exit, Rather said Tuesday, represents CBS’s acknowledgment that “they had not lived up to their obligation to allow me to do substantive work there.”
