Steady as He Goes

Bob Schieffer brings an anchor-next-door ease to the "Evening News," which has gained 183,000 viewers. (Cbs News)

The CBS bosses are grateful to Schieffer for boosting morale after Rather stepped down early after the botched report on Bush's National Guard service, for which Rather later apologized.

"Bob has restored a great deal of credibility and faith in CBS News," Moonves says. "There's no question it was a year of turmoil for the 'Evening News.' "

Schieffer has been enjoying a wave of positive publicity, not least because reporters who cover television are fixated on ratings. For the season to date, the "CBS Evening News" has gained 183,000 viewers, from what had been a low point under Rather. By contrast, ABC's "World News Tonight," which is still rebuilding after the death of Peter Jennings and the injuries suffered by Bob Woodruff in Iraq, has lost 845,000 viewers and "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" has lost 741,000.

At the same time, Williams remains the undisputed evening news leader, averaging 9.87 million viewers to 8.78 million for ABC and 7.66 million for Schieffer's broadcast.

The network newscasts are all in various stages of trying to reinvent themselves. Williams writes a daily blog and has owned the New Orleans story. ABC co-anchor Elizabeth Vargas, who made news last week with an aggressive interview of Bush, does a daily webcast. McManus took the unusual step of having Schieffer rerun a story that drew a huge reaction: amateur video of an autistic high school student scoring 20 points in four minutes in his only basketball game. But changing the basic structure of these half-hour programs has been difficult.

Part of CBS's new look involves playing up the likes of chief foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan, national correspondent Byron Pitts, White House correspondent Jim Axelrod and political analyst Gloria Borger. "When there's a big story overseas, you're going to see Lara Logan on the scene, much as CNN does with Christiane Amanpour," Schieffer says. "TV is a personal medium. When people feel they know our correspondents better, it really increases their credibility."

Whatever his late-in-life success, the onetime Fort Worth newspaper reporter remains an interim solution. CBS is still trying to lure Katie Couric from "Today" after her NBC contract expires in May. Asked about the negotiations with Couric, Moonves ducks, saying: "I've enjoyed her work on the Olympics."

The double duty hasn't been easy for Schieffer, who commutes to New York during the week and returns home to Washington to host "Face the Nation" and to see his wife, Pat.

"Had this happened 10 years ago, I'd be fighting for this job," he says. "Doing it under these circumstances is perfect for me. I don't want to do it forever."

Full-Service Conservative

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Some liberals have been dismissing Fox News commentator Sean Hannity as a Republican flack following word that he is attending fundraisers for GOP Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.

"Sean Hannity, conservative, an on-air advocate for conservatives -- it's a shock that I support a conservative and want him to get elected?" Hannity asks. "What's the big deal? Rick is a great conservative. I believe he's a great senator."

But isn't there a difference between a commentator voicing support and actively working with a campaign? Hannity says he has helped raise money for other candidates and campaigned for President Bush in 2004. "I'm in the opinion business," he says. "I do none of this in secret."