Wallace: Rather Exit "Sad, Bloody"
By Allison Romano -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/21/2006 12:50:00 PM
Dan Rather's departure from CBS News is a "sad, bloody story," says 60 Minutes veteran Mike Wallace. "He is going to find his place. We are going to hear from Dan."
Echoing reports, Wallace said a deal "is coming" for Rather to go work for HDNet owner and Internet billionaire Mark Cuban. Wallace appeared Wednesday at the Promax/BDA conference in New York, where he joined CNN's Larry King on a panel.
Falling comfortably into the role of interviewer for a moment, King asked Wallace what he would have done if, like Rather, a trusted producer brought information to him about President George W. Bush's military service. "You're damn careful," Wallace replied. Your editors, he said, "are you going to say, 'Prove this.'"
So, King pressed, why did Rather go with the now discredited story? "Ask him," Wallace said.
The 88-year-old CBS News veteran did offer more insight on Rather's Evening News successor Katie Couric."Katie Couric is a fine reporter, a superb interviewer," he said.
Couric, Wallace says, is the centerpiece of CBS Corp Chairman Leslie Moonves' plan to attract more younger viewers to network news. "Forget perky. Perky is out," Wallace said. "She is a serious individual who wants to take on a serious job of getting more people to watch the evening news."
