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Rather savors last signoff
Courage is the theme of Dan Rather's final program. He will do full-time reporting for CBS's 60 Minutes.
Associated Press
Published March 10, 2005
NEW YORK - Dan Rather echoed a word he once used every night to sign off the CBS Evening News - courage - in anchoring the program for the final time after 24 years on Wednesday.
He seemed to savor each word of his signoff: "For the CBS Evening News, Dan Rather reporting. Good night."
Rather's reporting career spanned from the Kennedy assassination to this winter's tsunami, and he has been the public face of CBS's legendary news division since replacing Walter Cronkite on March 9, 1981.
His first newscast included a story about English girls imitating the hairstyle of Prince Charles' bride-to-be, Diana. On Wednesday, the lead story was oil prices causing a bad day on Wall Street.
He's the second of the three men who dominated network news for more than two decades to step down in four months. NBC's Tom Brokaw exited in November, leaving ABC's Peter Jennings remaining at World News Tonight.
When it was over, Rather drank from a glass of Wild Turkey bourbon.
Bob Schieffer is Rather's temporary replacement starting today. CBS expects to name a permanent anchor team to succeed Rather in the coming months.
Rather, 73, is returning to full-time reporting for CBS's 60 Minutes broadcasts.
He flashed a steadfast defiance in reminding viewers of the phrase "courage." He was mocked by some for using that to end his broadcasts and then gave up on the idea.
His exit comes at a low ebb for his career. Rather took much of the public blame for a discredited 60 Minutes story last fall about President Bush's military service, and he's a distant third in the ratings behind NBC's Brian Williams and Jennings.
He was a target of conservatives who accuse the media of bias for more than three decades, since his coverage of the Nixon White House during the Watergate era.
Jennings and Williams paid tribute to Rather at the end of their broadcasts. Williams called him a "very tough competitor" and a friend of nearly 20 years.
On World News Tonight, Jennings said: "For many of us, being a reporter turned out to be a calling. It is an identity for Dan. He would be the first to reflect ... that this opportunity to work on behalf of the public interest has been an unusual privilege."
[Last modified March 10, 2005, 01:15:14]
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