RATHER SAYS CBS NEWS/CNN MERGER WOULD BE ADVANTAGEOUS

Dan Rather, who still occupied the anchor’s desk on the CBS Evening News when CBS and CNN first began discussions about merging their news operations, has told a New York interviewer that there could be “advantages to each side” if the current talks between CBS and CNN prove to be productive. Speaking with interviewer Julie Menin on WNBC’s new 24-hour news channel, New York Nonstop, Rather envisioned a scenario in which Katie Couric, his permanent replacement on Evening News, would transition to CNN as Larry King’s replacement. Nevertheless, Rather defended King, saying that he’s not responsible for the exodus of viewers from his show. “He has extremely poor lead-ins. He has the toughest competition on television — the 8-10 slot on Fox [News] has done extremely well in terms of ratings. It’s a behemoth.”