Jeff Fager may have the loftier
title of chairman, but it
is David Rhodes who runs
much of the day-to-day
operations at CBS News.
Appointed to the job a year
ago, Fager’s first priority has
been improving ratings in the morning and evening
dayparts. Toward this end, Rhodes and Fager have
switched up the on- and off-air teams at both the Evening
News and the relaunched CBS This Morning.
Rhodes, former head of U.S. television operations
for Bloomberg, has also made operational changes,
doubling the size of CBS’ newsroom by bringing
in editorial staffers from around the broadcast center
and moving the morning show to a new studio
across town to combine all broadcasts at West 57th
Street. The ratings recovery—like the rebuilt newsroom—
is a work in progress, but we’re guessing
Rhodes and his team are not done making changes—
especially in the morning.
