CBS - CBS'S SCHIEFFER SAYS HE'LL STICK AROUND

Bob Schieffer, the Face the Nation moderator who boosted the ratings of the CBS Evening News following the departure of Dan Rather, has indicated that he will not retire after the 2009 presidential inauguration as he had previously said he would. In an interview with the online edition of U.S. News and World Report, Schieffer said, "My bosses have asked me to stay around for a while. I'm just going to reduce my schedule a little bit, but I guess I'm going to stay around a little while longer than I anticipated." There was no indication in the article about the possibility of his returning to the Evening News anchor post if, as has been frequently rumored, Katie Couric is forced to leave after the presidential elections in November. The 71-year-old Schieffer would only say that he intends to continue to moderate Face the Nation "as long as my health stays good -- and every sign now is that it is." Schieffer was treated for bladder cancer in 2003 and suffers from diabetes.

21/03/2008