ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, May 23, 1996 TAG: 9605230012
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEW YORK
SOURCE: JAMES ENDRST THE HARTFORD COURANT
Not long after Andrew Heyward became president of CBS News in January, someone asked one of his colleagues how the beleaguered institution was faring under its new leader.
``We're having a great time,'' came the answer. ``It's like, the boss is away.''
Heyward wasn't sure at that moment whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, but he leans toward the former.
``I think if I've done anything well,'' he says in his West 57th Street office, ``it's bringing up the level of enthusiasm.''
That's no small task at CBS News, once America's most revered TV news source and now third in the nightly news race.
But based on interviews with many of the company's major players, Heyward, 45, a Harvard graduate and longtime insider, may have what it takes to turn things around.
He has captured, it seems, the soul of CBS News.
``This is a new time,'' says anchor Dan Rather. ``And it's a time of renewal ... beginning with Andrew's appointment.''
``Andrew inspires confidence,'' says Don Hewitt, the creator and executive producer of ``60 Minutes.''
With less than six months on the job, it's still too early to assess Heyward's performance or predict his future, but it is fair to say he hasn't been idle.
Formerly executive producer of the ``CBS Evening News,'' ``Eye to Eye With Connie Chung'' and ``48 Hours'' (which he developed), Heyward, who came to the network in 1981, has genuflected to tradition without being encumbered by it.
He has made changes without making waves - most notably at ``60 Minutes,'' which has sprung to life of late, fighting off a challenge by ``Dateline NBC,'' adding commentators Molly Ivins, Stanley Crouch and P.J. O'Rourke.
At ``48 Hours,'' the single-topic news show has given way to a ``more flexible'' multitopic approach, and the staff has been beefed up.
And finally, facing up to the network's history of dismal ratings in the morning, Heyward has unveiled plans for ``This Morning,'' making its debut Aug. 5 with anchors Jane Robelot, Jose Diaz-Balart and weather forecaster Mark McEwen.
Affiliates will have the option of blending a small or significant share of local news into the first hour of the 7 to 9 a.m. time block. (``CBS This Morning'' co-anchor Paula Zahn, by the way, will replace Bob Schieffer on the ``CBS Evening News'' Saturdays and contribute to ``48 Hours.''Her co-anchor Harry Smith's future is still under discussion.)
So far, the reactions have been positive from Heyward's bosses at Westinghouse (which purchased CBS late last year), staffers and even competitors.
ABC News executive vice president Paul Friedman says, ``I think Andrew has been doing a very good job so far and is moving things in the right direction.
NBC News president Andrew Lack, a former CBS News veteran who knows Heyward well, is less effusive.
``In the honeymoon period, they all love you,'' he says.
Heyward remains philosophical.
``Obviously, nobody takes this job for job security,'' he says.
``Our competitors are very strong. And our competitors have been moving ahead during a time of relative stagnation for us as a company.''
But Heyward considers his appointment a vote of confidence by Westinghouse and says, ``I don't think anybody's expecting miracles.''
He's getting support and, perhaps more significant, money.
``The resources will be there,'' predicts CBS Television Network president James A. Warner, though his boss, CEO Peter Lund, controls the cash flow.
Still, there's a lot of ground to make up.
Heyward estimates that news leader ABC spends between $100 million and $150 million more a year on news than CBS.
``I think it's probably true that we spend a bit more money on news than CBS does,'' says ABC's Friedman. ``This is an expensive business when you want to do it right.''
Not that money will be the solution to more fundamental problems Heyward and his counterparts face.
Network news in general is losing viewers (ABC and CBS were down 8 percent and 9 percent, respectively, in season-to-date comparisons with last year, while NBC remained unchanged.)
More disturbing to those in the business is a recent study by the Washington-based Pew Research Center for the People and the Press that concluded that ``television news is in trouble with the American public,'' with less than half the public saying they regularly watch one of the three nightly newscasts.
Money will help reopen closed bureaus and will help keep and attract big-name talent (such as NBC's Bryant Gumbel) who might succeed the 64-year-old Rather when and if he retires.
And CBS News has to think about expanding, says Heyward, particularly into cable, which both NBC and ABC already have done.
``We, as a news division, stand ready to expand dramatically into cable,'' says Heyward. ``We'd love to program a cable channel here. I'm hopeful that something like that happens.''
LENGTH: Medium: 98 linesby CNB