NO ROOM FOR THE FORMER ANCHOR AT BLACK ROCK

He has said on several occasions that his best work is still ahead, but it looks as though in the next few months Dan Rather will have to show us somewhere else.

The 74-year-old former CBS Evening News anchor's contract, which is set to expire in November, will not be renewed. He has been doing assignments for 60 Minutes, but with the Sunday evening newsmagazine seeking to attract a younger audience --- and to that end the network's signing younger contributors --- there is no room for the veteran of four decades in the CBS News family anymore. According to this Washington Post piece which appears on the MSNBC Website, friends describe Rather as "hurt and puzzled by the attitude of CBS management."

Rather has been a lightning rod for conservatives for a number of years, dating back to his talking back to then-President Richard Nixon during a 1973 news conference. He gave up the anchor chair in March of last year, months earlier than expected following the controversy over a 2004 60 Minutes report which alleged that President Bush received favourable treatment by the National Guard during his service.

It would be a shame to see such a veteran simply tossed aside after a career of service and professionalism.