TWO LONG RUNNING BITS OF TELEVISION HISTORY LEAVING

Of course, everyone knows by now that CBS News announced Tuesday that Dan Rather is no longer with the company. After the former CBS Evening News anchor and his employer could not reach agreement on a new contract, Rather asked for an immediate release from his current obligation, which was set to expire in November. CBS was only too happy to acquiese, in effect kicking a 44-year veteran --- who put himself on the line time and again and loved the network endlessly --- to the side of the road. Almost everyone I heard Tuesday said that while Rather had likely stayed longer that he should have at Black Rock, the company's decision was a classless move, at least the way it was done.

And in another announcement made yesterday "across the pond", the British Broadcasting Corporation is cancelling one of it's longest running programmes, the weekly pop music countdown show Top of the Pops after 42 years. A victim of declining ratings in recent years, "The Beeb" moved the show from it's main BBC1 channel to BBC2 this year, which would be like moving a show here from the current top rated network Fox to The WB. The first programme featured The Rolling Stones, Dusty Springfield, The Dave Clark Five, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and (performing the week's number one song "I Want To Hold Your Hand") The Beatles.