A trusted TV news observer isn’t so sure about Pelley. He thinks it would be a toss-up between Smith and Mitchell:
| Scott Pelley‘s future lies in taking the helm of ’60 Minutes’ when the last of the old guard retires — and the show could not be in better hands. Pelley is the Mike Wallace of the 21st century. When Pelley and his compatriots settle into their roles — even if that includes Couric — he will single-handedly restore the show to its former glory and help push it back into the top 10 overall. ’60 Minutes’ once had the power to effect massive change on Monday morning. Under his leadership it will again. So now, with John Roberts at CNN and Bob Schieffer sadly 70 years old, the future of the CBS Evening News is a coin flip between Harry Smith and Russ Mitchell. Harry Smith has the early edge due to Charlie Gibson‘s success at ABC. But there is a lesson to be learned over at ABC: The year that Tiger Woods turned professional, ABC put Mike Tirico up in the 18th tower and made him the ringmaster of their golf coverage — an African American man covering the sport’s most dynamic African American athlete. So when the elections are over, and should Barack Obama find himself as either President or Vice President of these United States, I would bet you $5 that Sean McManus will give the chair to Russ Mitchell — who absolutely deserves it! |
> Update: 2:03pm: “Russ has become much more visible under McManus. If McManus holds onto the news portfolio, Russ could be a contender for the post-Couric Evening News,” an e-mailer adds…
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