“Steady Upswing” For CBS Evening News

“While waiting to hear from Katie Couric, the CBS Evening News has been showing signs of life,” David Bauder recaps. “Bob Schieffer‘s newscast is still third in the ratings behind NBC and ABC, but is the only one of the three with an increase in viewers compared to one year ago.”

“We’ve been on a steady upswing,” EP Jim Murphy says. “It’s not a fluke. It’s a good broadcast with a good anchorman and it’s a broadcast that fits him well.”

“CBS’ rivals note that this year’s ratings numbers may be skewed because they’re being compared to some of Rather’s darkest days following CBS’ botched story about President Bush’s National Guard service. CBS may also have benefited from the transition at ABC News, where Elizabeth Vargas and Bob Woodruff were just named as replacements for the late Peter Jennings on World News Tonight.” Murphy says: “I think there is a lot of chaos in the industry right now and we’ve exploited it just by doing what we think is right.”

> Also: The program is broadcasting live from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia tonight…