That's what Dan Rather and key executives at CBS News told students around the country this week. Writing is an essential element of success in TV news, according to the CBS anchorman and managing editor .
Networks are in the market for viewers.
As Rather explained, network news departments are expected to pay their own way, and hopefully make a profit as well. Executive Producer Jeff Fager, who began his TV career at WBZ-TV Boston, talked about how the newscast is put together. Fager explained that there is constant decision making process, and that changes are made in the broadcast line-up to the very last minute. Fager also said that reporters in the field are given a great deal of responsibility in putting together their story, but the correspondent who fails to make his or her appointed slot in the broadcast, the reporter whose story is late or doesn't make air, doesn't have much of a future in the business. Besides discussing the content and strategy of the news, the CBS executives told students how they started their careers.