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Jeff Fager To Step Down As CBS News Chairman, David Rhodes To Take Full Leadership Of Division
November 20, 2014 at 3:38 PM (PT)
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CBS NEWS has announced that Chairman and "60 MINUTES" Executive Producer JEFF FAGER will return to concentrating on his "60 MINUTES" duties at the beginning of 2015, and President DAVID RHODES will take full control of CBS NEWS. As part of the move, FAGER received a contract extension to 2019.
FAGER said, “When LESLIE MOONVES asked me to take the job of chairman, we agreed that when the time was right I would be able to return to 60 MINUTES full-time. I can’t imagine a better time for that than right now. So much about CBS NEWS is going well, and I am extremely proud of where we have come in these four years. Just in this past month, we reached new heights. Our election coverage was the best it has been in a long time. FACE THE NATION is celebrating 60 years on the air, and it as strong as it has ever been. Our new streaming news service, CBSN, is up and running after an exciting and successful launch. Every day, the people of this news organization are turning in the kind of high-quality reporting that is in keeping with our identity and heritage as the home of the best in broadcast journalism. I am confident that this record of achievement will only get better with DAVID RHODES, my friend and partner in all of this, continuing as president. I hired him almost four years ago with this moment in mind, and he has exceeded all expectations.”
MOONVES, President and CEO of CBS, said, “I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to express my profound admiration and gratitude to JEFF for the job he has done as chairman, as he, DAVID RHODES and the entire CBS NEWS team have built and solidified the division’s longtime status as the finest news organization in the business. In JEFF and DAVID we possess what has proven to be an unbeatable team, combining the wisdom, experience and proven creative track record of an industry leader with one of the most dynamic, exciting and seasoned young management voices in television news. We have come a long way under the leadership of that team. Now JEFF has convinced me that the time has arrived for the next step in the plan we implemented almost four years ago – for JEFF to return to an exclusive focus on a broadcast that defines the greatness of CBS, and for DAVID to assume the sole leadership of CBS NEWS.”
RHODES said, “JEFF is a great mentor and a close friend who has been my guide to CBS NEWS since I arrived here in 2011. We’ve accomplished so much with him as chairman, and I am reassured that he will continue to be a resource to me and to the whole news organization. It’s terrific having JEFF continue as executive producer of our most important broadcast.”

