NEW YORK, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- CBS News has been in touch with NBC's "Today" show host Matt Lauer and "Meet the Press" moderator Tim Russert to replace Dan Rather, Newsweek said Monday.
While CBS newsmen John Roberts and Scott Pelley are apparent front-runners for the job, it appears CBS is going after, and willing to pay big money for a recognizable star.
The news CBS is aggressively looking outside of CBS for Rather's replacement indicates the network wants to dramatically overhaul its news show, which has lagged behind NBC and ABC for more than a decade.
Rather has announced he is retiring in March, a year ahead of schedule, following an embarrassing "60 Minutes Wednesday" report earlier this fall that cast doubt on President Bush's Vietnam-era service in the Texas National Guard. CBS later conceded the report was based on false documents.
