University of Virginia Library

Harry Reasoner Leaves CBS Ranks;
Accepts ABC News Anchor Position

NEW YORK — Harry Reasoner, CBS
news commentator, will quit that station
to join ABC, it was announced yesterday.
The change will become effective on
Monday, December 7.

Mr. Reasoner will become co-anchor
man for the ABC network evening news
show, replacing Frank Reynolds. He will
share duties on the show with Howard K.
Smith, also a former CBS newsman, who
is stationed in Washington.

Sources in the industry report that Mr.
Reasoner has signed a five-year contract
with ABC at a salary of about $200,000 a year.
He will do commentaries on the evening news
twice a week and will do radio commentaries
for ABC.

Mr. Reynolds, according to ABC, will
become a special correspondent and will do
occasional documentaries. He had joined the
ABC evening news as anchor man in May 1968.

ABC has had its news department under
nearly unending revision in the past few years.
The network has been attempting to improve
upon its third-place standing in competition
with CBS and the other major rival, NBC.

The addition of Mr. Reasoner to the evening
news show will mean that the show will be run
entirely by newsmen formerly affiliated with
CBS. Along with Mr. Reasoner and Mr. Smite,
Av Westin is the executive producer of the
show. Mr. Westin is a former news producer of
CBS and a former director of the Public
Broadcasting Laboratory.