Rather was said to be "shocked" after he discovered this week that Schieffer would be his temporary replacement. CBS News President Andrew Heyward hadn't bothered to tell Rather about the move. Rather learned of the Schieffer news by reading a report in USA Today that broke the Schieffer story.

And CBS President Leslie Moonves told the New York Times that Rather's joining "60 Minutes Wednesday" was predicated on the program continuing. "They are not exactly tearing it up in the ratings over there," the Times quoted Moonves.

The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz reports that if "60 Minutes Wednesday" is terminated, Rather was to join the original "60 Minutes" program, which airs Sunday.

But Kurtz adds that "some veteran '60 Minutes' staffers are resisting such a move, angry over those who lost their jobs and not wanting their broadcast to be associated with the tarnished story."

One reason for the increasing dissatisfaction of Rather's continuance at CBS is the all-important ratings barometer. As public confidence in Rather has hit an all-time low, so have the ratings of the "Evening News."

The New York Times notes that Rather's newscast draws 7.5 million viewers nightly.

But this number reflects a drop of 746,000 viewers, or a 9 percent fall-off when compared to the same period a year ago, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Editor's note: