Ted Koppel on Monday's Hardball: "The passing, one way or another, of Dan Rather, Tom Bro kaw and Peter Jennings from the anchor desks, is the end of an era. But why must that be seen as a bad thing? In any field, people grow older and are replaced by younger, talented people. It's worth mentioning that when Dan and Tom and Peter, and even I, came along, there was a lot of looking back with nostalgia to Chet Huntley, David Brinkley, Eric Sevareid, Walter Cronkite. Things change."

Liz Smith quotes Koppel today, and says "indeed they do change, but rarely so swiftly -- three iconic news anchors gone from their posts in a matter of three months! However, I agree with Ted's matter-of-fact reasoning. Even if change doesn't always seem like the best thing, we must try to make it so."