A knowledgeable anonymous tipster writes to TVNewser:

"As Dan Rather prepares to join the freelance ranks and considers a move into the tender embrace of HDNet, he might want to have his representatives call around and take a sounding of the network's reputation. He'll discover a long list of shooters, editors, producers and reporters who have been burned by HDNet in the past... Those who have been through the HDNet wringer know what Dan can expect: promised resources that will never be delivered, in-the-field support that will never be offered, and post-production experiences that may include high-pitched screaming fits by one of the network's senior executives."

The tipster also says Al Jazeera International "has been quietly talking to HDNet for months now. Should it ever get on air, it also plans to broadcast in High Definition and HDNet offers an urgently-needed vehicle for US distribution of at least some of its content. Imagine the field day Dan's conservative critics will have with that."

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A knowledgeable anonymous tipster writes:

"In late 2003, the Iraqi insurgency was in its infancy, and a journalistic foray to Baghdad was not yet a journey into the heart of darkness. Except for one television crew.

Network teams based in the Palestine and Sheraton hotels became aware of a U.S. cameraman and producer who were trolling around the Iraqi capital desperately seeking freelance work. The reason for their desperation? They had been sent to Iraq by HDNet, and left high-and-dry by the Mark Cuban-owned high definition television network that is now flirting with Dan Rather.

They alleged that HDNet had failed to pay them, failed to provide them with promised cash to settle up their hotel bills, and failed to do anything to help them leave the war zone they had risked their lives to cover. A couple of all-news cable outlets took pity on the troubled duo, offered them work as locally-hired freelancers, and paid them enough money to settle their bills and eventually leave the city.

As Dan Rather prepares to join the freelance ranks and considers a move into the tender embrace of HDNet, he might want to have his representatives call around and take a sounding of the network's reputation. He'll discover a long list of shooters, editors, producers and reporters who have been burned by HDNet in the past. They include other household names previously exploited by Mark Cuban and HDNet's mercurial General Manager Philip Garvin in their failed attempts to put the network on the map. Previous incarnations of HDNet's news plans have included the CNN-less Peter Arnett, and a now-abandoned series of co-productions with PBS.

Those who have been through the HDNet wringer know what Dan can expect: promised resources that will never be delivered, in-the-field support that will never be offered, and post-production experiences that may include high-pitched screaming fits by one of the network's senior executives.

The weekly 'news' program being dangled in front of Dan's nose could also include content from Al Jazeera International. The would-be English-language network has been quietly talking to HDNet for months now. Should it ever get on air, it also plans to broadcast in High Definition and HDNet offers an urgently-needed vehicle for US distribution of at least some of its content. Imagine the field day Dan's conservative critics will have with that.

So there are reasons why Mark Cuban's offer to Dan sounds too-good-to-be-true. Capturing Dan Rather will represent a major publicity coup for the network, but Dan will soon find that the opportunity doesn't match the promise. And he should always keep enough cash in his pocket to pay the network's hotel bills."