TVNewser NAB blogger Simon Marks reports:

During today's RTNDA/NAB Super Session "The Shape of Things to Come" Dan Rather offered his first public comments on Katie Couric's appointment to the CBS anchor chair.

"Katie Couric is a good person, an attractive person. She's an experienced television pro. And I think she's a good pro, I wish her well and I think she will do well."

"In terms of where we go in the future, a lot of that depends on when Ms. Couric gets to CBS, her leadership capacities, her capabilities which are great. If she loves the news as I think she does, she will get along very well with the CBS news people."

Rather, who was notably asked the question during audience Q&A, not during the earlier interaction with moderator John Siegenthaler, measured his words and his endorsement of the CBS decision.

"I emphasize again that I think she will be successful, but in terms of the business....it's easy to over-emhpasize the role of the anchor. The anchor is no better than the people who are working with, or in some cases for, him or her. An anchor can make a difference whether it's on your 11pm local news or the network news, but from one who's been there it's very easy to overemphasize the role. We'll see how....she affects the future. She's bound to in some ways. But in terms of what we've been talking about here... in the great scheme of things, with the greatest of respect, nobody's anchor is going to make a great deal of difference in my judgement."

> Also: Here's a write-up by Lost Remote.