“We believe that great drama belongs in primetime between 8-11 PM, not at 7 in the morning,” Moonves quipped, as a photo of Ann Curry and Matt Lauer from Curry’s departure from “Today” appeared on stage behind him (see the photo to the left).

Of course, “CBS This Morning” also had a talent change in the last year, as Erica Hill left (eventually joining NBC) and Norah O’Donnell came on board. That said, the transition was free of drama in front of the cameras.

CBS News was given prime placement at the upfront, with Moonves introducing the division. The CBS CEO said that “under the leadership of Jeff Fager and David Rhodes there is a renaissance going on,” before introducing a clip reel with news from the last year. Scott Pelley and O’Donnell then appeared on stage to talk about CBS News.

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Benghazi, the AP phone taps and the IRS scandal. It’s been quite a few days for the Obama administration and the journalists who cover it.

• On Benghazi: while the president believes “there’s no there, there,” CNN’s Jake Tapper got his hands on an email yesterday from then-Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes (brother of CBS News president David Rhodes) written three days after the attack. It was a version of an email that Tapper’s former ABC News colleague Jonathan Karl reported on last Friday.

• The Associated Press is not satisfied with Attorney General Eric Holder‘s statement on the breadth of phone tapping the news agency’s reporters were subjected to. Neither, for one, is the New York Times editorial board as well as dozens of other publishers, broadcasters and trade groups.

• But the biggest scandal appears to be the IRS’s selective targeting of conservative organizations. It was the lead on the evening newscasts last night and two of the three morning shows today (“Good Morning America” and “CBS This Morning”) and continues to be a hot topic on the cable news networks.

In a Behind the Curtain column, Politico’s Mike Allen and Jim VandHei write, “(T)he press, after years of being accused of being soft on Obama while being berated by West Wing aides on matters big and small, now has every incentive to be as ruthless as can be.”

Will they?

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NBC News is casting a wide net in the search for its new president. A few weeks ago, TVNewser heard that NBC was eyeing some potential candidates from England, and now we have some names, courtesy of the LA Times‘ Joe Flint.

One of the leading candidates, according to Flint, is ITV’s chief news executive Deborah Turness. Turness, 46, took over ITV’s news division in 2004, keeping it competitive with the revered and well-funded BBC.

NBC also has a relationship with ITV, sharing content and correspondents in places like Central Africa.

Flint also floats a few other names, including CBS News president David Rhodes (not available), former ABC News executive Jon Banner (not interested), as well as Sky News exec Sarah Whitehead and Channel 4′s Jay Hunt.

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The list includes (in alphabetical order) Roger Ailes, Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, Anderson Cooper, Bob Costas, Katie Couric, Jeff Fager, Pat Fili-Krushel, James Goldston, Phil Griffin, Sean Hannity, Megyn Kelly, the “60 Minutes” team, the “Today” team, Rachel Maddow, Piers Morgan, Bill O’Reilly, Scott Pelley, David Rhodes, The “Good Morning America” team, the “CBS This Morning” team, Diane Sawyer, Ben Sherwood, Barbara Walters, Brian Williams and Jeff Zucker.

Some of the recipients gave interviews, others did not. You can see the full list here.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Pitts, 52, the lone correspondent of color on “60 Minutes” and a CBS staffer since 1997, officially joined ABC yesterday as chief national correspondent. He begins April 15.

In addition to reporting, Pitts will anchor prime-time news specials as well as fill in as news reader on “Good Morning America” and on weekend news. He signed a four-year deal with a “significant” salary bump, he says.

A devout man, Pitts prays over all major decisions. ABC was no exception. “For me, God is the ultimate closer,” he says. “Once I felt I had His blessing, it was full steam ahead. I’m grateful for my time at CBS, and I’m excited about this opportunity grace has provided.”

In the Gospel According to Pitts, diversity ranks a strong No. 2. In his talks with ABC News president Ben Sherwood, Pitts says he was impressed that Sherwood made a point to bring up his (Sherwood’s) commitment to the hot-button issue.

“It was encouraging to have a network executive talk to me, openly and with enthusiasm, about the importance of racial diversity,” says Pitts. “I never had that conversation at CBS.”

Not with his division leaders, anyway.

Pitts says he and CBS Corp. chieftain Les Moonves have discussed diversity, and he admires Moonves’ passion about it. As for CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager and his lieutenant, David Rhodes, here’s how Pitts puts it:

“I don’t want to seem critical. They were certainly nice and supportive of me. But the facts are the facts. Sixteen years ago, when I joined CBS, there were 10 people of color on the air. Now there are seven. Why is that? It’s discouraging. America is becoming more diverse, not less diverse. “

According to CBS News spokesperson Sonya McNair, CBS has “more than double” Pitts’ estimate of seven correspondents of color. “We wish Byron well,” she adds. ABC News has a total of 29, says division rep David Ford.

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Kings County District Attorney Charles Hynes

CBS News is planning to fill some of CBS’ Summer primetime schedule with a six-part documentary series called “Brooklyn DA.” The series, which kicks off Tuesday, May 21 at 10 PM, will follow the men and women of the Kings County District Attorney’s Office (Kings County is Brooklyn, if you aren’t familiar with your New York City geography). The show will follow the staff in the courtroom and out.

The “48 Hours” team will be producing the series, with Susan Zirisnky serving as senior EP and Patti Aronofsky as senior supervising producer. Aronofsky also created the concept.

“No matter where you go, everyone has heard about Brooklyn,” said Zirinsky in a statement. “What makes this series so unique is getting into the lives and personalities of the individual DAs, led by Charles ‘Joe’ Hynes, who reflect the vibrancy and diversity of Brooklyn. We are allowed to watch their successes and their failures – it’s immediate, compelling and often heartbreaking.”

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“By now the world knows about Carter’s recent coup on the Christopher Dorner story,” wrote CBS News president David Rhodes in an email to staff this afternoon. “With producer Chris Weicher and cameraman Javier Gomez, Carter was the only reporter on the scene near Big Bear Lake when authorities closed in on Dorner after a tense manhunt. He continues to work the story today.”

Evans is a former correspondent for CNN, and his wife, Courtney Friel, is a former Fox News and KTTV Los Angeles correspondent.

Rhodes’ full memo to staff is below.
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There are strong internal candidates, some of whom, it has been announced by Fili-Krushel, will take on additional duties. Alex Wallace (above, right), who oversees “Today,” and “Rock Center” will now oversee “Nightly News,” where she was once EP. Wallace, who’s been with NBC since 2005, would be the first female news president after nine men have held the job since 1968.

Phil Griffin will likely be considered for the job. As president of MSNBC for the last 4 and a half years he has given the network an identity and boosted ratings, consistently topping CNN — a network his close friend Jeff Zucker now runs. A front office and internal concern would be the progressive programming on the network, often not in line with NBC News standards. Mark Hoffman, president of CNBC, cannot be ruled out. Nor can Capus’ deputy, Antoine Sanfuentes, (above, left) who will run day-to-day in the interim.

External candidates are also plentiful…

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CBS News president (and former Fox News executive) David Rhodes is the brother of one of President Obama’s advisers Ben Rhodes. NBC News anchor Andrea Mitchell is married to former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan. Bob Schieffer‘s brother Tom Schieffer was President Bush’s Ambassador to Japan.

In other words: potential conflicts happen all the time. The question is when should they be disclosed? Typically subjects with a conflict aren’t allowed to cover anything related to that conflict. If they do, a disclosure is a must.

The latest flap involves new CNN anchor Jake Tapper.

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“When you are a network, a public company like CBS, there is a public trust factor, and I take that really seriously. Our news division does an extraordinary job of providing a public service,” Moonves said. “You talk about how the early ratings were off this year, well, part of the reason is that we had four nights of debates, which pre-empted — God forbid — “Two and a Half Men,” and we took a hit.

We covered the election, and the election night returns were great, it doesn’t help the bottom line, but it is very important for the image of CBS, and our place in society,” Moonves added.

He noted that he was pleased with the diction the news division has been taking.

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Garrett replaces Norah O’Donnell who had been CBS’s lead correspondent at the White House since July 2011. O’Donnell left the White House beat when she joined “CBS This Morning” as co-host in September.

At CBS News, Garrett will once again be working with David Rhodes, CBS News president, who was VP of news at Fox News during Garrett’s run there.

Earlier in his career, Garrett was a CNN correspondent before jumping to Fox News in 2002. He starts at CBS News next Sunday.

> More: Rhodes’ email to staffers, obtained by TVNewser, after the jump…

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Rhodes has eschewed the fluff, flash, and other ratings bait that typically pass for news these days to focus on, um, well, news. He’s lengthened the network’s flagship political show, “Face the Nation,” put Scott Pelley in the evening anchor spot, and completely overhauled the moribund “Early Show,” which debuted as CBS This Morning with Charlie Rose and Gayle King in January.

The list is filled mostly with tech stars and finance types. But, in case you were wondering, yes, the Olson twins are on it too.

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There is an asterisk to the announcement however, as “Face” will still be rated as two separate half-hours, as the second half-hour is not available in the entire country, and even then is sometimes aired at a much later time than the first half-hour. The first half-hour of most programs rate much higher than the second half-hour, and that is the case with “Face” too.

During the session, CBS News president David Rhodes said that once NFL obligations are complete (in other words, next year), CBS will move to get “Face” rated as a full-hour.

As B&C’s Andrea Morabito notes, CBS also announced that Anthony Mason will become the full-time co-anchor of “CBS This Morning” on Saturdays, joining Rebecca Jarvis.

THR also has quotes from CBS News chairman Jeff Fager (seen above accepting a TCA Award on behalf of “60 Minutes”) and “CTM” EP Chris Licht:

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(l-r) CBS News President David Rhodes, Norah O'Donnell, Erica Hill

Just seven months into existence, “CBS This Morning” will see its biggest change since launch, when Norah O’Donnell replaces Erica Hill come the Fall.

CBS News president David Rhodes says the move has been in the works for a little while.

“This has been an ongoing discussion, we look at every one of these broadcasts very closely, always looking for things that can be improved,” Rhodes tells TVNewser. “We have had a couple of different people at the table since we launched in January, and Norah just stood out.”

With the addition of O’Donnell, Hill’s future is up in the air at CBS.

“We are talking to her about a new role, but it is obviously premature how it is going to go,” Rhodes says. As for O’Donnell’s slot at the White House, Rhodes says those discussions are just beginning.

“There is a lot of interest in that, and obviously we didn’t begin those conversations until today, because we couldn’t, but I have every expectation that we are going to fill the role internally,” he says.

O’Donnell’s expertise in politics was a driving force behind the decision to add her to the team. Rhodes says he expects O’Donnell to begin her regular appearances on the show for the political conventions in Tampa and Charlotte at the end of August and early September.

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