This morning CBS CEO Les Moonves participated in a  forum sponsored by the Wall Street Journal, a portion of that conversation focused on CBS News. Moonves talked about how happy he was with the current state of the news division, and how he viewed it as part of the company. In something of a throwback  Moonves said that while CBS News makes money, it is not primarily viewed as a profit engine, rather, it is part of the public interest.

“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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Major Garrett, who left Fox News Channel two years ago for National Journal, is returning to TV and has been named Chief White House correspondent for CBS News. The announcement was made just now by Bob Schieffer on “Face the Nation.”

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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CBS News president David Rhodes and Univision president Cesar Conde share the #9 spot on this year’s Fortune‘s “40 Under 40″ list. Rhodes and Conde also share the same age: 38. About Rhodes, Fortune writes:

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.

During its panel at the Television Critics Association Summer press tour, CBS News announced that its Sunday public affairs show “Face the Nation” would become an hour-long program, permanently. The show has been an hour-long since April of this year, and was announced at the time as something of a test.

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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Breaking: Six months into its run, “CBS This Morning” is making an anchor change.

CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Norah O’Donnell has been named co-host of “CBS This Morning” replacing Erica Hill who first came to CBS News in 2008, while still with CNN, to co-anchor the weekend “Early Show.” In January, 2010 she joined CBS fulltime.

O’Donnell will join co-hosts Charlie Rose and Gayle King beginning this fall. CBS says Hill’s future with CBS News is being discussed.

“CBS This Morning,” while still the #3 show in the morning, has been making ratings gains of late. Last week, the show was up +7% in total viewers and up +6% in younger viewers compared to the same week last year when “Early Show” was in production. O’Donnell filled-in on the show last week.

“This is a very exciting development for our morning program and for all of CBS News,” says CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager. “Norah is an accomplished reporter with all the skills for the job. She’s a hard worker who knows her story and, as she has shown time after time at the White House, she can think on her feet on live television.”

O’Donnell joined CBS News a year ago, after spending 11 years at NBC News and MSNBC. She will continue as Bob Schieffer‘s substitute on “Face the Nation.”

CBS held its upfront presentation at Carnegie Hall yesterday, and while most of the show was focused on primetime, there was also high praise about “CBS This Morning” from both CBS CEO Les Moonves and CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler.

“CBS This Morning” Co-anchors Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Erica Hill were all in attendance (see picture right).

In his introductory speech, Moonves said, “At CBS News there is a true renaissance going on under the leadership of [CBS News chairman] Jeff Fager and [CBS news president] David Rhodes, and we are thrilled with the results. The new “CBS This Morning” is the best broadcast we have ever had in the morning.”

Tassler, in giving an overview of current programming, said “It is a distinctive broadcast that is getting our day off to its best start in decades.”

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‘Tis commencement season, and so without further ado, we present TVNewser’s fifth annual list of who’s-speaking-where-and-when at America’s colleges and universities (in alphabetical order):

ABC/CNN’s Christiane Amanpour: University of Southern California - Annenberg School of Journalism,  May 11

NBC’s Tom Brokaw: Arizona State University , May 3…Vanderbilt University (TN) – Senior Class Day, May 10

FNC’s SVP of News Editorial Michael Clemente: Warren County Community College (NJ), May 19

ABC’s Katie Couric:  University of Virginia, May 20

NBC’s Tom Costello: University of Colorado, Journalism & Mass Communication, May 10.

NBC’s David Gregory: Emerson College (MA), May 14

CNN/CBS’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta: University of Michigan, previously on April 28

NBC’s Savannah Guthrie: Hobart and William Smith Colleges (NY), May 13

MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry: Wellesley College (MA), May 25

PBS’s Maria Hinojosa: Simmons College (MA) – Morning Commencement, May 18

NBC’s Lester Holt: Pepperdine University (CA), previously on April 28

PBS’s Gwen Ifill: Holy Names University (CA), May 12… Bates College (ME), May 26

More after the jump, including Koppel, Lehrer, Sawyer, Schieffer, and three Williamses (Brian, Juan, and Pete)

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While CBS News president David Rhodes (right) attended the memorial service for Mike Wallace Tuesday, seated next to presidential candidate Mitt Romney, his brother, Ben Rhodes was on his way to Afghanistan, seated next to — or at least near — Pres. Obama. Ben Rhodes is a deputy national security adviser in the administration and was on the trip to Bagram Air Field yesterday.

A year ago Tuesday, David Rhodes was at CBS News headquarters heading up the coverage of the death of Osama Bin Laden, while his younger brother was at the White House supporting the administration’s part in the raid that took out Bin Laden.

Ann And Mitt Romney were among the guests at this morning’s memorial service for Mike Wallace held at the Rose Hall at Time Warner Center. Seated next to Romney is CBS News President David Rhodes. We’ll have more on the memorial, which included remarks from Morley Safer, Steve Kroft, and Chris Wallace later today. The Romneys were on “CBS This Morning” earlier today. Romney also met with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and appeared at an event at an FDNY firehouse with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

(Photo: John Paul Filo/CBS©2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc.)