A Revised Format for CBS News

Hugh Hewitt, someone who is himself making a difference in the news media, asks how CBS should revamp its news format in order to regain the trust of the audience. Here's what I would do with the CBS news format if I were emperor of the news world:

• Hire Brit Hume or someone like him as the anchor of the show. John Roberts' entire demeanor eerily reminds me of Dan Rather. Seriously, would CBS hiring Hume not make a huge statement? Of course it's probably impossible because of Hume's contract with Fox, but remember, I'm the emperor of the news world here; impossibility is not an issue.
  
• Turn the show into an hour-long program. Why not? Emporers can order such things. Show Fox you're serious about taking them on.
• Put on a panel, as Hugh suggests, toward the end of the show that is something like Hume's panel on Special Report. Have some solid conservatives on the panel. One-up Fox by having a rotating panel of six members, several of them from remote locations who are not based inside the beltway, or in New York, or Los Angeles.
  
• Have regular guest editorials like NPR does, and alternate between lefty and righty commentators. (They must be true adherents to their"side" of the debate; no countering a Harry Reid with a John McCain; and Kevin Phillips should never see any air time.)

Those steps would be fun to see and would make a difference. I might even start watching CBS again.

UPDATE: Other fine ideas for fixing CBS are posted at Hugh Hewitt's site here.