Page "The Early Show" Paragraph 7

On August 6, 1973, after Hart left for NBC, in an effort to emulate The Today Show, Rudd was teamed up with former Washington Post reporter Sally Quinn.

Unfortunately for CBS, within days the hugely publicized pairing of what was dubbed by the press " the beauty and the grouch " ( referring to Quinn and Rudd respectively ) turned out to be a disaster.

Quinn was gone after six months, leaving after the February 1, 1974 telecast.

A much more experienced correspondent, Bruce Morton, later took over the Washington desk, remaining there until 1977.

During that period, the newscast had evolved into a well-crafted package delivered in a straightforward manner, much like Cronkite's evening newscast.

Despite the anchor turnover through the years, the broadcast had set a consistent tone which emphasized news and ideas over celebrity gossip or self-help tips.

The anchor desk was subsequently shared by the team of Lesley Stahl and Richard Threlkeld, while Morton and Rudd returned to both feature reporting and commentary respectively.