VENARDOS IN NEW NEWS SLOT AT CBS

Lane Venardos, executive producer of the top-rated “CBS Evening News” for more than two years, is taking a new job as an executive producer at the news division’s special events unit, effective immediately, CBS said Friday.

Tom Bettag, previously a senior broadcast producer at the Dan Rather-anchored weeknight news program, will succeed Venardos.

Venardos took over the program in January, 1984, when its previous executive producer, Howard Stringer, was promoted to executive vice president of CBS News.