RATHER ABSENCE COSTLY TO CBS

The fallout from Dan Rather’s much-publicized six-minute absence from the start of last Friday’s CBS newscast continued Wednesday. The head of CBS’ affiliate board reported telling the anchorman that he had made “an inappropriate move,” and the network’s research chief speculated that the dead airtime spelled the difference between first and third in the weekly ratings.

Affiliate chief Phil Jones, who talked with Rather by telephone Tuesday, said that he accepted the anchorman’s unrepentant explanation for his no-show at the start of the first of two “CBS Evening News” broadcasts that evening. Rather has refused to discuss the matter publicly.

The incident occurred at CBS’ Miami bureau, where Rather was doing the broadcast. Upset that U. S. Open Tennis coverage would extend into his newcast’s time, he left his anchor desk to call CBS executives in New York.

He was still on the telephone when the match ended at 6:32 p.m. EDT and the network cut away to the “Evening News.” More than half of CBS’ 200 affiliates were left with blank screens until the show’s staff tracked down Rather and he returned to the broadcast.

“He said that it was a difficult day, and that there was a lot of commotion in the Miami office,” Jones related. He quoted Rather as saying he had left his desk--”not thinking that they’d be back on the air”--”to try to argue his case” for airing his program on time.

Rather emphasized that he never would deliberately try to embarrass his network, Jones said. “He felt bad about it,” Jones added. “I believe the man. I still told him I thought it was an inappropriate move for the anchor to leave the anchor desk.” Rather didn’t respond to that, he said. “If I remember right, he was silent. He wasn’t argumentative, he wasn’t apologetic . . . but I think he knows.”

CBS might have won the week’s news ratings instead of finishing third had the newscast started when it was supposed to, CBS vice president David Poltrack said.

Poltrack, head of research for the network, projected that--based on figures for the previous week--the gap added half a rating point to ABC and NBC and cost CBS slightly more than half a rating point. Had Rather stayed put and his rating been the same as the previous Friday, he said, the “CBS Evening News” would have won over NBC by one-tenth of a point.