NEWS AT THE FRONT

Where the Anchors Are: Bryant Gumbel is stationed in Saudi Arabia, where he anchors the “Today” show starting this week. He debated going to the Middle East versus staying in New York, then decided getting close “can’t hurt.” Ted Koppel, the first journalist to get into Iraq, went back to Washington. The “CBS This Morning” co-host Harry Smith left the Middle East for New York. ABC’s Forrest Sawyer found himself in Amman, Jordan, after being booted from Baghdad. Dan Rather is expected to wind up in Jordan today. And amid all this movement, Peter Jennings stays in place at the “World News Tonight” anchor desk in New York. Asked if he felt a little lonely staying put: “Not at all,” said Jennings. “I’m in exactly the right place. My job is to coordinate the coverage, not just go and do one dimension of it.”