CBS’ New Faces--Molinari, Gumbel--Outline Objectives

Two of CBS News’ new employees spelled out their career goals Thursday, with U.S. Rep. Susan Molinari coming about as close as a politician can to ruling out any future bid for public office, while former “Today” show host Bryant Gumbel stated that he has no designs on Dan Rather’s job anchoring “The CBS Evening News.”

Addressing concerns about the “revolving door” between politics and the news media, Molinari--the New York representative who delivered the keynote speech at last year’s Republican National Convention--said she would be “out of politics for good” after leaving the House in August to anchor the new “CBS News Saturday Morning” program.

The trend toward politicians landing high-profile broadcasting jobs has been fretted over in journalistic circles for some time, but the debate grew louder when Molinari--a television novice--announced her plan to change careers in May.

Regardless of how the program fares, Molinari--who spoke to television critics in Pasadena via satellite from Washington--indicated during the at-times contentious session that she has “no intention of going back to politics” as some colleagues have, flitting back and forth between public service and television.

“Life is about taking risks,” she said, calling TV “my new career” and the job at CBS News “really something I could not say ‘no’ to.”

In addition to Molinari, former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley, who has not ruled out a future run for president, will make his debut Saturday as “CBS Evening News” analyst, providing a series of essays.

Others to have made similar leaps include CNN “Crossfire” co-host Pat Buchanan, repeatedly returning to that showcase after his failed presidential bids; and former White House advisor George Stephanopoulos, now an analyst for ABC News.

CBS’ hiring of Molinari has come under fire in forums such as the American Journalism Review, which editorialized that the move “suggests the revolving door is spinning completely out of control.”

CBS News President Andrew Heyward defended the choice Thursday, calling Molinari “a natural,” with assets well-suited to broadcasting. She will be paired on the new Saturday-morning program, which premieres in September, with “CBS Sunday Night News” anchor Russ Mitchell.

“It’s not a decision made cynically saying, ‘Gee, I think that’s a good gimmick,’ ” Heyward said.

Gumbel, meanwhile, discussed in vague terms plans for his CBS prime-time show, which will be titled “Public Eye With Bryant Gumbel.”

Part of the program will emphasize live interviews with newsmakers, which Gumbel said he hopes will provide an advantage opposite the edited interviews televised on rival newsmagazines.

The former NBC host also stressed that his program would shy away from sensational material. “We are not going to be bottom-feeders,” Gumbel said, adding that he has “no desire to put on the fifth juror in the latest sensational trial. . . . The field of those anxious to do those [kinds of] stories is crowded.”

Asked about the perception that he is a likely candidate to succeed Rather anchoring “The CBS Evening News,” Gumbel said, “I have never aspired to . . . becoming an evening-news anchor. It’s not something I want to do.”

Gumbel was also questioned about blurring lines between entertainment and journalism, including his role as host of the prime-time Emmy Awards, which will air on CBS a few weeks before his new program premieres. The anchor also has a cameo in the new movie “Contact,” starring Jodie Foster. CNN, after allowing a number of its reporters to be used in the film, is reevaluating its policy about news talent appearing in fictional pieces.

“I’m in it for 30 seconds,” Gumbel said with a laugh, dismissing any suggestion of impropriety. “When I get an Oscar nomination, then we can talk about it.”

“Public Eye’s” key correspondents will be CBS News veterans Bernard Goldberg and Peter Van Sant, former MTV News reporter Alison Stewart, New York newswoman Maggie Cooper (who once worked for channels 7 and 13 locally) and public-radio talk host Derek McGinty.