Advice to CBS: Follow PBS

RE “Katie Couric on the Hustings,” by Matea Gold, July 12: CBS executive producer Rome Hartman said he was “really struck by how people [in town hall meetings] kept saying that they want depth and they want serious journalism.”

There is a proven formula for achieving those ends. First, you extend the evening news to one hour. Then you hire intelligent, articulate reporters and interviewers -- say, Gwen Ifill, Ray Suarez, Margaret Warner, Jeffrey Brown -- and then ... well, why not just import the PBS “News-Hour with Jim Lehrer” crew to CBS? Oh, and eliminate commercials within the broadcast.

KEN GALE

Santa Monica