NEW YORK (AP) – CBS News moved swiftly Sunday after Bob Schieffer’s retirement announcement to name the network’s political director, John Dickerson, as the new moderator of “Face the Nation.”
Dickerson, a former Time magazine and Slate writer who has been with CBS since 2009, will begin his new role early this summer.
Schieffer, who made the announcement on Sunday’s show, noted that Dickerson “sure has the right bloodlines” for the assignment. Dickerson’s mother, Nancy, was the first female correspondent in the CBS News Washington bureau.
Schieffer, the 78-year-old chief Washington correspondent of CBS News, announced Wednesday that he would be leaving the job early this summer. Schieffer has been with CBS News since 1969 and “Face the Nation” moderator since 1991.
Dickerson’s reporting ability, and the fact that he spends his weeks immersed in political coverage, made him a natural for the job, CBS News President David Rhodes said Sunday. The Washington-based Sunday morning public affairs shows are hotly competitive, with “Face” often beating NBC’s “Meet the Press” and ABC’s “This Week” in the ratings.