NEW YORK (AP) – Brace yourself for big changes when Jane Pauley takes over as host of “CBS News Sunday Morning” this weekend.
She doesn’t plan to wear a bow tie, as her predecessor, Charles Osgood, famously did for the 22 years he presided. And for the first time in its 37-year history, the program won’t be hosted by someone named Charles.
But that’s about it.
“I assure you I’m not coming in and shaking anything up,” says Pauley, explaining that, when executive producer Rand Morrison seemed to open the door to any tweaks she might propose, “I laughed and said, ‘Rand, it ain’t broke!'”
Steady-as-she-goes has been the “Sunday Morning” credo since the debut of this distinctly low-key news magazine in January 1979. Sure, some viewers will miss the reassuring governance of Osgood, 83, who stepped down two weeks ago (but will continue to make occasional appearances), just as it was hard to say goodbye to founding host Charles Kuralt when he retired in 1994 after 15 years.