Our sources inside the cold halls of CBS News have informed us that veteran anchor Dan Rather will be stepping down from his post come March. Look for the official announcement very shortly.
[UPDATE: 12:20 PM, Done and done. CBS News president Andrew Heyward's announcement, which doesn't say anything about memos, after the jump.]

——-Original Message——-
From: Heyward, Andrew
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2004 12:20 PM
To: @CND News
Cc: Schwartz, Gil D
Subject: Message from Andrew Heyward

Dan Rather announced today that he will step down as anchor and managing editor of the CBS EVENING NEWS on March 9, 2005, 24 years after his first broadcast in that position. Dan will continue to work full-time at CBS News as a correspondent for both editions of 60 MINUTES, as well as on other assignments for the Division.

Dan has symbolized the CBS EVENING NEWS for nearly a quarter century. He will continue to apply his extraordinary talents to everything he does at CBS News.

Like many of you, I've worked closely with Dan for a long time. It was thanks to Dan that I joined the CBS EVENING NEWS in March 1981 as a field producer, just two weeks after he moved into the anchor chair.

Over more than two decades, I've seen first-hand why Dan's dedication to his craft and his remarkable skills as a reporter are the stuff of broadcasting legend.

In a statement issued today, Dan said: "I have decided to leave the CBS EVENING NEWS on March 9, 2005. I have been lucky and blessed over these years to have what is, to me, the best job in the world and to have it at CBS News. Along the way, I've had the honor of working with some of the most talented, dedicated professionals in the world, and I'm appreciative of the opportunity to continue doing so in the years ahead.

"I have always said that I'd know when the time was right to step away from the anchor chair. This past summer, CBS and I began to discuss this matter in earnest—and we decided that the close of the election cycle would be an appropriate time. I have always been and remain a 'hard news' investigative reporter at heart. I now look forward to pouring my heart into that kind of reporting full-time."

Leslie Moonves said: "Dan's 24 years at the CBS EVENING NEWS is the longest run of any evening news anchor in history and is a singular achievement in broadcast journalism. He has been an eyewitness to the most important events for more than 40 years and played a crucial role in keeping the American public informed about those events and their larger significance. We congratulate him on all he has accomplished and look forward to the future."

We will all have ample opportunity to salute Dan and his extraordinary tenure in the EVENING NEWS chair early next year. In the meantime, please join me in wishing Dan the best and looking forward with him to all that is yet to come.