The last-place news operation of CBS could outsource some work to CNN, the Times is reporting, keeping the most visible personalities like anchor Katie Couric while using feeds or even crews from its cable-news partner. Right now the deal is still at the talking stage and similar discussions have fallen through before, in 2002 between ABC and CNN and in 1998 again between CBS and CNN. But CBS News' fortunes are now rapidly declining, with evening viewership down 13 percent, versus a 5 percent decline at all network evening news shows.

It's very depressing, of course, to see potentially gutted the first network news division, which brought the nation the likes of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite. Escape, if you wish, to the golden era of TV news by watching the clip from Murrow biopic Good Night, And Good Luck.