Eye defends Chen
CBS News chief: 'Big' problems ironed out
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Heyward, who met with reporters during the summer Television Critics Assn. press tour, said that the debut episode's heavily scripted lines didn't allow Chen to "be herself."
"Having been involved in lots of new television programs, the first episode is rarely something that you immediately dub onto your resume reel," he said. "I would call those the rough spots on an early edition of the program. I don't consider them major, and I didn't personally give her notes, but I think everybody involved agreed that it was slightly awkward and that's been ironed out. I haven't seen those problems since."
Some critics have suggested that Chen's chances of advancing as an anchor may have been permanently damaged by her role on "Big Brother." Heyward, however, said he doubts that's the case.
"I think Julie is a very talented broadcaster," he said. "I think the audience is quite sophisticated and understands that 'Big Brother' is an entirely different animal. There are many people who have made transitions back and forth to different genres and have done very well. I think she will come out of this just fine."
Earlier, CBS Television chief Leslie Moonves dismissed concerns that "The Early Show" was committing too much of its airtime to "Survivor" and "Big Brother" coverage.
"The morning shows should not be held to the same hard line as Rather, Brokaw and Jennings," Moonves said. "It's a different show."
On other matters, Heyward said he's optimistic that the bump "The Early Show" is getting from "Survivor" will continue into the fall.
"We have seen significant (ratings) progress," he said. "We'll have to see whether we can retain some of these gains after 'Survivor' is over. We'll see what happens, but I would certainly expect between now and the end of the year to see a continued build."
Rather's sticking
As for speculation that "CBS Evening News" anchor Dan Rather may be getting ready to call it quits in the next two years, Heyward said he's "not planning to make a change."
"It's not something that I worry about: 'Oh my God, what if Dan came in tomorrow and said that he wanted to move to '60 Minutes' or something,' " he said. "I think he's very committed to the 'Evening News.' But I do feel that we have plans B, C and D if we have to go to them."
