CBS holds off on replacing Ed Bradley

NEW YORK -- Faced with the need to replace Ed Bradley in the middle of the TV season, "60 Minutes" won't even bother.

His workload will be spread around, and, in a unique arrangement for the CBS newsmagazine, his top producer will run a reporting unit for stories available to all on-air correspondents.

"It's a long-term project to find the next full-time person who can show the abilities that are expected of a '60 Minutes' correspondent," said Jeff Fager, the show's executive producer.

Even before Bradley's death on Nov. 9, it was a transition year for TV's longest-running newsmagazine. Mike Wallace has retired, Morley Safer has cut back his hours and Dan Rather is gone. Katie Couric and Anderson Cooper are new contributors.

Bradley, who died at 65 of leukemia, had only a year to enjoy a status of first among equals at the ensemble. His was the first face shown during the weekly introductions, a subtle indication of status that only Wallace had previously achieved, and he was gone before many even realized it.

"He was the king," said fellow correspondent Bob Simon. "He had the most authoritative presence and style on the broadcast and that's not replaceable."

Bradley also was an off-screen leader at one of TV's most notorious dens of competition and ego.

Steve Kroft inherits Bradley's slot as the first correspondent whose face is shown during the show's introduction ("I'm Steve Kroft ...").