• by Wayne Friedman , April 2, 2007

Is the tide turning for TV news talent to head back upstream to broadcast news? After years when many on- and off-air talent and executives tiptoed into cable news waters, some executives are finding solace in a return to broadcast airwaves.

CNN senior political analyst Jeff Greenfield is the latest cable casualty. He's moving to CBS News to report on the upcoming presidential election. His hire is an effort to help beef up the staff in the new Katie Couric-branded CBS world.

CBS had recently hired veteran TV executive Rick Kaplan, formerly of CNN and MSNBC, to take the reins as the executive producer of the "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric." Kaplan worked with Greenfield when both were at ABC News earlier in their careers.

Recently, CBS recently hired away two CNN reporters--general assignment journalist Kelly Wallace and technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg. This is in addition to having CNN anchor Anderson Cooper become a contributor to CBS News "60 Minutes."

TV analysts say Greenfield hasn't been a stalwart at CNN recently--perhaps indicating the network's preference for younger and fresher faces, a la rising star Anderson Cooper.

Greenfield will give Couric and the rest of CBS News gravitas, which hopefully can build a more stable audience, say analysts. Since temporary anchor Bob Schieffer left, "The CBS Evening Show" ratings have dipped.

The Greenfield hire comes at a time when cable news networks have plateaued somewhat in terms of audience growth. As the cable network business has matured, even the likes of industry leader Fox News Channel has witnessed a flattening out--or drop in ratings--recently.

With the recent changes at the broadcast networks--Charles Gibson at ABC, Brian Williams at NBC and Katie Couric at CBS--some TV news talent sees opportunity in the changing environment of broadcast news.