XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX SUN MAY 13, 2005 19:00:01 ET XXXXX

CBS TURNS TO ENTERTAINMENT EXECUTIVES FOR 'EVENING NEWS' ADVICE

The development of a permanent successor to Dan Rather on the CBS EVENING NEWS has been shrouded in secrecy, but a meeting last Tuesday at the headquarters of the network's parent company, VIACOM, suggests that CBS is canvassing opinions from people well outside the news division, the NEW YORK TIMES is planning to report on Monday.

CBS NEWS executives are said to be disappointment that people from the "entertainment" side of VIACOM were being given a voice in the affairs of CBS News.

Who was at the CBS EVENING NEWS meeting?

Terry Wood, who developed the "Dr. Phil" talk show and "The Insider," a celebrity news program, and David Sirulnick, executive vice president of news at MTV, among others.

Developing...