in other news

Face the Nation Makes Expansion Permanent, Will Continue Tormenting Meet the Press

NEW YORK - JUNE 03: Journalist Bob Schieffer speaks on stage during the 34th Annual AWRT Gracie Awards Gala at The New York Marriott Marquis on June 3, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for AWRT) *** Local Caption *** Bob Schieffer
Sunday morning’s Savannah Guthrie is a bit older, slightly less perky. Photo: Jemal Countess/2009 Getty Images

There’s an update on the Face the Nation–Meet the Press rivalry, or the dorkier version of the Today show’s long ratings war with Good Morning America. Since December, when Face the Nation was bumped up an hour from 30 minutes, the show has trounced Meet the Press in the ratings, and on Sunday CBS declared that the change is permanent. The Washington Post reports that the show’s second half-hour is only carried in about 60 percent of the country, and the announcement is intended to get the other affiliates onboard. CBS News president David Rhodes said that since expanding to the hour-long format, “we’ve had more people coming to us, wanting to be on the program than, in some cases, we can handle.” Hear that, Meet the Press? Their biggest problem these days is that they’re just too damn popular.

Face the Nation Makes Expansion Permanent