Can't wait for Paul Magers now

The newest TV anchor in Los Angeles -- thought to be in the line of CBS succession to Dan Rather -- is the subject of an unfriendly farewell in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The column by Neal Justin is given prominent play on Romenesko this afternoon, and says that Paul Magers is no Rather (and not in all the good ways that could mean):

Magers, meanwhile, is only 49 and has the hair of a 25-year-old surfer. He's got the confidence and poise of a movie star, one who could hush Bill O'Reilly with just a lift of an eyebrow and a hint of a smirk. Nothing could ruffle him, not a tennis match running over into news time, not a street ruffian demanding to know the frequency, not a snippety George Bush.

No one reads a TelePrompTer better, and that's not a trivial skill. Just watch the local news at some stations and you can tell exactly when the machine gets stuck. It's when the anchor's eyes expand an extra centimeter, he starts to bumble his words and his voice verges on crying out for his mommy...

But being a TelePrompTer ace is not nearly good enough to be the face of CBS News. In fact, one could argue that it's not even good enough to be the face of Los Angeles -- or the Twin Cities.

While Rather has reported alll over the world, the column says of Magers: "He's been a regular at the Minnesota State Fair." The St. Paul Pioneer Press sendoff is more complimentary.

Earlier: Magers was ratings leader in Minneapolis