Dan Rather Launching Show On The Young Turks Network

Dan Rather

Former "CBS Evening News" anchor Dan Rather wasn't too familiar with The Young Turks Network when he took a meeting with the online progressive news network's founder and chief executive officer, Cenk Uygur.

"I was only vaguely aware, I'm sorry to say," Rather confessed to CNN in a phone interview Sunday.

But, as Rather said, "something clicked" between him and Uygur. So when Uygur offered Rather a show with the network, he "jumped" at the opportunity.

On Monday, Rather will premiere "The News With Dan Rather," a 30-minute show that The Young Turks Network is billing as an "untraditional evening newscast," made available weekly at 5:30 p.m. ET. The program will focus on original reporting, stories that Rather believes are not receiving the amount of attention they deserve, and analysis of the hot topics of the day.

His jump to the provocative progressive outlet, which distributes its programming on politics and pop culture through digital platforms like Facebook and YouTube, is a bit out of step with the rest of his storied career, Rather acknowledged. For decades, Rather hosted the "CBS Evening News," a newscast filmed in a traditional elaborate studio, produced with the help of a large team, and backed by the finances of a well-established network. And there, Rather aimed to provide viewers the news of the day without bias or favor. Now he's joining an outlet with a clear ideological bent.

The 86-year-old veteran newsman told CNN that President Trump's attacks on the press and political norms helped motivate him to launch the new show.