Stressing the Web, 'NewsHour' Begins an Overhaul

It has been a tough 19 months for "NewsHour" as it has dealt with a severe budget shortfall as well as the prolonged absence of Mr. Lehrer last year, after an emergency aortic valve replacement. But Mr. Lehrer returned reinvigorated. Instead of stepping down, as some had expected, he pushed for what has been the program's biggest overhaul since 1995, when Robert MacNeil retired as the co-anchor. And PBS hopes the changes will attract new audiences, whether on air or online. Beginning Dec. 7, Mr. Lehrer's name will not be on the program, for the first time since 1976. Instead it is being renamed "PBS NewsHour," which prompted a new streamlined logo and graphics. Mr. Lehrer will have a regular co-anchor; on the first program it will be Gwen Ifill, but Judy Woodruff and Jeffrey Brown are in the rotation. A new correspondent, Hari Sreenivasan, formerly of CBS News, will begin reading a news summary each night. A redone Web site will go up Thursday. It will be easier to find Mr. Brown's popular but often hidden Art Beat blog. Ms. Woodruff and Ms. Ifill, along with much of the rest of the staff, will begin contributing to a news analysis blog, as well. Mr. Sreenivasan, once he settles in, will anchor regular video news updates on the site, which will also feature extended interview material not used on the air. All the show's content will be more easily adaptable to various digital outlets, including, eventually, an iPhone app, said Simon Marks, the show's new associate executive producer. The challenge, Mr. Lehrer said in an interview in his office, is "to find a way to make it all seamless."