TV & VIDEO - Aug. 25, 1987

He’s softened up his wardrobe (to sweaters from suits). He’s dyed his hair. He’s even let a little more of that Texas drawl into his voice. But Dan Rather is still bringing up the rear among evening news broadcasts, and broadcast consultants polled by the Wall Street Journal figure the “CBS Evening News” is just suffering from the fickleness of television audiences. “It is conceivable that Mr. Rather has had his day in court as top dog among the newsmen, and the newsmen on the other two networks will have their day of comeuppance,” said Michael Dann, a top programming executive at ABC and CBS for 35 years.