Charlie Rose Quits as Anchor of New ‘Personalities’ Series

Television anchorman Charlie Rose quit his new daily series “Personalities” on Thursday, saying he is “not comfortable” with its emphasis on entertainment and that he will seek to return to “the kind of journalism I do.”

Rose had quit as host of CBS’s late-hour, Washington-based “Nightwatch” series to come to Hollywood and become the anchor of “Personalities,” a half-hour series that debuted on Sept. 3. His final broadcast airs today.

The syndicated series is produced by Twentieth Television, a division of Twentieth Century Fox. Rose will be replaced by Bill Sternoff.

Rose said “there’s no animosity, and I hope to talk to Fox and others about projects,” but he added that “Personalities” is “not calling on the best of my intelligence, my instincts, my interests. I’m more comfortable with timely news that deals with newsmakers beyond the world of entertainment.”

He said that it is “perfectly legitimate” for the show to seek ratings, but, “for at least a month, I have struggled with the direction and execution of the broadcast.” He said he had “no quarrel” with the series’ thrust, but he added: “I just don’t want to do it.”

An announcement from Twentieth said that Rose “has requested and received a release from his contract” because of “creative differences.”