Engage Blog

If you're like me, you've spent the past two weeks suffering from an acute case of JLWS--Jim Lehrer Withdrawal Syndrome.

It kicks in at 7 o'clock each evening when PBS's "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" begins and you see your favorite TV anchor isn't seated at his desk.

The symptoms of JLWS: a mild-to-severe case of anxiety, stemming from the realization that Mr. Lehrer won't be around to reassure you that no matter how bad things got today, the world is still turning.

OK, I'm exaggerating, but let's face it: Mr. Lehrer is missed when he's away, as he has been since a few days before his successful heart-valve surgery on April 23.

I've been wondering how Mr. Lehrer is doing during his convalescence, so I spoke with Linda Winslow, executive producer of "The NewsHour."

"I just talked to Jim and he sounded great. He didn't sound unrealistic about anything. "He's coping," she said late yesterday from her office at "The NewsHour" studios in Arlington, Va.

As Ms. Winslow explains it, no one was more surprised to learn Mr. Lehrer needed heart-valve surgery than the anchor himself.

On April 16, Mr. Lehrer, 73, visited his cardiologist after a routine checkup. That night, he joined Ms. Winslow at the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association's annual dinner in Washington, D.C.

"He looked great. He was expecting to be great. He didn't feel bad. He didn't feel ill," she said.

The next day, Mr. Lehrer -- who had heart bypass surgery in 1983 -- learned he needed the new procedure. He immediately went home to prepare for the surgery, which occurred six days later at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

His unexpected absence forced "The NewsHour" team to do some juggling during its coverage of last week's Pennsylvania presidential primary.

Mr. Lehrer had planned to moderate an election-themed town hall meeting at WQED in Pittsburgh on April 20, then anchor "The NewsHour" from the PBS station's studios for the next two nights.

Instead, senior correspondent Judy Woodruff filled in for Mr. Lehrer at the town hall meeting. The next day, she drove back to Arlington to co-anchor with Gwen Ifill that night's edition of "The NewsHour," writing her script along the way.

During Mr. Lehrer's absence, Ms. Winslow said the anchoring duties will be rotated among Ms. Woodruff, Ms. Ifill and the other members of "The NewsHour" all stars -- Jeffrey Brown, Ray Suarez and Margaret Warner.

"They really work well together. They all respect one another. It's the kind of environment that Jim and Robin [MacNeil, Mr. Lehrer's original "NewsHour" co-anchor] wanted to have," Ms. Winslow said.

"The NewsHour" has set up a special section of its Web site for visitors to leave Mr. Lehrer get well messages, and Ms. Winslow said viewer response has been "amazing"-- mabout 800 comments had been received by late yesterday.

Ms. Winslow is checking in with Mr. Lehrer by telephone until his expected in a few weeks. She said she'll know Mr. Lehrer is feeling better when he starts phoning her with story tips and suggestions.

He's getting better so much faster than 25 years ago. He keeps telling me how I wouldn't believe the advances in heart surgery," Ms. Winslow said.

"We miss Jim. He's more than just a guy on the air. He's a major force in everything we do."

How do you think "The NewsHour" is faring without Mr. Lehrer? Do you have a visceral reaction when your favorite TV news anchor isn't at the desk? Are you a fellow sufferer of JLWS?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below.