GUMBEL: He ran out of bullets. Actually, he said that right after I had come off “Today.” Any time you’ve been on a grind for 15 years, the idea of doing it again seems alien. But like a lot of things, when you step back, you see them in a different light. I missed live television. The morning is the only growing part of the network business, and we had a chance to build something from the ground up.

First of all, it was the facility. For better or worse, in these times a street-side studio levels the playing field. I think it’s very difficult to compete if you don’t have it. Beyond that, the studio was indicative of the corporation’s commitment. CBS has a history with the mornings of “Well, it didn’t work last month, let’s change it. It didn’t work this month, let’s change it again. Let’s bring on a dog, let’s bring on an actress, let’s do anything.” You don’t want to jump in there with people who aren’t going to be as committed to it as you are.

Some people wonder if this isn’t a step backward in terms of your career.

I find that amusing. I don’t know why somebody would consider it a step back. Don’t forget that Katie Couric also had a news magazine that went down in flames. She went back to “Today,” and I’m not sure anybody ever said that was a step back. I don’t know how one figures doing two hours of live television is a step back.

Matt [Lauer] and I are the best of friends. We just had dinner Friday night, so none of this came as news to him. I called Matt the day of the press conference. I called [“Today” executive producer] Jeff [Zucker], and I called Al [Roker]. I told all of them I will never say a bad word about them or their program. Do I hope to beat them? Yeah. But I want to beat them fighting fair.

I think it’s unrealistic to expect a sea change in the numbers. Mornings tend to move at a glacial pace. Our intention is to put on a show that we can be proud of and make it better each day. Ultimately, if you do that, I think people will come.

In other words, kind of like a guy who comes out of college where he’s in a winning program and he goes to a ball club that’s losing every night? That’s a good question. Ask me in about a year.

I think there’s been a great deal of attention paid to the morning, and [that] brings viewers, people who want to know what all the hubbub is about. I also think technology is adding to the audience. When you and I were kids, our parents operated on an eight-hour day. Now most of us operate pretty much on a 24-hour day. When people wake up, they want to get in touch immediately. We’re also benefiting from the fact that although other parts of the schedule are being chipped away at by forces within and without, morning remains a stable area, not only in terms of the cost, but also in terms of going unchallenged. Nobody’s going to sit there in the morning and say, “Let’s see what’s on HBO.”

We have a list. It’s not an easy decision. If it were, ABC wouldn’t have put Diane Sawyer back on.

I have several ideas, and none of them are “The Bryant Gumbel Show.” It’s funny–for all the things I’m accused of or sup-posedly did or said, I think people would tell you I’ve always said the program is not about me and my likes or dislikes. It shouldn’t be–and this one won’t be.