NY Anchor Bumped Up to the Mothership

Another Anchor is out the door at WCBS in New York. ​

But this time it isn't because of him being arrested for choking his wife.​

Longtime  anchor Dahler is heading to CBS News.

He starts April 7 as a New York-based correspondent filing for “CBS Evening News” and “CBS This Morning.”

Dahler joined WCBS in September 2007 after several years of reporting for ABC News. Earlier in his career he was a “48 Hours” producer, before heading in front of the camera.

“When I left ‘48’ … it was always with the goal to return someday as a correspondent for CBS,” Dahler tells the Daily News in an exclusive interview. “I never told anyone, but that was my secret goal.”

Dahler was the first network correspondent to report from Ground Zero during 9/11, when he was at ABC, and later covered the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Losing the versatile Dahler comes at a difficult time for WCBS, which is still stinging after allegations last month that anchor Rob Morrison attempted to choke his wife, Ashley, who also works for CBS at “MoneyWatch.”

Rob Morrison stepped down from his morning anchor position several days later.

“It’s caused a great deal of sadness in the air,” Dahler says. “We don’t know what goes on in private. We don’t know the real story until they finally decide to tell it, if they ever do. I place no judgments on that situation at all.”

Dahler says he will miss the WCBS experience.

“I’ve really sincerely enjoyed my time at Channel 2,” Dahler says. “There are great people here.”

In September 2011, Dahler was taken off his weeknight newscast to accommodate Chris Wragge, who by the year’s end would be out at The Early Show. Dahler, in turn, was given the weekend “split shift” of early morning and night time.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was disappointed to lose the 6,” Dahler admits. “…But it made complete business sense for CBS/Channel 2 to do that. They had Chris Wragge coming back from network and they needed a spot for him, because he’s very much a known talent in this market. They knew with me that I was kind of good utility player.”

Dahler says he didn’t think of the weekend relocation as a demotion, just part of the territory.

“I never felt, in a sense, like it was denigrating my anchoring or my abilities in any way,” Dahler says. “… You can’t take things like that personally, because if you do, it’s going to drive you nuts.”

H/T NY Daily News