The former anchors of "PBS NewsHour" are in talks to give up ownership of the show, reports Elizabeth Jensen in The New York Times. The anchors are Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil.

"In an internal letter sent to the staff Tuesday, Mr. Lehrer and Mr. MacNeil said they were talking with the Washington public television station WETA, the program’s co-producer, about taking over ownership of the nonprofit program, which is produced under contract for PBS," Jensen writes.

WETA’s president, Sharon Rockefeller, learned of the offer with "delight and enthusiasm," the letter said, although details need to be worked out.

Lehrer and MacNeil said the reasons for stepping back from ownership include the need for fundraising and the fact that neither man is active in daily editorial decisions.

In MacNeil/Lehrer Productions’ last fiscal year, the group fell short in corporate underwriting and needed cash infusions from PBS, the story says. Earlier this year, the company laid off employees when it closed its San Francisco and Denver offices.