John Cochran

In the wake of the Chris Wallace-to-ABC bombshell, NBC News has firmed up its post-Wallace Washington coverage team, which goes into action next month. John Cochran leaves the State Department to take Wallace's job at the White House; Jim Miklaszewski, deputy Pentagon correspondent, becomes the deputy at the White House, replacing Andrea Mitchell--who in turn will inhabit the newly created job of chief congressional correspondent. And John Dancy will leave the Senate to replace Cochran at State.

In the wake of the Chris Wallace-to-ABC bombshell, NBC News has firmed up its post-Wallace Washington coverage team, which goes into action next month. John Cochran leaves the State Department to take Wallace's job at the White House; Jim Miklaszewski, deputy Pentagon correspondent, becomes the deputy at the White House, replacing Andrea Mitchell--who in turn will inhabit the newly created job of chief congressional correspondent. And John Dancy will leave the Senate to replace Cochran at State.

Chris Wallace, the NBC White House correspondent who is going to ABC, became a lame-duck reporter Wednesday as NBC named John Cochran to succeed him immediately. The network also said that veteran NBC newsman Garrick Utley, co-anchor of "Sunday Today," will take over another of Wallace's jobs. Utley, whose Sunday program is moving to Washington and will start broadcasting from there on Jan. 29, will succeed Wallace then as moderator of NBC's long-running "Meet the Press."

Chris Wallace, the NBC White House correspondent who is going to ABC, became a lame-duck reporter Wednesday as NBC named John Cochran to succeed him immediately. The network also said that veteran NBC newsman Garrick Utley, co-anchor of "Sunday Today," will take over another of Wallace's jobs. Utley, whose Sunday program is moving to Washington and will start broadcasting from there on Jan. 29, will succeed Wallace then as moderator of NBC's long-running "Meet the Press."

Reporting on Reporters: Quick, who was the most visible reporter last year on network news? Scratch Rather, Brokaw and Jennings. The winner, for the third straight year, was NBC's John Cochran, who appeared in 186 evening news stories, says the Center for Media and Public Affairs. A new study by the center also shows that white males dominated the network evening newscasts in 1991.

Gayle Wilson, wife of Gov. Pete Wilson, will join civic and medical officials today in opening a newly expanded neonatal intensive care unit at Martin Luther Hospital in Anaheim. The 22-unit complex will feature a family "nesting room," for sleeping, private breast-feeding rooms, a round-the-clock laboratory and radiology services. The unit is the most sophisticated of its kind in the North Orange-South Los Angeles counties area, hospital officials said.

County health officials will hold a public meeting Oct. 10 to discuss plans for reopening Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital in Willowbrook, which closed in August after failing to meet federal standards for patient care. The meeting will include a presentation by John Cochran, chief deputy director for the county Department of Health Services, and Gary Frazier, an associate with the Hammes Group, a consultant hired by the county to find a private entity to run the hospital.

UCI Medical Center Director Mark R. Laret has been appointed to the Cal-OPTIMA board of directors. Cal-OPTIMA is the health maintenance organization for people on Medi-Cal. Laret was appointed to the four-year term by a unanimous vote of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Laret replaces John R. Cochran III, a charter member of the Cal-OPTIMA board and its first chairman.

Three county health officials said Tuesday they have narrowed to three the number of private entities they are considering to reopen and run Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital. Although five organizations submitted proposals, only one, from Pacific Hospital of Long Beach, met the county's requirements for running the Willowbrook facility, said John R. Cochran, chief deputy director of the county's Department of Health Services.