SHORT TAKES : CBS Renews Chung Program

NEW YORK — CBS News’ “Saturday Night With Connie Chung” has been renewed for a second season even though the program has fared poorly in the ratings since its premiere in September. Chung on Thursday confirmed its renewal during a lunch with TV writers.

Last fall, Chung’s Saturday series drew sharp criticism for its re-creations of news stories. “We don’t have them (re-creations) on very often” because they take a long time to produce, she said Thursday. But she defended re-creations, calling them “a great way to tell a story when you couldn’t tell it any other way.”