New WH Briefing Room Cooler, Literally

This story was written by CBS News Radio correspondent Peter Maer, who has covered the White House since 1986.

That was President Bush's droll greeting as White House reporters returned to their refurbished "digs."

The 11-month remodeling job brought a long overdue makeover of the West Wing briefing room and media offices. The new and improved facility occupies the same cramped "footprint" that housed the old press room.

Daily briefings and presidential appearances take place in the relatively small (49-seat) theater-like setting built atop a swimming pool that served six presidents. Mr. Bush immediately noticed the improved cooling system.

He told reporters, "a fellow like me would feel comfortable coming in here and answering a few questions without losing 20 pounds." He had often complained about the sweat-box quality of the old briefing room. Workers installed a badly-needed new ventilation system and cooler TV lights.

People tuning into White House events will see a glitzy backdrop that bears no resemblance to the old blue curtain setting. The podium is flanked by two fake white columns that, depending on your point of view, suggest either stateliness, a funeral home backdrop or a game show set.

Briefers can use two 45-inch flat screen TV monitors, giving the White House new ways to control and send messages. The first briefer to appear at the new podium, Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto, joked about the added features, saying, "The best is the smokescreen that blows out the front."

Behind the scenes, news organizations are housed in relatively small quarters featuring no-frills counters and shelving. The previous offices often had stale air, sagging ceilings, dim lighting, cracked wall covering and bare wires.

The Bush White House is edgy about maintaining decorum and cleanliness in the new facility. Food will be barred from the new briefing room. (That's not a bad idea. Back in the '90s, I encountered a large rat scavenging on a camera platform.)

Through the years, there was talk of permanently moving White House reporters to nearby government buildings. One plan even called for a subterranean facility under the White House North Lawn. The Bush administration opted for using the same location, just steps from the Oval Office.

Today's official re-opening reassured reporters who worried that they would never return to their longtime quarters. A White House official estimated the cost of the project at $8 million. The media paid approximately $2 million of that total to cover the cost of cabling, lighting and other facilities.

As a few reporters joked about the new facility before Mr. Bush cut the ceremonial ribbon, White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten told them: "It's better than you guys deserve."