CBS News plans to abandon the template the storied Tiffany Network has created for its evening news shows with Norah O’Donnell stepping down as anchor this fall and instead launch a “60 Minutes”-style show featuring four veteran journalists, the company announced Thursday.
The major renewal of bottom-ranked “Evening News” includes leaving its Washington, D.C., base and returning to CBS’ broadcast center in Hell’s Kitchen, where veteran CBS News reporter John Dickerson and WCBS-TV anchorman Maurice Dubois will co-anchor the show.
“Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan will lead political and foreign affairs coverage from Washington, D.C., and Ronnie Quinn will be chief weather anchor in a new format “overseen” by “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens.
CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon said Owens’ “60 Minutes” has been a prestige and revenue driver for the network and that he will “play a key role in shaping the future of the show” while “strengthening the editorial capabilities and decision-making at CBS News and our stations.”
The overhaul of the low-rated evening newscast comes after McMahon removed O’Donnell as anchor on Tuesday ahead of major cuts expected to begin this month.
One CBS insider described the new move as a “publicity stunt” and “fake advertising.”
“60 Minutes doesn’t cover breaking news very often,” the source noted.
Another source said O’Donnell’s removal from her anchor role did not bode well for the network’s other top talent.
“To me this is a signal that the cuts in August will be big, widespread and severe enough to exclude everyone,” the source predicted.
Owens, meanwhile, said he wanted to bring strong storytelling back to the Evening News, which has had such big-name anchors as Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather.
“The Evening News was the defining broadcast of my career and remains the broadcast of record,” Owens said, emphasizing the significance of the show’s return to New York, after it relocated to Washington, D.C., in 2019 under former CBS News president Susan Zirinsky.
“This broadcast will not be the traditional headlines that move from one clipped story to the next. There will be a new format and rhythm to how the news is delivered,” he added.
Veteran producer Guy Campanile will serve as executive producer, and Jerry Cipriano will return as senior news editor and producer, Owens added.
CBS News executives hope the changes will boost ratings, which have been declining under O’Donnell.
Though the 50-year-old anchor has landed some big interviews over the years, “Evening News” averaged just 4.4 million viewers in the most recent quarter, including fewer than 600,000 viewers ages 25 to 54.
During O’Donnell’s five years as anchor, her ratings have fallen by about 25 percent, relegating her to behind ABC’s top-rated shows, “World News Tonight” and “NBC Nightly News.”
The veteran journalist will move to a new role as senior correspondent after November’s presidential election, focusing on bigger interviews.
The announcement of her departure comes as CBS parent company Paramount Global is expected to cut $500 million ahead of its merger with Skydance Media.
