CBS News already supports the revamp of its “Evening News” program. The Post learned that network bosses risk becoming victims.
A few weeks after the dramatic overhaul was replaced by Nora O'Donnell, Tiffany Network, replaced by a “60-minute” style news magazine by a lesser-known pair of anchors, has seen a decline in ratings, and more We're back to news-driven broadcasts.
It was after embarrassment like last week that “Evening News” was “Why can't Johnny read?” – a 6-minute functional package on student literacy – appeared in the White House and included the release of US prisoners in Russia. Despite the busy news cycle.
“They realized they couldn't ignore the news,” said the industry insider at the third-placed show. “We can't really ignore the tsunami of news coming out of the White House and Washington.”
The new format, the brainchild of CBS News CEO and President Wendy McMahon, wanted to shake up the perennial third-place program O'Donnell has been pinned for the past five years.
McMahon tapped Bill Owens, executive producer of “60 Minutes” to bring in the long section reported in “Evening News.” She also replaced O'Donnell with lesser known, cheaper Anchor Maurice Dubois and Jeff Dickerson.
The duo is widely panned by current and former CBS News employees.
According to one source, Dickerson “seemed like a deer in the headlights” during the night broadcast, but another information suggests that former WCBS anchor Dubois was not a market in New York City. He said it was “completely unknown.”
“There are a few things you want from an anchor or a woman,” a former news executive said. “You like them, so you want to invite them to your home. Or they need to be reliable.”
Uncertainty after critics revamped her “Evening News.” Getty Images of the Disposal Prevention League
“What credibility does Maurice Dubois have, and what credibility does John Dickerson have other than political reporting?” sources have been added. “none.”
The overhaul is as SkyDance Media aims to merge with Paramount Global's owned network this year in a deal that is expected to bring about a restructuring and restructuring of Paramount, home to CBS, MTV and Showtime this year.
Sources say Skydance CEO David Ellison and former NBCuniversal CEO Jeff Shell are ready to take over as president of the combined company, and are questioning the strategy of news division McMahon He told the post that there was.
“The conditions for Ellison Skidance are not impressed by her strategy or leadership abilities,” another source told the post.
Skydance and Shell declined to comment
“I don't think Wendy is surviving,” the first insider said. “Where is Wendy's victory? What did she do?”
CBS News declined to comment.
On Wednesday, McMahon's right hand, Adrienne Roark, left the network and insiders speculated that it would appear to be the start of a stampede ahead of the merger.
According to data from Nielsen, since Dickerson-Dubois pairing began on January 27th, ratings have experienced a consistent decline. The show debuted with a total audience of 5.2 million viewers, but on average it skated to 4.8 million viewers in its first week.
By week two, the show had lost around 300,000 viewers, and by the third week that ended on February 16th, it had a total audience of 4.5 million data showed.
A source close to CBS News said the viewer's drop-off was “not a surprise.”
“When there is an anchor change, it's traditionally permeated with evaluations. We understand that short-term evaluations will take a hit, and we're in this for the long term, and we're in this for a long time. I'm confident in the game,” the source said.
“Evening News” leads more news and analysis of more news and analysis from CBS News correspondents, including Margaret Brennan, who has been criticized by President Trump and Vice President Vance.
On Sunday, Brennan was torn by critics after claiming he had been “weaponized” in Germany to carry out the Holocaust between his days with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Part of McMahon's first strategy for improved “evening news” is to run costs by running less and longer stories than reporters told on the ground. It was about reducing it.
In the case of the Delta Airplane crash story, CBS News did not send reporters to Toronto, but instead conducted interviews with survivors by a Canadian broadcasting company.
The show found other ways to cover quickly and cheaply, including an “Roundup” segment that lasts about a minute each night, including an IRS layoff under Trump, a lack of eggs, and a Texas measles outbreak .
“They have made a cheap way to cover the news,” an industry insider said the show's reliability could be slipping.
Recent Pack News It has been reported That the feature-driven form and show anchor duo has become feed for a wider internal critique of the show and its leader McMahon.
