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I believe that after Cronkite left and Rather took over, that was the beginning of their woes. The transition period was alright and ratings were stable but around the beginning of the 80s was when the cracks started to show not only for CBS News but for CBS as a whole. CBS in the 80s and 90s was a whirlwind of mismanagement and terrible business decisions. CBS became both too big to fail and too complacent, making decisions that not only affected the CBS network but the company as a whole. They started to sell off a large amount of assets to other companies in a futile attempt to drive up cash flow, it kept them stable throughout the 80s but the 90s would see significant declines for CBS as a whole. Despite CBS having some stable programming like Dallas and 60 Minutes for example, CBS could not keep up with ABC and NBC which combined had more stability and better programming throughout all their divisions. The most notable example of CBS' decline has to be the year of 1995 when CBS lost stations that defected to FOX. It was the climax of a buildup that not only involved some stations defecting from CBS but also the loss of value that a CBS affiliation once gave a station. FOX as a whole took advantage by not only getting NFC rights for the NFL but by cutting a deal with New World which while involving some ABC and NBC stations, hit CBS the hardest. Most of the new CBS stations were UHF stations which to this day are still struggling to get a foothold in their respective markets, while some stations were VHF, very few of said stations were upgrades when compared to their previous stations; especially KYW which despite the lower channel number didn't have the prestige or notability that WCAU has/had. And not much needs to be mentioned about the disastrous and misguided 1995 season. While CBS has been more stable in terms of entertainment and sports programming, their news division has fallen from stability to constant disarray. Their attempts to compete in the morning show space dominated by Today and GMA has always been mostly lackluster but the loss of Rather and inability to replace Rather is still seen as a sore spot for CBS. CBS has gone through several iterations of formats and hosts for programs not named 60 Minutes and CBS Sunday Morning. The list of previous hosts for the CBS Evening News is longer than NBC and ABC's respective Evening news programs combined. In addition, no host since Rather has been able to provide stability for the CBS Evening News. While Scott Pelly's version of the CBS Evening News was the best since Rather, the ratings and monetary performance of said program pales in comparison to the Rather era where despite being 3rd, advertisers were able to rely on it for it's consistency and familiarity. CBS News brass has no faith in the show to give the host a chance to establish their tenue and because of that, nobody really sees the CBS Evening News as legitimate competition. And if the CBS Evening News isn't reliable than why watch CBS Mornings as well? The only bright spot is 60 Minutes and CBS Sunday Morning and that is telling of itself. I honestly don't think we're getting another Cronkite or Rather and I feel like the glory days past, present and future of CBS News are long gone. They'll be lucky if they make it to see the 2030s and that's me being optimistic.

I agree entirely with TVLurker that the lack of consistent talent has hurt CBS News. Constant reimagining, rebranding, and relaunching morning and evening news products has been a disastrous approach. Why CBS blows up and relaunches "a new era" every few years, NBC and ABC make tweaks to evolve their shows. However, I think the 1995 affiliation switch gets overplayed. Indeed, it mattered then and in the immediate years that followed. But CBS primetime was able to ascend to the top of the network pile. Same for daytime. I believe the problem with CBS News is CBS News. The culture was set during Cronkite and never changed. There's no doubt that CBS News has an excellent pedigree. But NBC wasn't exactly asleep at the switch in the early days with Huntly and Brinkly, plus the Today Show. NBC News has continued to evolve as its audience has evolved. Heck, the early days of ABC News were a non-factor on the national stage. It wasn't until Roone Arledge envisioned newscasters as "stars" that they started to gain traction. In the 1980s and 1990s, NBC and ABC invested in their on-air presentation, including sets, music, graphics, etc.. Television is, after all, a visual medium. Meanwhile, the culture of CBS News seems perpetually stuck in the Cronkite days. "We don't need to invest in our on-air presentation because we are CBS. Walter Cronkite worked here, damnit! Our reporting is the star." That worked in the 50s, 60s, and 70s when the picture quality was poor and Americans had two or three choices for news. And when CBS does invest, it doesn't feel like they are being innovative. They seem to deploy technology as a means to cut costs. Take a look at the green screen studios they are installing at their local stations. To me, this is just a way to cut the costs of building physical sets. Other people are using these types of sets, but they are usually employed as a next-level storytelling tool. CBS is putting entire newscasts into a virtual environment, which doesn't seem to serve any purpose other than to say "we are the first to have a virtual studio!" By the way, WCBS was the first to have a virtual studio. See what good it did them. They had it in the late 90s. If you don't remember, look it up. It was over-the-top ugly.

Well it’s official, Irika Sargent made 10 years with CBS 2. Not only that, but she has surpassed her female predecessors of the evening newscasts of the 21st century.

WBKO Newscenter 13 1992 WVEC 13 News 1995 WTVJ 1987, In this clip there are a couple of News 4 Special Reports about the Atlanta penitentiary riots

It's too bad that "issues of character" aren't enforced by the FCC. That should rule out people like Dujuan McCoy from owning TV stations. (screengrab from FTVLive) https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2025/11/2/how-about-this-guy-as-your-owner

This is an unusual post for this topic but I had to... Today I learned that Marisa Burke, formerly of WNEP-TV, is the group news director for Coastal Television. In other words, the news you see on KYUR/KATN/KJUD, KJNE/KJNB, WNBJ, WYDC, and a few others. This is a podcast done by former WNEP/WABC anchor/reporter Raegan Medgie and this episode focuses on Marisa's life, career, and THE one singular event involving her husband that nearly sidetracked (but not ending) her career, which was later detailed on her book, Just Checking Scores. EDIT: For those who don't remember, Marisa left WNEP in 2016 after a 32-year career that in which she took a voluntary buyout from Tribune (station's owners at the time), alongside Chief Meteorologist Tom Clark.

Not to be a smartass, but considering the same first name and nothing on Rick Gevers' ND newsletter about KMGH over the last few months, solid chance same person, different last name due to a change in marriage status.

Audrina recently celebrated a decade with CBS2. She currently stands as the second longest running morning news anchor and the youngest promoted so far.

BREAKING BBC's Director General Tim Davie and the CEO of BBC News Deborah Turness are both OUT of their jobs. This is due to a edit featuring a documentary on Trump for BBC's Panorama. https://news.sky.com/story/tim-davie-resigns-as-bbcs-director-general-13467527

More interesting news.... ITV is planning to sell their channels and streaming services to Sky in a deal worth 1.6 billion British pounds (the equivalent of $2 billion USD). https://news.sky.com/story/itv-in-preliminary-talks-over-1-6bn-sale-of-media-and-entertainment-arm-to-sky-13465599

Oh I saw that. Eric just trying to boost himself up, before he leaves office. Curt didn’t need to get that heated.

Bob Trumpy, former NBC Sports commentator, among other things, is now departed at 80. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46817999/bob-trumpy-ex-bengals-te-broadcaster-dies-80 Screenshot from 1982 Orange Bowl DVD of Trumpy: