CBS Evening News

[MediaZone4K 2158]

I was just thinking about how long Nora has been in the role and how long she's going to last. She's not that remarkable as evening host, but CBS doesn't have anyone so they might as well stick with her. Would love to see her on back CBS Mornings but they're overcrowded now.

 

Unless it's going to be Brian Williams or Shepherd Smith I'm disinterested. Do not do the rotating anchor method, people want a leading familiar face on the Evening/breaking news.

 

If we are rotating, I'd like to see Ted Koppel there two times a week lol.

 

No hate, but I hope they do not put John Dickerson in the role. He seems like a nice guy who's knowledgeable of politics but he does not have the personality to be an anchor even though they keep forcing him into anchor roles.

Edited July 30, 2024 by MediaZone4K

[Glimmer 281]

I can’t imagine CBS News will be needing any outside people to come in here.  They have a lot of folks I can see fitting into a rotating cast well; Maurice DuBois is something they’re giving more a national spotlight to lately.  I imagine a good deal of the 60 Minutes team will get their at bats too; with The Talk ending in December, I wouldn’t be surprised if Natalie Morales came into this as well.

[GraphicsMan 109]

I bet Tony Dikopil I’ll parlay that.

[Geoffrey 856]

Kind of surprised that they would announce this before the election. Makes her seem like a "lame duck" anchor through one of the busiest periods of the news cycle.

 

Not a fan of rotating anchors as a permanent replacement. They've done this in the past for a few weeks/months between anchors, but this feels extremely cheap and as if they do not care about the CBS Evening News.

 

Will the broadcast remain in DC? Back to NY?

[NYAZSporty 124]

1 hour ago, Glimmer said:

I can’t imagine CBS News will be needing any outside people to come in here.  They have a lot of folks I can see fitting into a rotating cast well; Maurice DuBois is something they’re giving more a national spotlight to lately.  I imagine a good deal of the 60 Minutes team will get their at bats too; with The Talk ending in December, I wouldn’t be surprised if Natalie Morales came into this as well.

If Maurice is given this opportunity on even a semi-regular basis, he'd probably consider cutting back locally at WCBS in New York, perhaps giving up one of either the 5PM or 11PM or even both newscasts. More likely than not, we'll probably see Major Garrett & Margaret Brennan, 2 reg. fill-ins for Norah in the rotation.

Edited July 30, 2024 by NYCsporty

[Jase 1042]

Rotating anchors isn't a bad idea. There's no harm in trying something new given their current state (ratings-wise). Now, if someone were to gain consistent traction; it's highly probable that person would take over the job permanently. And if you think about it, that would be a win-win situation.

 

They would have found someone internally that connects to viewers without taking a financial risk in bringing in an outsider (given that hasn't worked) nor would anyone feel  'passed over' because it would ultimately be the viewers who make the final decision.

[MediaZone4K 2158]

4 hours ago, GraphicsMan said:

I bet Tony Dikopil I’ll parlay that.

I feel like that would amount to a Jeff Glor 2.0 situation. Moderately known, middle aged, all American anchorman who gets the job done but ends up gone in a few years. 

 

The advantage that ABC and NBC have is that they have well groomed anchor talent waiting in the reserves. If David & Lester were to quit tomorrow, Tom Llamas, Savannah Guthrie, Peter Alexander, or George Stephanopoulos, Lindsay Davis and Whit Johnson could step in ASAP. 

[NYNewsCoverage 300]

1 hour ago, MediaZone4K said:

I feel like that would amount to a Jeff Glor 2.0 situation. Moderately known, middle aged, all American anchorman who gets the job done but ends up gone in a few years. 

 

The advantage that ABC and NBC have is that they have well groomed anchor talent waiting in the reserves. If David & Lester were to quit tomorrow, Tom Llamas, Savannah Guthrie, Peter Alexander, or George Stephanopoulos, Lindsay Davis and Whit Johnson could step in ASAP. 

I agree on that front with Tony Dokoupil. I actually think Maurice DuBois might be one of the better options, but viewers outside of New York would likely find him an unfamiliar face. Dick Brennan could seamlessly replace him at 5,6 and 11pm on WCBS since he fills in quite often and already has established chemistry with Kristine.

Another out-of-the-box option could be Bill Whitaker. Yes, he is older, but he would bring a well-known, calming presence to the evening news. Also from 60 minutes they could bring out Sharyn Alfonsi or even Cecilia Vega (if they want someone younger).

[MediaZone4K 2158]

2 hours ago, NYNewsCoverage said:

I agree on that front with Tony Dokoupil. I actually think Maurice DuBois might be one of the better options, but viewers outside of New York would likely find him an unfamiliar face. Dick Brennan could seamlessly replace him at 5,6 and 11pm on WCBS since he fills in quite often and already has established chemistry with Kristine.

Another out-of-the-box option could be Bill Whitaker. Yes, he is older, but he would bring a well-known, calming presence to the evening news. Also from 60 minutes they could bring out Sharyn Alfonsi or even Cecilia Vega (if they want someone younger).

I Forgot to mention...Anderson Cooper. Not sure if he's still a 60 minutes contributor but he's established presence familiar with CBS. He's got the roving anchorman in a black T-shirt experience of David Muir, and the calming stoicism of Lester Holt.

 

The only problem is he wouldn't be cheap and I don't think Paramount wants to spend money right now.

 

Instead of this musical anchor chairs CBSEN could have stuck with Bob Schiffer for the 10 years until his retirement and then went with someone else. 

Edited July 31, 2024 by MediaZone4K

[MorningNews 1437]

Shouldn’t be shocked to see this given EN patterns since Dan Rather but damn this is surprising. She was never that great behind the desk but they made an investment in her and the show moving down to DC so I thought they’d stick with her. If you’re going to revamp the show every 3-5 years then you might as well implement a rotating anchor format. 

[MediaZone4K 2158]

If the program moves back to New York hopefully they can do a recreation of the DC set backdrop. The dim blue world map video wall is really the best looking of the evening news shows right now. Would be a shame to see that no longer in use.

[jrogo 196]

I’m really looking forward to see how CBS does this, it works really well for the BBC and allows the focus to be on the news, not the anchor. This seems like a great opportunity for CBS to really think about what they want out of the evening news and potentially refocus things. 
 

I’d like to see the following people in the rotation: 

Lindsey Reiser  (24/7 streaming) 

Cecilia Vega  (60 minuets) 

Lilia Luciano  (24/7 streaming) 

Sharyn Alfonsi  (60 minuets) 

Jericka Duncan  (CBS weekend news) 

Elaine Quijano  (network & WCBS anchor) 

 

The following could be brought in as needed for bigger stories such as politics and event coverage: 
Lisa Ling  (yes that one, joined CBS last year) 

Margaret Brennan  (face the nation) 

Jeff Glor  (Saturday morning) 

Maurice DuBois  (WCBS and filled in for Pelley) 

No Tony, no Major Garrett, no James Brown. 
 

I think going for established talent from 24/7 streaming and 60 minuets is the way to go, viewers across the board know them and have seen them, anchors from streaming could appeal to younger audiences and anchors from 60 minuets would provide maturity & stability to a rotating anchor format. I really hope CBS gets this right and it ends up working out well for them, they should continue to use both Washington and New York for broadcasting as it doesn’t really matter where it comes from as long it’s got substance. 

Edited July 31, 2024 by jrogo

[24994J 5552]

31 minutes ago, jrogo said:

I’d like to see the following people in the rotation: 

Reiser, Vega, Luciano, Alfonsi, Duncan, Quijano

 

The following could be brought in as needed for bigger stories such as politics and event coverage: 
Ling , Brennan, Glor, DuBois 

No Tony, no Major Garrett, no James Brown. 

 

I understand Garrett & Brown, but the omission of Dokoupil, Dickerson & Duthiers is a massive oversight, especially when names like Ling & Glor make your cut.

[jrogo 196]

37 minutes ago, 24994J said:

 

I understand Garrett & Brown, but the omission of Dokoupil, Dickerson & Duthiers is a massive oversight, especially when names like Ling & Glor make your cut.

Personally I’m not a fan of Tony Dokouoil and didn’t think he fit well when he has filled in for Norah. John Dickerson should focus on his streaming show which airs at the same time and Vald should focus on streaming & his morning segments and continue to be groomed for the next open seat on Mornings. Just my opinion. 
 

Jeff Glor has done it before and is really liked on Saturdays so he’d be a recognizable face who has led big coverage. Lisa Ling would be great for special coverage too due to her experience and name recognition. 

Edited July 31, 2024 by jrogo

[Jase 1042]

1 hour ago, jrogo said:

I’m really looking forward to see how CBS does this, it works really well for the BBC and allows the focus to be on the news, not the anchor. This seems like a great opportunity for CBS to really think about what they want out of the evening news and potentially refocus things. 
 

I’d like to see the following people in the rotation: 

Lindsey Reiser  (24/7 streaming) 

Cecilia Vega  (60 minuets) 

Lilia Luciano  (24/7 streaming) 

Sharyn Alfonsi  (60 minuets) 

Jericka Duncan  (CBS weekend news) 

Elaine Quijano  (network & WCBS anchor) 

 

The following could be brought in as needed for bigger stories such as politics and event coverage: 
Lisa Ling  (yes that one, joined CBS last year) 

Margaret Brennan  (face the nation) 

Jeff Glor  (Saturday morning) 

Maurice DuBois  (WCBS and filled in for Pelley) 

No Tony, no Major Garrett, no James Brown. 
 

I think going for established talent from 24/7 streaming and 60 minuets is the way to go, viewers across the board know them and have seen them, anchors from streaming could appeal to younger audiences and anchors from 60 minuets would provide maturity & stability to a rotating anchor format. I really hope CBS gets this right and it ends up working out well for them, they should continue to use both Washington and New York for broadcasting as it doesn’t really matter where it comes from as long it’s got substance. 

 

It's possible they call upon the same group of people they used between Glor and O'Donnell (with the possible exception of Begnaud, who is now a contributor to CBS News). Garrett currently serves as a fill-in anchor for CBSEN (among his other duties), so I can't see them excluding him. I wouldn't be upset if both Brennan and Dickerson were excluded this go-round and both Luciano and Dokoupil would be a big NO for me.

 

This rotating anchors situation is very likely temporary (whether it's a couple of months or, at most, a year) as I don't see them making this permanent. Thinking outside the box isn't what CBS does.

[Recovering Producer 207]

(sarcastic post) Coming early 2025: The CBS Evening ScrippsCast with no anchor. 

[tyrannical bastard 3933]

I wish Scott Pelley was still an option.  He made CBS News good again after the Katie Couric experiment went awry.  Then again, much of the stablility and prowess of CBS News at the time was tied to the Me Too movement and the bad behavior of the people running the show back then.

 

Ever since that purge, CBS News has been a mess and Norah O'Donnell didn't help matters.  We've come a long way from Uncle Walter and even Dan Rather.

[MorningNews 1437]

Agreed with the above. Dumping Scott Pelley was a bad move, at the very least pointless. Absolutely nothing has changed from the time they hurried on from him. Feel somewhat similarly regarding Jeff Glor.

[ATLNewsExpert 453]

Time for my actual take. Even though there seemingly wasn't a lot of love for her, I always thought Norah was fine, good even, especially during elections and breaking news, her delivery and persona just worked, and CBS really needed something, someone stable, and since she was in the seat, it might as well have continued to be her, or so I thought.

 

I did see that this was her decision, and in that case, I understand, wanting to try something new while your still young and at the height of your career, and who knows, maybe theirs something personal in these decisions, you just can't judge right away.

 

I also don't see why everyone is upset that they are going to rotating anchors, they've done that before when Couric, Pelley, and Glor left, it's just part of the process of finding someone new. As far as her replacement, that's really a tough one. I feel like most of the top contenders are just either too young, won't give many years of service, and or won't attract eyeballs. 

 

That being said, what's Anthony Mason doing, he seemed to be popular as intern anchor, Maurice isn't a bad option either, and I can get behind Shep Smith too. I honestly would be ok with Pelley coming back but worry it might be seemed as a bit indecisive, bringing back an old anchor.

7 hours ago, jrogo said:

I’m really looking forward to see how CBS does this, it works really well for the BBC and allows the focus to be on the news, not the anchor. This seems like a great opportunity for CBS to really think about what they want out of the evening news and potentially refocus things. 

That's slightly not true with the BBC, Huw Edwards mainly anchored the News at Ten for almost two decades before his ouster, and has been replaced by Sophie Raworth (who was anchoring the Six O'clock News), but very true with other European outlets, but I feel bringing that to America so suddenly really wouldn't work, not without a pure, everything brand spanking new rebrand.

 

Like how saying "The BBC News at Ten with Sophie Raworth" or "ARD Tagesschau with Jan Hofer" sounds wrong, just saying "The CBS Evening News" not centered around an anchor sounds wrong, but do we also want to go the route of "CBS News Tonight" "CBS News National" or just "CBS News", maybe so?

Edited August 1, 2024 by ATLNewsExpert

[dpb 36]

6 hours ago, ATLNewsExpert said:

I did see that this was her decision

 

Nobody actually believes it was her own decision, right? It's a gigantic demotion.

[MediaZone4K 2158]

8 hours ago, ATLNewsExpert said:

Time for my actual take. Even though there seemingly wasn't a lot of love for her, I always thought Norah was fine, good even, especially during elections and breaking news, her delivery and persona just worked, and CBS really needed something, someone stable, and since she was in the seat, it might as well have continued to be her, or so I thought.

 

I did see that this was her decision, and in that case, I understand, wanting to try something new while your still young and at the height of your career, and who knows, maybe theirs something personal in these decisions, you just can't judge right away.

 

I also don't see why everyone is upset that they are going to rotating anchors, they've done that before when Couric, Pelley, and Glor left, it's just part of the process of finding someone new. As far as her replacement, that's really a tough one. I feel like most of the top contenders are just either too young, won't give many years of service, and or won't attract eyeballs. 

 

That being said, what's Anthony Mason doing, he seemed to be popular as intern anchor, Maurice isn't a bad option either, and I can get behind Shep Smith too. I honestly would be ok with Pelley coming back but worry it might be seemed as a bit indecisive, bringing back an old anchor.

That's slightly not true with the BBC, Huw Edwards mainly anchored the News at Ten for almost two decades before his ouster, and has been replaced by Sophie Raworth (who was anchoring the Six O'clock News), but very true with other European outlets, but I feel bringing that to America so suddenly really wouldn't work, not without a pure, everything brand spanking new rebrand.

 

Like how saying "The BBC News at Ten with Sophie Raworth" or "ARD Tagesschau with Jan Hofer" sounds wrong, just saying "The CBS Evening News" not centered around an anchor sounds wrong, but do we also want to go the route of "CBS News Tonight" "CBS News National" or just "CBS News", maybe so?

Maybe some people thought rotating anchors is going to be long term/permanent that's why they were against it? I was thinking that initially.

 

My list for fill ins: Ted Koppel, Lesley Stahl, Jane Pauley, Gayle King, Rita Braver, Nate Burleson 

 

My list for permanent anchor: Shepard Smith, Brian Williams, Anderson Cooper. (Wildcards: Wolf Blitzer, Chris Wallace).

 

Maybe it's just me but did anyone find Scott Pelley kind of stiff as anchor?

 

 

[MorningNews 1437]

2 hours ago, dpb said:

Nobody actually believes it was her own decision, right? It's a gigantic demotion.

Seems like a demotion but the framing that it was her decision to step away from the day to day and establish herself more like a Barbara Walters or Diane Sawyer for CBS is somewhat plausible. Interesting that there was no leak or speculation about this before the announcement. I thought they’d stick with her long term given the demands she made and their willingness to accept them i.e., moving the show to DC.

[MediaZone4K 2158]

25 minutes ago, MorningNews said:

Seems like a demotion but the framing that it was her decision to step away from the day to day and establish herself more like a Barbara Walters or Diane Sawyer for CBS is somewhat plausible. Interesting that there was no leak or speculation about this before the announcement. I thought they’d stick with her long term given the demands she made and their willingness to accept them i.e., moving the show to DC.

On that same note, Gayle King has done a good job of establishing herself as the "Barbara Walters" of CBS.

 

Saying Nora's leaving to focus on big interviews smells like when Ann Curry was leaving Today to be a part of a "globe trekking news team".

Edited August 1, 2024 by MediaZone4K

[TVNewsLover 774]

1 hour ago, MediaZone4K said:

 

Maybe it's just me but did anyone find Scott Pelley kind of stiff as anchor?

 

 

Yes! I think this is the majority view. Those who mentioned above how great he was are in the minority. 

[Big Rollo Smokes 260]

1 hour ago, MediaZone4K said:

Maybe some people thought rotating anchors is going to be long term/permanent that's why they were against it? I was thinking that initially.

 

My list for fill ins: Ted Koppel, Lesley Stahl, Jane Pauley, Gayle King, Rita Braver, Nate Burleson 

 

My list for permanent anchor: Shepard Smith, Brian Williams, Anderson Cooper. (Wildcards: Wolf Blitzer, Chris Wallace).

 

Maybe it's just me but did anyone find Scott Pelley kind of stiff as anchor?

 

 

For fill-ins and permanent, you have to get younger. No one over 65 and certainly none over 70 should be included, in my opinion.

 

That takes Koppel, Stahl, Pauley and King off the list. Same for James Brown and Anthony Mason, both of whom were mentioned in an earlier post.

Edited August 1, 2024 by Big Rollo Smokes