CBS Evening News

[MediaZone4K 2157]

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Edited January 28 by MediaZone4K

[MorningNews 1437]

I’m late to watching the full broadcast but I echo everything that’s been said here. This is really impressively done and one of the best iterations of CBSEN that they’ve created since before Katie Couric’s time. The clean visual look, the depth of the reports and the pacing was really a 10/10. And once again, that 1987 theme is a classic.

 

Just really well done. I haven’t said that about CBS News in a very long time.

[EVVTV12 141]

Guess I’ll add also. Watching it, it felt more like something from the BBC. The fact they didn’t have a “breaking news” cyron up speaks volume to what they want with this newscast. I think the tease being gone is just something they are testing and we will probably see it back, but will be short to just two or three stories. We will probably see changes happen in the next few months before something more permanent happens. Let’s hope CBS doesn’t mess up anything else. 

[Geoffrey 856]

I think they listened to our feedback. During the first break, the "world temps" started with the stock indices. And the camera shot was a little more active, with someone delivering scripts to the Maurice and John and the camera doing a 360, going behind the desk.

Edited January 29 by Geoffrey

[carolinanews4 376]

Finally! CBS is being CBS. Instead of trying to copy and beat NBC and ABC, they are compiling a broadcast that fits CBS's ethos. It has the feel, pacing, and in-depth storytelling that is the hallmark of CBS News. I don't know how it will do long term in the ratings, but I applaud them for going their own way.

 

Even the minimalistic graphics is refreshing. (Yes, I hate how the other two label everything as BREAKING NEWS.) But this also feels very CBS. 60 Minutes doesn't use lower thirds at all. They make it a point to incorporate the person's ID into the script. 

Every version of their morning show used to be a poor imitation of TODAY and Good Morning America. Remember their 5th Ave. streetside studio? It always felt like they were going against the grain, trying to be something that was unnatural for their organization. Until they stopped the cooking segments, concerts, Halloween parties, etc., that the others do well and focused on good storytelling and smart conversation. It hasn't set the ratings on fire, but they are doing something different, which works for them. Now, they appear to have embraced their DNA in the evenings by assembling one heck of a smart newscast. 

[MediaZone4K 2157]

1 hour ago, EVVTV12 said:

Guess I’ll add also. Watching it, it felt more like something from the BBC. The fact they didn’t have a “breaking news” cyron up speaks volume to what they want with this newscast. I think the tease being gone is just something they are testing and we will probably see it back, but will be short to just two or three stories. We will probably see changes happen in the next few months before something more permanent happens. Let’s hope CBS doesn’t mess up anything else. 

I wouldn't mind if they did a singular tease for their lead. Something out of NBC's playbook...

 

 

Critics are also chiming in, like us Variety magazine likened the show to PBS NewsHour 

https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/cbs-evening-news-format-change-john-dickerson-maurice-dubois-1236288061/

 

 

 

Edited January 29 by MediaZone4K

[E. R. 66]

2 hours ago, EVVTV12 said:

Guess I’ll add also. Watching it, it felt more like something from the BBC. The fact they didn’t have a “breaking news” cyron up speaks volume to what they want with this newscast. I think the tease being gone is just something they are testing and we will probably see it back, but will be short to just two or three stories. We will probably see changes happen in the next few months before something more permanent happens. Let’s hope CBS doesn’t mess up anything else. 

Maybe they could use the original 1987 version of the open?

[ATLNewsExpert 453]

1 hour ago, E. R. said:

Maybe they could use the original 1987 version of the open?

I actually prefer that!

[Yayan4155 18]

2 hours ago, E. R. said:

Maybe they could use the original 1987 version of the open?

I believe during Scott Pelley era (2011-2016), they use the original 1987 open as bumper break, alongside the variations of 1987 theme.

[E. R. 66]

17 minutes ago, Yayan4155 said:

I believe during Scott Pelley era (2011-2016), they use the original 1987 open as bumper break, alongside the variations of 1987 theme.

Any video?

[Yayan4155 18]

1 hour ago, E. R. said:

Any video?

At 17:17 to 17:26. 

 

 

[Breaking News 825]

On 1/27/2025 at 7:33 PM, Jase said:

I liked 99.9% of what I saw. Didn’t love the live shot of the anchors during the commercial (and world temps); but this is a work in progress so I won’t nitpick too much.

 

Loved the lack of political news and used of the video walls. Worth-noting is that both Nightly and World News lead with the ICE raids and Evening News lead with a story (AI threat) that viewers likely would have never heard about.

 

Overall, great start and hopefully viewers (and others) take note because this is how a nightly network newscast should be done.

Sounds like the same comments that were sent into FTVLIVE.com about certain stories.

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2025/1/28/not-the-best-debut

Edited January 29 by Breaking News

[Jase 1042]

8 hours ago, Breaking News said:

Sounds like the same comments that were sent into FTVLIVE.com about certain stories.

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2025/1/28/not-the-best-debut

Not sure what to make of those comments or if they’re from real people. Comments I’ve read have been mostly positive. 
 

Some have grown accustomed to getting a recounting of events instead of being told what the implications of said events are. It’s something that will take a minute to get used to.

 

Like others have said, CBS is on the right track. They just have to keep going and block out the noise. 

Edited January 29 by Jase

[EVVTV12 141]

3 hours ago, Jase said:

Not sure what to make of those comments or if they’re from real people. Comments I’ve read have been mostly positive. 
 

Some have grown accustomed to getting a recounting of events instead of being told what  the implications of said events are. It’s something that will take a minute to get used to.

 

Like others have said, CBS is on the right track. They just have to keep going and block out the noise. 

Well, it is FTVLive… CBS could do 100% what Uncle Walter did during his time and still complain. 

[mouseboy33 91]

Well I didnt realize how much of the set was actually screens. It turns out the only part that is real, is the wooden header and the desk. Everything else we see is just graphics on the screens. Even the floor behind the anchor desk is a big screen. Even the coloured lighting on the floor is just graphics. The entire back of the set is all screens and the "Set" can be changed to look like anything instantly. Its the cheapest and easiest way to change the set to look like anything. They dont even have to change the floor.  Its literally all screens.

 

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/gabriel-almanzar-aa177141_thrilled-to-reveal-the-new-cbs-evening-news-activity-7290079729657757697-o3yd

Edited January 29 by mouseboy33

[RealNews18 203]

5 hours ago, Breaking News said:

Sounds like the same comments that were sent into FTVLIVE.com about certain stories.

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2025/1/28/not-the-best-debut

99.99% of what he posts is negative about something. Lord knows who actually said what. Most of the feedback seems to be positive. It's a different approach and it stands out. Will there be changes and adjustments? Im sure there will be. But it stands out from the rest and that is what they're going for

[MediaZone4K 2157]

4 hours ago, Jase said:

Not sure what to make of those comments or if they’re from real people. Comments I’ve read have been mostly positive. 
 

Some have grown accustomed to getting a recounting of events instead of being told what  the implications of said events are. It’s something that will take a minute to get used to.

 

Like others have said, CBS is on the right track. They just have to keep going and block out the noise. 

I will say the YouTube comments have been a mixed bag of positive, missing Norah and complaining that the format is too slow. I also saw one or two complaints about having two men and "no women". 

[cbs2idiots 24]

6 hours ago, Breaking News said:

Sounds like the same comments that were sent into FTVLIVE.com about certain stories.

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2025/1/28/not-the-best-debut

I agree John does most of the talking.  They should make it balance.

[MorningNews 1437]

3 hours ago, mouseboy33 said:

Well I didnt realize how much of the set was actually screens. It turns out the only part that is real, is the wooden header and the desk. Everything else we see is just graphics on the screens. Even the floor behind the anchor desk is a big screen. Even the coloured lighting on the floor is just graphics. The entire back of the set is all screens and the "Set" can be changed to look like anything instantly. Its the cheapest and easiest way to change the set to look like anything. They dont even have to change the floor.  Its literally all screens.

 

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/gabriel-almanzar-aa177141_thrilled-to-reveal-the-new-cbs-evening-news-activity-7290079729657757697-o3yd

Not super shocking when watching the broadcast. The set is so bareboned but I think that’s one of the strengths.

 

I haven’t watched WNT in years but isn’t their set also just a desk and a massive video wall?

[mouseboy33 91]

I dont think ive seen all the walls and floor as screens. I didnt realize there was virtually no hard elements. Its very well done graphics from the distance we see it. Because it looked real to me.

[C Block 1566]

6 hours ago, Jase said:

Not sure what to make of those comments or if they’re from real people. Comments I’ve read have been mostly positive. 
 

Some have grown accustomed to getting a recounting of events instead of being told what  the implications of said events are. It’s something that will take a minute to get used to.

 

Like others have said, CBS is on the right track. They just have to keep going and block out the noise. 

 

I believe those are real comments. I'm not nearly as negative on the new show as those comments are, but I get the criticism and share some of it.

 

On Monday, the lead story on CBS's competitors and pretty much every other major national news outlet was the ICE raids. CBS reduced it to barely more than a 10 second mention. Instead, they led with Margaret Brennan on Deepsake as a debrief segment with nothing more than talk and some slick fullscreens. They didn't roll a frame of video or sound until almost four minutes in when they were onto the second story.

 

After watching the first two days, it seems like they're not really chasing the news of the day anymore in favor of fewer, longer enterprise stories. That's a fundamentally different strategy from anything CBS has done before. I'd argue that the Pelley era did the best job of balancing both.

 

It's not a bad program. But is it the newscast of record with news from today? I'm not sure that it is. This is a great show for news junkies and anyone who's already read the major headlines online all day long. I'm not sure if it's a great show for someone who's too busy to keep up with the news and wants to watch a recap of it at dinnertime, and I think most broadcast viewers are probably the latter.

 

[Jase 1042]

On 1/29/2025 at 10:56 AM, MediaZone4K said:

I will say the YouTube comments have been a mixed bag of positive, missing Norah and complaining that the format is too slow. I also saw one or two complaints about having two men and "no women". 

It’s nitpicking (or criticism) I’m sure they expected. Can’t please everyone.

 

On 1/29/2025 at 11:53 AM, cbs2idiots said:

I agree John does most of the talking.  They should make it balance.

Likely a case of perception versus reality. 
 

DuBois sits on the left (traditionally the dominant side), intros the first story, gets the last word, etc. It’s a balancing act that’s going to take time to get right. And if they don’t, that’s fine too. It’s the substance that matters.

Edited January 31 by Jase

[Jase 1042]

On 1/29/2025 at 2:04 PM, C Block said:

 

I believe those are real comments. I'm not nearly as negative on the new show as those comments are, but I get the criticism and share some of it.

 

On Monday, the lead story on CBS's competitors and pretty much every other major national news outlet was the ICE raids. CBS reduced it to barely more than a 10 second mention. Instead, they led with Margaret Brennan on Deepsake as a debrief segment with nothing more than talk and some slick fullscreens. They didn't roll a frame of video or sound until almost four minutes in when they were onto the second story.

 

After watching the first two days, it seems like they're not really chasing the news of the day anymore in favor of fewer, longer enterprise stories. That's a fundamentally different strategy from anything CBS has done before. I'd argue that the Pelley era did the best job of balancing both.

 

It's not a bad program. But is it the newscast of record with news from today? I'm not sure that it is. This is a great show for news junkies and anyone who's already read the major headlines online all day long. I'm not sure if it's a great show for someone who's too busy to keep up with the news and wants to watch a recap of it at dinnertime, and I think most broadcast viewers are probably the latter.

 

 

Since the ICE raids started days before and there were no new substantive developments; I agree with them that it didn't warrant much more than a mention. And the following day, they presented a more comprehensive piece regarding the raids. 

 

I appreciate their measured approach when it comes to 'the news of the day.' Giving viewers the same tired rundown of stories, just like everyone else, hasn't worked. If there was ever a time to re-invent the wheel, it's now. I'm not sure they will ever be #1 (or even #2), but they're fully capable of being the most competitive #3 there is. The question is, will that be enough for them???

 

Edited January 30 by Jase

[mouseboy33 91]

Interestingly Americans viewers tune-in in droves for 60 Minutes and CBS Sunday Morning, but the rest of the news division output is meant to be different? I dont agree. The alignment of the all the CBS news programmes to a similar cerebral, more thoughtful, calmer tone suits me. Miss the old days of Brokaw, Jennings and Rather. I dont hate NBC News as a news division but Nightly News has become headache inducing with the story presentation and tone. ITs disappointing frankly. The bulletpoint style of reading a story is wildly annoying frankly

[carolinanews4 376]

According to the NY Post, the  ‘stodgy’ new CBS Evening News anchors received a modest viewership bump for their premier. The broadcast had 5.2 million viewers, a +14% spike from Norah's 2024 average. What I find laughable is the article's extremely negative viewpoint. (I'm laughing, but I'm not surprised because this is the Post, after all)

 

My favorite quote is from the nameless former TV executive who doesn't think "audiences have the capacity to absorb a reporting-led show with lots of segments." Yes, our attention spans have shortened, but not everyone needs the news to be quick hits served with extra flash like Entertainment Tonight. That show has the attention span of a fly. Not bashing ET. There's a place for that, and there's a place for the new CBS Evening News.

 

It is hilarious that people say, "Try something different to stand out," and then, when someone does that, they get bashed for not looking like everyone else. If you want a typical newscast, two broadcast networks offer typical news of the day presentation.