CBS Evening News

[TVNewsLover 782]

5 hours ago, Newsjunkie24 said:

Bring back Scott Pelley or Jeff Glor. I wonder where Norah could end up?

Because Scott and Jeff did so well ratingswise when they were in the chair … not gonna happen. 

[MediaZone4K 2190]

 

Broken record but IMO, eighty-sixing Norah will accomplish nothing (ratings wise) without some major talent acquisitions and formatting changes on CBSEN. 

 

ABC is doing a good job of grooming talent like Whit Johnson, Linsey Davis and of course George Stephanopoulos if there is ever a vacancy in the evenings. NBC has really taken the time to build up Savannah Guthrie and Tom Llamas for prominent roles should any major anchor departures occur. They've even developed Craig Melvin, who I'd consider as a stand by candidate for future Today main anchor. CBS hasn't really groomed new talent effectively.

 

Personally, nether Couric, Pelley, Glor or O'Donnell were right for the CBSEN, but I did like Glor's neutrality in reporting.

Edited October 25, 2021 by iron_lion

[GodfreyGR 652]

1 hour ago, iron_lion said:

CBS hasn't really groomed new talent effectively.

I'll throw them a bone and argue that they're trying with Tony on the morning show... Gayle was off, he was in the center chair, and I stuck around for more than the Eye Opener!

[GodfreyGR 652]

19 hours ago, Kenneth Kissel said:

I would love to see KDKA-TV 's news team do a newscast for the entire country and then have it rotate to every CBS Affiliate in the US until you find a successor to Norah.

Please no. At least not every CBS affiliate. Major and Large markets sure... But please don't let the small markets into this mess.

[Kenneth Kissel 283]

19 minutes ago, GodfreyGR said:

Please no. At least not every CBS affiliate. Major and Large markets sure... But please don't let the small markets into this mess.

I would start with the large markets first and then go to some smaller markets. I would also give an opt out to stations who don't want to participate. 

Edited October 25, 2021 by Kenneth Kissel

[Newsjunkie24 506]

17 hours ago, TVNewsLover said:

Because Scott and Jeff did so well ratingswise when they were in the chair … not gonna happen. 

 

Unfortunately, Norah is struggling in the ratings as well. I wonder which news anchor has the best chance of getting the CBSEN out of it's long-troubled 3rd place rating? 

[GoldenShine9 1513]

Maybe hand the half hour back to affiliates and let east coast CBS affiliates run hour-long 6 pm newscasts?

[TVNewsJunkie15 66]

56 minutes ago, Newsjunkie24 said:

 

Unfortunately, Norah is struggling in the ratings as well. I wonder which news anchor has the best chance of getting the CBSEN out of it's long-troubled 3rd place rating? 

It interesting isn't it? They are number 1 in Daytime, Late Nights, Primetime Newsmagazines shows and Primetime in general.  So why does it seem like they always struggle in Morning News (aside form CBS Sunday) and The Evening News? You know it must be driving them nits. 

 

Dan Rather was in  2nd place (I think?) in the 1990s.  My first thought is Not enough stability since he left. There been 4 Co-anchors since he left 15 years ago.  That a new anchor about every 3 years on average. My second though is problems or issues internally that maybe hasn't come to light.  

[Kenneth Kissel 283]

42 minutes ago, GoldenShine9 said:

Maybe hand the half hour back to affiliates and let east coast CBS affiliates run hour-long 6 pm newscasts?

KDKA-TV (Pittsburgh) already does this and airs CBSEN at 7 PM and airs more local news at 7:30 PM Unopposed. WTAE (ABC) and WPXI (NBC) airs their evening news at 6:30 PM against each other. 

 

WTAE airs Inside Edition on its main channel at 7 PM and Local News on its DT2 channel as well as Entertainment Tonight at 7:30 PM. WPXI airs Jeopardy at 7 and Wheel of Fortune at 7:30 PM. What is weird is both WTAE and WPXI are airing CBS Media Ventures shows against a CBS O&O doing the CBSEN. 

Edited October 26, 2021 by Kenneth Kissel

[Glimmer 282]

It's very clear to me the problem isn't Norah; it's the nature of the evening news and CBS's position in it.  They're always going to be third place no matter who they put in that chair.

[MorningNews 1456]

43 minutes ago, TVNewsJunkie15 said:

Dan Rather was in  2nd place (I think?) in the 1990s.  My first thought is Not enough stability since he left. There been 4 Co-anchors since he left 15 years ago.  That a new anchor about every 3 years on average. My second though is problems or issues internally that maybe hasn't come to light.

Crazily Dan was even #1 the first few years into his stint after Cronkite retired. He fell to second and then third a few years after that and they’ve been firmly positioned there.

16 minutes ago, Glimmer said:

It's very clear to me the problem isn't Norah; it's the nature of the evening news and CBS's position in it.  They're always going to be third place no matter who they put in that chair.

I think the issue is more that she’s managed to do worse despite the costly investments on her behalf.

[GodfreyGR 652]

10 hours ago, Glimmer said:

It's very clear to me the problem isn't Norah; it's the nature of the evening news and CBS's position in it.  They're always going to be third place no matter who they put in that chair.

Unless sales is having trouble selling enough to make it profitable? If Norah is so bad that the network is losing money, that might force their hand.

 

Third place yet profitable shouldn't be an issue- Someone's gotta keep the bench warm

[NYPhillynews 103]

On 10/25/2021 at 2:55 PM, GodfreyGR said:

I'll throw them a bone and argue that they're trying with Tony on the morning show... Gayle was off, he was in the center chair, and I stuck around for more than the Eye Opener!

 

Add to that Jerricka Duncan. The times I’ve watched her on CBS Mornings she’s really good. Definitely should be in the running if/when Gail decides to leave. She, Tony, & Nate work well together. 

 

The reason Saturday Mornings on CBS does well is because of the team they have in place. 

[MediaZone4K 2190]

On 10/25/2021 at 10:05 PM, TVNewsJunkie15 said:

It interesting isn't it? They are number 1 in Daytime, Late Nights, Primetime Newsmagazines shows and Primetime in general.  So why does it seem like they always struggle in Morning News (aside form CBS Sunday) and The Evening News? You know it must be driving them nits. 

 

Dan Rather was in  2nd place (I think?) in the 1990s.  My first thought is Not enough stability since he left. There been 4 Co-anchors since he left 15 years ago.  That a new anchor about every 3 years on average. My second though is problems or issues internally that maybe hasn't come to light.  

Dan was a solid anchor despite his moments. CBSEN under his tenure was just as good as NNN and WNT, I guess someone had to be in third place and it was him.

 

To me, CBS has remained third because of their competition. Brian Williams had a commanding presence and a narrative delivery style that made me at least want to tune in. Plus, NBC typically had the best presentation. ABC had more recognizable and better fitting anchors: Charles Gibson, Diane Sawyer and David Muir.

 

To me, Couric's tenure inserted too much soft news. Pelly came off as too stiff, Jeff Glor wasn't well known enough, and Norah is just another face trying the same format. She was better in the AM with Gayle.

Edited October 27, 2021 by iron_lion

[Sendir 194]

They pulled Glor too soon. They did him dirty. Now with him and his co-anchors being number one on Saturdays has to make management rethink the decision they made that screwed him. 

[kshow 167]

1 hour ago, Sendir said:

They pulled Glor too soon. They did him dirty. Now with him and his co-anchors being number one on Saturdays has to make management rethink the decision they made that screwed him. 

 

Wow CBS Saturday Morning is #1? 

[mountainave 606]

This also has to do with lead-ins.  The highest-rated stations in most of the top DMAs across the country (NYC, LA, Chicago, Philadelphia, et al.) are not CBS stations.  So, people watching their local evening news (who keep their TVs on for the network evening news) are often not watching CBS.  

[carolinanews4 377]

In my opinion, the problems are rooted in the "old school" culture of CBS News. CBS has always prided themselves on valuing substance over style. The presentation - graphics, sets, even the on-air talent always play a distant second to the storytelling. On one hand, I applaud the commitment to substantive enterprise reporting. However, they are competing in a visual medium.  The reason why their primetime has done well is because it entertains. CBS News doesn't care to entertain. Content with no frills. It worked for Cronkite in the 60s and that's where their culture still exists...even if the world around them has changed. 

[Sendir 194]

13 hours ago, kshow said:

 

Wow CBS Saturday Morning is #1? 

Yes. 

[TVNewsJunkie15 66]

3 hours ago, carolinanews4 said:

In my opinion, the problems are rooted in the "old school" culture of CBS News. CBS has always prided themselves on valuing substance over style. The presentation - graphics, sets, even the on-air talent always play a distant second to the storytelling. On one hand, I applaud the commitment to substantive enterprise reporting. However, they are competing in a visual medium.  The reason why their primetime has done well is because it entertains. CBS News doesn't care to entertain. Content with no frills. It worked for Cronkite in the 60s and that's where their culture still exists...even if the world around them has changed. 

I agree. Katie Couric alluded to this the other night on the Late Show. Diane   became World News Anchors 3 years later and did fine. Although it was in a solid 2nd place when she got there,  it stayed there.  But Diane also did not have the Perky label like Katie.  DI would argue Katie is better then David. I owner if she has joined  10 years alter and went up against David if maybe she would have done better rating's wise? 

 

I Want to add that viewing habits are hard to change. And then there 24/7 Cable News (and Social Media),  which has became more  in recant years then ever.    NBC and ABC ratings have dropped as well. 

On 10/27/2021 at 5:10 AM, iron_lion said:

Dan was a solid anchor despite his moments. CBSEN under his tenure was just as good as NNN and WNT, I guess someone had to be in third place and it was him.

 

To me, CBS has remained third because of their competition. Brian Williams had a commanding presence and a narrative delivery style that made me at least want to tune in. Plus, NBC typically had the best presentation. ABC had more recognizable and better fitting anchors: Charles Gibson, Diane Sawyer and David Muir.

 

To me, Couric's tenure inserted too much soft news. Pelly came off as too stiff, Jeff Glor wasn't well known enough, and Norah is just another face trying the same format. She was better in the AM with Gayle.

Yes. The transition form Brokaw  to Williams in 2004, (nd I might Couric to Vieira on TODAY  in 2006 in which NBC went outside the network and took her away form ABC), was almost ridiculous because of how smooth sailing those transitions were.  Those shows stayed in their first place spot. Very seamless. unfortunate  some NBC more recent transients have gone over as well.  

Edited October 28, 2021 by TVNewsJunkie15

[MediaZone4K 2190]

5 hours ago, carolinanews4 said:

In my opinion, the problems are rooted in the "old school" culture of CBS News. CBS has always prided themselves on valuing substance over style. The presentation - graphics, sets, even the on-air talent always play a distant second to the storytelling. On one hand, I applaud the commitment to substantive enterprise reporting. However, they are competing in a visual medium.  The reason why their primetime has done well is because it entertains. CBS News doesn't care to entertain. Content with no frills. It worked for Cronkite in the 60s and that's where their culture still exists...even if the world around them has changed. 

Agreed! CBS has the best reporting of the big 3 as evidenced by 60 Minutes, CBS Mornings and CBS Sunday Morning. They just need better on air presentation (graphics wise) and a strong lead anchor. 

 

As for CBS primetime, it's number one in my assessment because it has shows like SWAT, NCIS and FBI that an older somewhat conservative audience can still enjoy.  CBS primetime doesn't take risks. They stick to a formula that works for them: crime/law dramas and sitcoms.

Edited October 28, 2021 by iron_lion

[Kenneth Kissel 283]

OK, I thought of a great Idea that CBS could do once in a while. Replace Pittsburgh and KDKA with any other city and station starting with the O&Os.  I know we have talked about this before but CBS continues to lose ratings and needs a shot in the arm.

 

Edited December 23, 2021 by Kenneth Kissel

[24994J 5585]

28 minutes ago, Kenneth Kissel said:

OK, I thought of a great Idea that CBS could do once in a while. Replace Pittsburgh and KDKA with any other city and station starting with the O&Os.  I know we have talked about this before but CBS continues to lose ratings and needs a shot in the arm.

 

No.

[Kenneth Kissel 283]

9 minutes ago, 24994J said:

 

No.

YES

[phillynewslover 134]

45 minutes ago, Kenneth Kissel said:

YES

No.