As much as I like Couric, it was the right call to let her go IMO. She was the downfall of the CBS Evening News, and I don’t think the hard news stories would’ve worked with her behind the desk.
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The problem with the “Couric era” of the broadcast was that initially (and was the basis on which she left NBC for) it was a more long form, in-depth format which was definitely her forte but quite soon after she took over, the format was dumped for the more traditional approach which never quite worked for her and always made her look soft. By the end of her stint, it was too far gone and they really had to start fresh with a new anchor in Pelley.
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Two factors.
There was a decline in ratings after the Trump election, partly thanks to Pelley delivering moderating commentaries on Trump - that first year of the presidency was really tumultuous because the nation was still finding out the new dynamics of the regime. Unfortunately, CBS’s long-standing audience is in the heartland and a lot of country America. Not necessarily the best combo.
The second factor is slightly related: there was a rift between Pelley and CBS News’s then-president Jeff Fager on the matter of these commentaries and other issues. Fager was fired after he moved Pelley off Evening News for sexual misconduct.
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Friday is Jeff’s last day anchoring the Evening News. From I can gather, many don’t agree with this move including myself. He will be missed on the anchor desk. I am also seeing people mention how this feels like he’s being pushed out similarly to Ann Curry. Wherever he goes, however, henceforth I wish him success.
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Jeff closed his last show thanking his staff with a roll of the credits . As well as a shot of his hometown Buffalo, NY.
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It’s a long game. And one they have been failing for 40 years. Pathetic that they haven’t been able to work out how to win that timeslot! Also, those names are mostly leftists - it’s not working.
Personally, I wasn’t a fan of Jeff Glor, he just reminded me too much of Mark Ferguson. That’s just me, I know he has his fans.
I think Norah will be great as anchor of the Evening News.
It’s almost as if CBS are cursed, despite their focus on serious news, in both the morning and evening (kind of like a network here:thinking:
).
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If you’re able to work out every TV personality’s political and ideological associations and determine how many people are going to tune in based solely on that, as Aerosmith have said, then mister, you’re a better man than I.
On a separate note, I think CBS should go about its news programming differently with multiple bulletins throughout the day under one brand - I prefer the deprecated “Up to the Minute” title myself. Perhaps save a few dollars from the local stations’ syndication budget and better establish the digital brand across all platforms. More opportunities to refresh stories and send them into socials.
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So drop local news? The CBS stations in NYC and LA have five hours of local news on weekdays.
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Really meant syndication, but I’ll flesh it out: these single-brand newscasts would be during the conventional national news slots (evening and overnight, minus the morning flagship program because that’s a completely different beast) plus a couple iterations during the daytime period, maybe 12:30pm and 3:30pm.
Having a single brand on-air helps with a national footprint of 5 primary timezones over 6 hours allows flexibility for stations to take the latest newscast as they can - fun fact: KABC in Los Angeles runs local news at 3pm and 4pm and the live East Coast edition of World News Tonight at 3:30.
Local stations would have the network’s head if they had to curtail local news.
True, but many affiliates are not owned by CBS, and may not want to sacrifice their local news (from which they can keep all the revenue AFAIK) for network news (where they would have to pay CBS a fee)
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Again, the extra national bulletins would really cut into periods with syndicated programming (between the hours of 12:30 to 4 or 5pm), not traditional local news times.
Syndie viewership has always been concentrated on a few hit programs - Ellen and Rachel Ray being the ones I know, everything else can be a wasteland for a Big 3 affiliate. Networks have recently stepped up to offer their own shows to fill out the period - CBS has long-established gameshows and started The Talk this decade as a PM rival to ABC’s The View, ABC has built at least two extra hours of its own daytime programming in the past 5 years and NBC has about 99 hours of Today every day. Some of this is replacing dying soaps, but the overall trend has been net positive.
Most affiliate agreements deem network programming as must-carry and while more network programming may justify a higher payout from the local station, it is typically considered lower risk than fighting for syndies whenever contracts are up.
I have other, wider-ranging arguments on how this might help the CBS News organization in general, but honestly, I do want to see how Black Rock handles its new strategy for at least the short term first.
Here’s what to expect come Monday morning with the new team, a little video from Gayle King during rehearsal.
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Interview with CBS This Morning hosts on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
I’ve been watching John Dickerson host CBS Evening News this week and he looks really uncomfortable and honestly - doesn’t look like he even wants to be there.
The quicker they get their shit sorted and in DC permanently, the better for the operation.
Dickerson to me has always appeared to be awkward, though not as bad as Glor or Ferguson.
Anthony Mason would’ve been a better replacement for Charlie Rose IMO
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As a fan of his podcasts and interviews, it’s clear his talents lie outside of straight presentation.
I’m surprising they’re using him for the Evening News, it’s not like there’s no talent on the bench.
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