Norah O’Donnell signed off for the final time as CBS Evening News anchor on Thursday night, ending an era that began in 2019 and saw her become one of the few women to helm a nightly broadcast news show.
CBS staffers told The Independent that they are both “excited and fearful” over a new iteration of CBS Evening News, adding that “nothing was really working” under O’Donnell’s leadership.
The network insiders cited O’Donnell’s “risk-averse” and “middle-of-the-road” approach to stories as a key reason the show wasn’t resonating with viewers. To that point, CBS Evening News pulled in just 4.6 million viewers during the fourth quarter last year, drawing 3 million fewer than ABC’s World News Tonight.
At the same time, network employees pointed out that the 51-year-old journalist is a “beloved figure” within the CBS halls who has always supported her colleagues — especially women.
As O’Donnell moves into a new role as a senior correspondent, CBS Evening News — which has long been stuck in third place in the evening news broadcast ratings — will transition to a two-man team of John Dickerson and Maurice Dubois. The program, which has been based in Washington, D.C., will return to New York, and Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan will serve as its lead correspondent out of Washington.
Norah O’Donnell signs off from CBS Evening News for the final time, telling viewers it’s ‘been the honor of a lifetime.’ (CBS News)
O’Donnell’s emotional farewell on Thursday night was punctuated by the surprise appearance of talk show legend Oprah Winfrey, who praised O’Donnell for the “incredible impact” she’s made throughout her career.
“It has been an incredible five and a half years,” O’Donnell said at the end of Thursday’s broadcast, noting that she was told a “surprise guest” would be appearing to help “look back” at the show’s accomplishments.
Winfrey then appeared on the screen and teed up a montage that included O’Donnell’s interviews with Pope Francis and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“You have so much to be proud of,” Winfrey said. “Your work as the anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News has not only won awards, but more importantly, has made such a difference and informed our nation.”
An emotional O’Donnell turned back to the camera to express her gratitude for her years leading the network’s nightly news broadcast.
“This has been the honor of a lifetime to anchor this legacy broadcast,” she said. “The CBS Evening News, for good reason, is the longest-running evening newscast in America. And it is powered by the finest journalists in the world.”
O’Donnell continued: “The correspondents, producers, researchers and crews who work tirelessly to bring you the news every night — that won’t change because journalism matters. I know that because I’ve heard that from so many of you — our viewers. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you for trusting us and welcoming hard news with heart into your homes.”
The CBS Evening News crew then surrounded O’Donnell’s desk and gave her a round of applause as the broadcast began wrapping up. “I will miss you too. So for the final time, that’s tonight’s CBS Evening News. I owe it all to everyone I work with. Seriously. Love you. Good night,” she concluded.
O’Donnell’s goodbye on Thursday night comes months after she announced that she would step down as anchor and managing editor of CBS Evening News “to take on a new position at the network” after the election. She noted then that she would move into a new role as a senior correspondent, which would see her contribute long-form reporting to the network’s news broadcasts and CBS’s award-winning news magazine 60 Minutes.
Taking over the anchor chair from Jeff Glor in 2019, O’Donnell — who previously co-anchored the network’s morning show — could not turn around CBS Evening News’ middling ratings during her five-plus years at the helm. Under her watch, which saw the show move to D.C. to focus more on the national political scene, the broadcast was mired in third place with an average of less than 5 million viewers, well behind ABC News’ David Muir and NBC’s Lester Holt.
Oprah applauded O’Donnell for the “incredible impact” she’s made throughout her career (CBS News)
CBS News staffers told The Independent that while O’Donnell is a “fantastic” person and “great” colleague who has the “goods” to be a successful evening news anchor, the show seemed to suffer because of its “risk-averse” and “middle of the road” approach.
“She’s been hemorrhaging viewers for a long time, and nothing was really working,” one source said. The source added that while her approach was initially well-received, staffers on the show soon began to worry that her interviews lacked hard-hitting questions and were too soft.
At the same time, CBS journalists and staff are “excited and fearful” about the new CBS Evening News program, which will debut on Monday. The show’s new leadership harkens back to 60 Minutes and the network’s previous iterations of CBS Evening News, which was once anchored by current 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley.
“I’m super excited,” one CBS reporter said. “Longer pieces. 60 Minutes sensibility. Respected anchors like John and Maurice. Sign me up!”
A representative for CBS News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Besides Dickerson and Dubois, the program will be supervised by 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens, and 60 Minutes veteran producer Guy Campanile will serve as its executive producer. Respected writer Jerry Cipriano is returning to the network as the show’s senior news editor and senior producer.
Sources pointed out that while staff are thrilled about the potential of working on more in-depth and character-driven stories going forward, they still have concerns about the “cutthroat nature” and demanding work environment that 60 Minutes has long been known for.
Meanwhile, O’Donnell’s departure from the evening broadcast takes place as the entire TV news industry is currently in a state of upheaval amid sinking viewership and dwindling ad revenues as Americans continue to cut the cord and turn to alternative sources for news. Just this week, CNN announced that it was laying off hundreds of employees as it pivots to a digital-centric model.
Her own network is also currently being tasked with cutting millions of dollars in costs as parent company Paramount is slashing the budget and laying off thousands of workers ahead of a planned merger with Skydance Media. That merger may also push Paramount execs to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump over the editing of 60 Minutes’ interview with Harris.
Even before she exited the anchor’s chair, O’Donnell had seen her salary slashed in half when she signed an extension in 2022. Not only did that indicate she was on borrowed time leading the program, but it also hinted at the coming “haircuts” that other well-paid news personalities would soon be offered to keep their jobs, with many deciding to walk rather than take reduced salaries.
“The God-like days are definitely over for news anchors,” Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communication chair Anthony Adornato told USA Today this week.
