New data indicates that CBS Evening News, anchored by Tony Dokoupil, continues to trail major network rivals in viewership, raising questions about the program’s long-term strategy.
AZAT.tv says panicking network bosses are now considering adding a co-anchor to try to stem viewer losses.
Dokoupil, who was rolled out amid great fanfare, was supposed to be the CBS nightly savior.
“Tony is what everyone wants in an evening-news anchor – authentic, compassionate, unafraid,” CBS News President Tom Cibrowski said six months ago as the network announced Dokoupil’s promotion. “He connects instantly, whether he’s talking with world leaders or with families navigating difficult news in their own backyards.”
But he’s turned out to be anything but “what everyone wants in an evening-news anchor.”
Dokoupil remains in third place among major network evening news broadcasts, Azat reports.
The viewership figures reflect a persistent gap between CBS and its primary competitors, ABC and NBC.
“CBS maintains its commitment to institutional reporting, utilizing its established team to cover breaking news cycles,” despite a shift in how audiences consume nightly news, with digital platforms and 24/7 streaming services increasingly competing for the traditional television demographic, Azat says.
At this point it appears CBS management is looking to add a second chair to the nightly news desk, according to Azat.
But CBS actually already went that route, abandoning the two-chair desk by jettisoning co-anchors Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson just before promoting Dokoupil to evenings from his CBS Morning job.
The transition to Dokoupil marked a major programming shake-up under new CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.
Prior to DuBois and Dickerson, the nightly broadcast was anchored by Norah O’Donnell.
O’Donnell succeeded Jeff Glor, who was canned after he proved, as was O’Donnell, unsuccessful making gains on the competition.
Glor had replaced Scott Pelley, who likewise was axed after failing to bring in better ratings than either ABC or NBC.
Pelley, who retained his 60 Minutes slot after leaving the nightly news chair, was recently fired from the legendary news magazine after publicly criticizing Weiss and her team.
Before Pelley tried his hand at overpowering the two competing networks it was Katie Couric who helmed the CBS Evening News.
Couric for five years also struggled with viewership before her contract went unrenewed.
Who still watches the CBS-TV’s evening propaganda?