‘CBS Evening News’ to undergo major overhaul, return to New York after Norah O’Donnell’s departure

CBS News plans to shake up the mold for evening news that the esteemed Tiffany Network has created when anchor Norah O’Donnell steps down this fall. Instead, it will launch a “60 Minutes”-style show with four veteran journalists, the company announced Thursday.

The massive overhaul of the No. 1 rated Evening News program includes leaving its Washington, D.C., home and returning to CBS’s Broadcast Center in Hell’s Kitchen, where veteran CBS News anchor John Dickerson and WCBS-TV anchor Maurice DuBois will serve as co-anchors.

“Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan will lead Washington’s political and foreign affairs coverage, and Lonnie Quinn will become the anchor weather anchor for the new format, which will be “overseen” by “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens.

Owens — whose “60 Minutes” is a high-profile and profitable engine for the network — “will play a key role in shaping the future” of the show while “strengthening our editorial capabilities and decision-making across CBS News and the networks,” said CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon.

The revamp of the poorly rated evening news show comes after McMahon removed O’Donnell as anchor on Tuesday, and major job cuts are expected this month.

One CBS source called the new moves “PR stunt” and “window dressing.”

“There’s not much on ’60 Minutes’ about it,” the source noted.

Another source said O’Donnell’s removal as anchor does not bode well for the station’s other talented journalists.

“For me, this is a signal that the layoffs in August will be huge, wide and deep, and that no one will be out of reach,” the source predicted.

Owens, meanwhile, said he hopes to return to the Evening News, whose distinguished anchors include Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather, and to bring a story of strengths to the table.

“The Evening News was a defining moment in my career and continues to be a show I treasure,” Owens said, emphasizing the significance of the show’s return to New York following its 2019 move to Washington by former CBS News president Susan Zirinsky.

“This show won’t have traditional headlines that move from one cut story to the next. There will be a new format and rhythm of breaking news,” he added.

Veteran producer Guy Campanile will become executive producer, and Jerry Cipriano will return as senior news editor and producer, Owens added.

CBS News officials hope the changes will improve viewership, which has been declining under O’Donnell’s leadership.

Although the 50-year-old presenter has given some high-profile interviews over the years, the Evening News averaged just 4.4 million viewers in the last quarter, with fewer than 600,000 viewers among those aged 25-54.

During O’Donnell’s five years as anchor, her ratings dropped by about 25 percent, allowing her to solidify her position behind ABC’s top-rated shows “World News Tonight” and “NBC Nightly News.”

The seasoned journalist will take up a new role as senior correspondent after the presidential election in November and will focus on conducting longer interviews.

Her departure comes as CBS parent Paramount Global is expected to take a $500 million revenue cut ahead of its likely merger with Skydance Media.