Shakeup at CBS News

[Khan]

Changes ahead for "CBS This Morning" and "CBS Evening News":

 

https://deadline.com/2019/05/gayle-king-norah-o-donnell-jeff-glor-cbs-evening-news-1202607809/

 

FWIW, here are my predictions:

 

Gayle King will do okay (but not great) with her two, new co-hosts at CBSTM.

 

Norah O'Donnell will flame out as "Evening News" anchor (after an initial ratings bump, of course), forcing CBSN to make yet another change.

 

Jeff Glor will end up hosting a reality series (either at CBS, or at another network), thus giving his white male mediocrity an even bigger chance to shine.

[KMan101]

I don't watch CBS but a lot of these moves are a bit head-scratching. Things weren't working but I don't think it makes sense to saddle Gayle with two men I've never heard of (but I don't watch CBS news so ...). My guess is they want to take a stab at the dynamic GMA has but they're very different shows.

 

Kudos to Norah but yeah ... I think she's a better choice than perky Katie Couric was (I assumed that would flame out and it did). Jeff Glor felt like a stopgap. He wasn't going to draw any eyes.

 

Dickerson seems fine for 60 Minutes.

[DramatistDreamer]

I saw somewhere that someone was moaning about how they didn't like Bianna Golodryga but I thought she had good chemistry with Gayle on CBS This Morning.  Maybe they shouldn't have let her walk.

 

Seems like the CBS Evening News really hasn't done all that well since Dan Rather left.

 

I'm not sure where Nora O'Donnell really fits in.  Maybe on 48 Hours?

 

Jeff Glor might be a better fit for Big Brother or something.  Is Julie Chen still hosting?

[Khan]

 

I'm afraid so.

 

Yeah, I agree that "CBS Evening News" has stumbled in the post-Rather era.  But it's truly the network's fault, I believe, for throwing Rather under the proverbial bus over that story about George W. Bush's National Guard record (which, FOR the record, turned out to be accurate).  The entire network, from Les Moonves on down, handled that situation badly, so, "Karma!" and all the rest.

 

 

CBS News, however, believed he could draw viewers away from ABC, who had their own youthful-looking, blandly handsome anchorman in David Muir.  Silly them.

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[Khan]

You'll have to forgive me for being so harsh on Glor (and Muir).  I'm still old enough to remember the Rather/Brokaw/Jennings era -- and if you think the irony of including the O.G. Pretty Boy Anchor, Peter Jennings, is lost on me, you are very mistaken.  Even Jennings had more credibility in that anchor's chair than Glor and Muir COMBINED.

[DramatistDreamer]

No, I don't really think you're being harsh @Khan.  Glor just seems generic and bland.  Pleasant enough but just seems to lack the gravitas for sitting behind the desk, doing the evening news.  If anything, Glor seems suited to being a field reporter for hurricanes, etc. 

[wingwalker]

The ratings during the Rather era wasn't that great either. His Evening News was third place as well. Walter Cronkite was the last time CBS Evening News was number one.  Where CBS messed up was not keeping Bob Schieffer after Rather left. He was interim anchor for about a year and half.  By the time Katie replaced him, the CBS Evening News had risen to #2 passing ABC World News.  Once he left it quickly tumbled to #3 again and has been there ever since.  I like Norah, I hope she does well, but if I was her, I'd maybe think twice before accepting. It's a cursed job. 

 

I didn't realize CBS The Morning was having problems though.   Gayle, Norah and Charlie Rose was a combination that worked really well. I like John Dickerson, but it wasn't the same with him. He'll probably do well at 60 Minutes, but honestly he should probably move back to Face the Nation. His Face the Nation was usually beating Meet the Press. I don't think it's been doing as well since he left. 

 

 

 

 

[Khan]

 

I don't think they had a choice, though.  IIRC, Schieffer made it clear he had no intention of becoming the permanent anchor.  But I could be (and probably am) wrong.

 

I feel like the only one who could be successful in the CBS anchor's seat is Meredith Vieira.  She's built up tons of viewer goodwill over the years, thanks to her stints on "The View" and "Today."  But she probably doesn't want the job either.

 

Meanwhile, should O'Donnell fail at the gig, I wouldn't be surprised to see Brian Williams or even Matt Lauer jockey for it.  I'm not saying CBS would give it to either man, just that I wouldn't be surprised to see pitch themselves for it.

 

 

It's unfortunate how Charlie Rose's departure cut short CTM's momentum.  OTOH, given the times we live in, should we be all that shocked to realize that a significant amount of viewers would support a known sexual predator by refusing to watch the show without him?  If that situation doesn't end w/ Rose being asked back to the show, I'll be surprised.

[Soapsuds]

@Khan  Leave my David Muir alone

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CBS has always been last since I can remember in morning show and nightly news. The changes they are making won't make a difference. I can see O'Donnell lasting a year before she is replaced with someone else due to continued low ratings. The morning show is just a disaster. 

[KMan101]

 

OUR David Muir  

 

I could see O'Donnell (I like her; I kinda feel she's better than being stuck on CBS, even as the evening news anchor ... how'd that work out for Couric?) doing well initially but I think at this point CBS is destined for 3rd. 

 

It's rare that shakeups really make a difference. They need to try a little harder at finding folks who suit the jobs. 

 

A lot of folks are just pretty faces hired to read the news. They aren't true journalists. 

[DramatistDreamer]

CBS This Morning has always been third but under Gayle, Charlie and Nora, the show was quickly narrowing the lead that Good Morning America and The Today show had.  So conventional wisdom was that at that pace, they would likely overtake the 2nd place show, at the very least.  

Then the Charlie Rose sexual harassment revelations happened.

[GMac]

 

CTM is actually my preferred morning show, and Gayle/Charlie/Nora were really good together.  Dickerson really never felt like he "fit in" IMO.  I think if they would have had Tony join after Rose was fired, he would have been a good choice.  Anthony Mason is not the answer.  Start with Gayle/Tony and find another 3rd anchor.

 

I really liked Pelley at the anchor desk for the Evening News before Glor.  I think he was making strides in the ratings before he was dumped.  

 

[Khan]

 

WORD.

[wingwalker]

 

Agreed. If you're watching Lester Holt or David Muir, you're likely not going to stop watching and switch to CBS. Finding new viewers to watch that don't already watch the evening news programs is even more difficult. 

 

 

It's quite ironic that CBS News does excellent with 60 Minutes and CBS Sunday Morning.  Both not only great in ratings, but excellent reputations, yet they can't seem to translate that magic to their weekday morning program or their evening news program.