‘CBS Evening News’ to use ‘ensemble’ approach after Norah O’Donnell exits

CBS has announced that its flagship “CBS Evening News” will move back to New York and feature a new look and format, along with an ensemble team of journalists and new editorial leaders, after Norah O’Donnell vacates the anchor chair after the 2024 election.

Norah O’Donnell leaving ‘CBS Evening News’ after election

After the 2024 presidential election, award-winning journalists John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois will anchor the “CBS Evening News” from the CBS Broadcast Center.

Margaret Brennan, CBS News’ chief foreign affairs correspondent and moderator of “Face the Nation” will regularly lead coverage from Washington, D.C., when news breaks on the political and foreign affairs fronts.

Lonnie Quinn will become the broadcast’s chief weathercaster, delivering the latest weather reports and forecasts from the network’s new extended reality studio in New York.

Both DuBois and Quinn are currently on-air personalities for the networks’ flagship station WCBS in New York. 

“We want to thank Norah for her exceptional work on the ‘Evening News’ over the past five years, and we are grateful she has decided to continue leading our coverage through the election,” said Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures, in a statement. “Norah’s new role will give her the opportunity to contribute across CBS and Paramount, allowing us to see more of the groundbreaking stories and interviews that have been the hallmark of her career. Her superpower lies in her ability to secure and deliver big interviews and newsmaking stories that set the news cycle and capture the cultural zeitgeist. We look forward to elevating and showcasing Norah’s reporting now and in the future.”

CBS did not announce when the new anchor team will formally take over.

“With Norah’s decision, we began reimagining and redesigning the ‘Evening News.’ The strength of CBS News has always been in its ensemble of journalists, both in front of and behind the camera, and our goal with John, Maurice, Margaret and Lonnie at the ‘Evening News’ is to elevate the best in their fields every night for our viewers. In addition to this ensemble team, we look forward to welcoming ‘60 Minutes‘ correspondents to file for the ‘CBS Evening News’ when they have news to break; for decades this was routine, so it will be again.”

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The broadcast’s longstanding, weekly “On the Road” stories from CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman and the newly installed “Eye on America” reports from Jim Axelrod and his team will continue as signature segments. Additional CBS News correspondents will join this team to contribute regularly to the broadcast and offer their subject-matter expertise and reporting on key topics in the news.

As part of the announcement, McMahon named “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens as the supervising producer of the “CBS Evening News” when it moves to New York. Owens will continue to oversee the Sunday newsmagazine.

“Bill Owens is one of the industry’s most successful and respected journalists. ’60 Minutes’ and the ‘CBS Evening News’ are two of our most important franchises that help guide the editorial conscience of our news organization,” said McMahon. “We’ve acknowledged the power of coming together to create our future, and harnessing our most powerful franchises and leaders is how we win and better serve the audience. ’60 Minutes’ is of course the gold standard in journalism, and the importance of the ‘Evening News’ as our flagship evening broadcast cannot be overstated. Bill will be instrumental in shaping the future of both broadcasts, while also enhancing our editorial capabilities and decision-making across CBS News and Stations.”

Owens announced that CBS News and “60 Minutes” veteran producer Guy Campanile will become executive producer of the “Evening.” Veteran writer Jerry Cipriano is returning to CBS News as the senior news editor and senior producer of the broadcast. Owens said he will share additional staffing updates in the weeks ahead.

“The ‘Evening News’ was a defining part of my career and it remains the broadcast of record. From Cronkite until today, it has been a source of trusted journalism and storytelling in America’s homes. Moving the ‘Evening News’ back to New York and working with John, Maurice and Margaret and all of CBS News’ best journalists to deliver a program that prioritizes good writing and storytelling is exciting,” said Owens. “This broadcast won’t be the traditional headlines that move from one clipped story to the next. There will be a new format and cadence for how we deliver the news, and Guy and Jerry are the best partners to do this with.”

“The mission statement is simple: every story we tell must be additive, distinctive and elegant,” said Campanile. “We refuse to waste the audience’s time. Our viewers can expect a premium broadcast featuring the very best of CBS News digging for new information on important stories of the day and providing critical context. We will be relentless.”

In addition to their “Evening News” duties, Dickerson will continue anchoring on CBS News 24/7, CBS News’ free national streaming service, and serving as CBS News’ chief political analyst and senior national correspondent. DuBois and Quinn will continue to have a regular presence across WCBS. Brennan will continue as the moderator of “Face the Nation.”

It’s not immediately clear how Dickerson will still be able to appear for a full hour of “The Daily Report” because it currently airs from 6 to 7 p.m. eastern. “Evening News” starts at 6:30 p.m. Some possibilities include having some segments pre-taped, repeating its first 30 minutes in the second hour or simply cutting down its runtime to 30-minutes.