A new-look CBS Evening News debuted on Monday night (January 27), as the long-running news program did away with many of its traditional elements and introduced new formats.
As with many other evening news broadcasts, such as NBC Nightly News and ABC News’ World News Tonight, the CBS Evening News traditionally had one anchor covering the day’s main headlines. However, the show is now helmed by a bigger team, including several roving reporters, and focusing on fewer stories with more depth.
John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois served as hosts, but rather than rattling through the headlines, they provided longer segments on specific topics, including how the recent California wildfires have created insurance challenges for residents and Chinese intelligence efforts to recruit members of the United States military.
The show also featured segments with roving reports out on location, including Lonnie Quinn providing weather and Margaret Brennan covering Washington and politics.
Back in August 2024, Evening News executive producer Bill Owens shared his plans for the future of the show, telling Variety, “We are removing the clutter. We are not going to be dealing with the things we think people might want to see, and we are going to be about real serious reporting.”
He added, “We are getting back to our beats, listening to our reporters in the field about what they have, not worrying about the headlines online or in the newspapers.”
The changes were ushered in last week when veteran journalist Norah O’Donnell anchored her final episode of Evening News. O’Donnell, who will continue to serve as a senior correspondent across the various CBS News platforms, joined Evening News in July 2019.
“This has been the honor of a lifetime to anchor this legacy broadcast. You know, the CBS Evening News is, for good reason, the longest-running evening newscast in America,” O’Donnell told viewers at the end of Thursday’s (January 23) broadcast.
“It is powered by the finest journalists around the world — the correspondents, producers, researchers and crews who work tires loosely to bring you the news every night,” she continued. “And that won’t change, because journalism matters. I know that because I’ve heard it from so many of you, our viewers.”
Viewers seemed to enjoy the new format, with one YouTube commenter writing, “This was surprisingly good. Very PBS NewsHour meets 60 Minutes meets BBC. Zero sensationalism, no overuse of breaking news, and slower pace.”
“Oh this is a strong format,” said another. “Returning to strong correspondents and long formats in conversationalist tones. This is a return to the beginning of Evening News’ roots as well as employing what worked for ABC News in the Roone Arledge era with World News Tonight.”
Another added, “Thank you for returning CBS to it ledgendary former and familar format ! It gives me sense of HOME again, the music, the desk,, everything!”
What did you think of the new-look CBS Evening News? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
