CBS News’ recent changes that were meant to entice viewers seem to be failing as the network’s Evening News program continues its ratings woes following the exit of longtime anchor Norah O’Donnell.
Veteran journalist O’Donnell anchored her final episode of Evening News on January 23. She was replaced by John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois for a new-look version of the program, which took on a more 60 Minutes-style style magazine format. Rather than rattling through the headlines, the new show provides longer segments on specific topics.
However, it appears the new format is struggling to connect with viewers, as CBS Evening News saw a 24 percent drop in the 25-54 demographic when compared to the same period last year, per Nielsen ratings.
In comparison, David Muir‘s World News Tonight on ABC has seen an 8 percent annual gain in the 25-54 demographic, while Lester Holt‘s Nightly News on NBC has seen an 8 percent gain in that same demo. For the week of February 10, CBS Evening News was the only evening broadcast to experience week-to-week declines.
The show launched with 5.2 million total viewers but slipped to 4.8 million viewers on average for its first week on air. It shed another 300,000 viewers in its second week and, by the third week, had fallen to an average of just under 4.5 million total viewers.
According to the New York Post, an insider claims CBS News is already thinking of reverting to a news headline-driven broadcast due to the recent ratings slump.
“They’ve realized they can’t ignore the news,” the insider told the outlet. “You can’t really ignore the tsunami of news that is coming out of the White House and Washington.”
This comes after Evening News led with a six-minute report on student literacy titled “Why Can’t Johnny Read?” last week, despite breaking news including Elon Musk appearing at the White House, Russia’s release of a US prisoner, and President Trump‘s controversial comments about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The new Evening News format came from CBS News CEO and president Wendy McMahon, who tapped 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens to helm the show. The changes came after O’Donnell’s show trailed in third place to NBC and ABC for the past five years.
On the other side of the coin, it can take a while for a new show to find its feet, and CBS News appears aware of this. According to the Post, a source close to the network said the drop-off in viewers was “not a surprise.”
“When there is an anchor change, traditionally, there is a dip in ratings. We understood there would be a short-term ratings hit and we are in this for the long term and are confident in our long game,” the source stated.
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
