CBS Likely to Cast New Eye on ‘Evening News' After Wendy McMahon Exit
After being overhauled in major fashion earlier this year, the venerable evening newscast, which has direct ties to Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather, is likely to get some new twists and tweaks. The program, according to two people familiar with CBSD News, is seen as being at the of a to-do list for Tom Cibrowski, the executive recently named to lead CBS News and whose decision-making has even more potency after his direct superior, Wendy McMahon, announced on Monday her plans to leave the company.
More from Variety
CBS News Chief Wendy McMahon Steps Down, Citing Conflicts With Paramount
Democratic Senators Urge Paramount's Shari Redstone to Fight Trump's 'Bogus' Lawsuit Over '60 Minutes' Segment: 'Stand Up for Freedom of the Press'
Shari Redstone's Impossible Choice: She Can't Save Both '60 Minutes' and Paramount Global
The show has lost a significant chunk of its viewership since a new format was unveiled in January that relies on the dual-anchor team of John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois, and a story mix that hinges more closely on enterprise and feature reporting than it does on breaking news. For the five-day period starting May 5, 'CBS Evening News' won an average of 3.63 million viewers, according to data from Nielsen, compared with an average of about 4.89 million during Norah O'Donnell's last week behind the show's desk.
Two people familiar with CBS News suggested Cibrowski is likely to focus quickly on stabilizing the program's viewership, which has slipped further behind that of its two main rivals, ABC's 'World News Tonight' and NBC's 'NBC Nightly News.' The ABC newscast won an average of nearly 7.27 million viewers last week, while the NBC program captured an average of nearly 5.64 million.
CBS News declined to make executives available for comment.
The current 'CBS Evening News' was designed to give viewers an alternative to what they usually see in the time slot. 'NBC Nightly' is about to undergo a transition of its own, with Lester Holt stepping away from the desk he has occupied for about a decade and Tom Llamas, a former ABC News anchor who was seen as a possible successor for David Muir, moving into the role. CBS executives felt NBC News could hew closer to what ABC does, prompting them to find ways to differentiate CBS' evening product.
But the 'CBS Evening News' overhaul comes at a fraught time. The news division is under the microscope at parent company Paramount Global, which is embroiled in settlement talks over a lawsuit from Trump administration centered on an interview with former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris last year from '60 Minutes' that Trump claims misled voters on the eve of the 2024 election. That has spurred Paramount to put new pressures on '60 Minutes' in recent months that prompted Bill Owens, the show's executive producer, to quit, and played a role in McMahon's exit as well. With 'Evening News' ratings slipping most weeks since the revamp, there is a growing sense Paramount will have less patience for the show to find its crowd.
It's also a tough moment to figure out what news audiences want to see. There is still a sizable audience that wants the usual evening-news debrief, with quick-hit reports on the news of the day, and a few inspirational segments featuring good deeds and interesting ideas from all over America. Nearly 16.5 million people watched 'CBS Evening News,' 'NBC Nightly News' and ABC's 'World News Tonight' combined last week, according to Nielsen . And yet, more people can keep up with minute-by-minute changes in news stories all day by staying close to the web and social media. In a future driven by artificial intelligence, a journalism fan might be able to get a summary of breaking news across multiple subjects with a well-crafted query — negating any need for a summary show in the early evening.
Some of those dynamics factored into the new 'CBS Evening News' format. The show attempts to give viewers something they aren't getting elsewhere, a programming mission that forces even Washington Bureau mainstays like Nancy Cordes and Ed O'Keefe to fan out around the country for stories that focus less on the news of the day, but what that news could mean in days to come.
The lack of an immediate connection with a larger group of viewers is likely, however, to bring new focus on the look and feel of 'Evening News.' Does it require two anchors? Could there be more breaking news in the show's opening segment? These questions and others like them may have to be answered quickly — and, depending on the answers, the show could look less distinct from its competitors.
Best of Variety
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz
Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
2 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Africa's response to Trump's migrant relocation plan reveals deep divisions
Africa's reaction to President Donald Trump's migrant relocation plan has been far from uniform, with some governments signaling willingness to cooperate while others voice sharp resistance. Africa's response to President Trump's migrant relocation plan is divided, reflecting competing diplomatic and domestic priorities. Reports suggested an agreement with Uganda to accept certain deportees, but Ugandan officials denied its existence. Several African nations expressed sovereignty concerns and criticized the policy as exploitative or unconstitutional. Sentiments among African leaders vary, showcasing frustration with U.S. transactional diplomacy. The divided response highlights the continent's competing priorities, balancing diplomatic ties with Washington against domestic concerns over sovereignty, security, and human rights. Reports from CBS, shared by the BBC, suggested that Washington had secured a new deportation agreement with Uganda, under which Kampala would receive migrants who had sought asylum at the US–Mexico border, including some from African and Asian countries. According to the report, Uganda was said to have agreed to accept deportees without criminal histories, though the number it would eventually host was left undefined. But Ugandan authorities have since denied the existence of any such agreement. Henry Oryem Okello, the country's state minister for foreign affairs, told Reuters that Kampala had not signed a deal with the US and lacked the infrastructure to accommodate deported migrants. ' To the best of my knowledge we have not reached such an agreement. We do not have the facilities and infrastructure to accommodate such illegal immigrants in Uganda. So, we cannot take in such illegal immigrants, ' Oryem stated. His rejection comes as Washington faces growing criticism for attempting to relocate convicted felons and rejected asylum seekers t o countries that are not their places of origin. With the latest development, Uganda has joined the growing list of African countries that have pushed back against the U.S. deportation plan, signaling mounting resistance to Washington's efforts to secure third-party hosts for deported migrants. African nations adopt divided approaches As the Trump administration intensifies efforts to deport convicted migrants to third-party countries, several African nations have pushed back, asserting sovereignty and rejecting what many view as an exploitative framework. However, some others have acepted the policy. Earlier this year, the U.S. deported foreign convicts to South Sudan and Eswatini, sparking condemnation from rights groups. Uganda's firm denial now places it alongside other African states resisting Washington's controversial program. Nigeria: A Resounding No In July 2025, Nigeria's Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar rejected U.S. overtures outright, insisting that his country would not accept 'Venezuelan prisoners into Nigeria.' His stance, backed by Nigeria's regional influence, underscores growing frustration with what analysts call Washington's transactional diplomacy. Libya: Both Governments Refuse Libya's rival authorities—both the UN-backed western administration and eastern militias—denied any deal with the U.S., stressing that deportees would not be accepted. U.S. court rulings have also warned that such deportations would be unconstitutional. Rwanda: From Talks to Agreement Rwanda initially confirmed holding early discussions with U.S. officials, stressing that no deal had been finalized. However, by August 2025 Kigali announced a formal agreement to accept up to 250 deported migrants, with provisions for vetting and support services including housing, healthcare, and workforce training. South Sudan Last month, the United States confirmed it had completed the deportation of eight men to South Sudan, a day after a U.S. judge cleared the way for President Donald Trump's administration to send them to the violence-hit African country. Eswatini In July 2025, the United States deported five men from Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen, and Laos to Eswatini under its third-country deportation policy. The men, convicted of crimes in the U.S., were placed in solitary confinement upon arrival, with Eswatini stating they would later be repatriated through the United Nations. The move drew strong criticism from rights advocates and civic leaders, who called it opaque and unlawful, warning that it compromised both the men's rights and Eswatini's sovereignty. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Saturday that the men were deported the previous day—U.S. Independence Day—after losing a last-minute legal bid to halt their transfer.
UPI
32 minutes ago
- UPI
Appeals court OKs termination of TPS for Nepal, Honduras, Nicaragua
An appeals court on Wednesday as permitted the Trump administration to continue with its plans to terminate deportation protections for tens of thousands from Nepal, Honduras and Nicaragua. File Photo by Sarah Silbiger/UPI | License Photo Aug. 21 (UPI) -- A federal appeals court is permitting the Trump administration to continue with its termination of deportation protections for tens of thousands of people in the United States from Nepal, Honduras and Nicaragua amid litigation. The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit approved the Trump administration's request for a stay pending appeal on Wednesday as it challenges a lower court's ruling that initially postponed the federal government's termination of Temporary Protected Status for those from Nepal, Honduras and Nicaragua until at least Nov. 18, when the next hearing is scheduled to test the merits of the case. The decision was unanimous. No reason was given. "This devastating and unexplained decision threatens families who have lived here for decades, raised U.S. citizen children, built businesses and become an integral part of our communities," National TPS Alliance, which brought the case against the Trump administration, said in a statement following the ruling. "But let it be clear: We are families, workers, neighbors. And despite this setback, TPS holders and allies will CONTINUE to fight for justice, permanent protections and the right to stay in the only home many of us have ever known." The ruling is a victory for President Donald Trump and his administration amid their crackdown on immigration as the American leader seeks to conduct mass deportations of non-citizens. "This is yet another huge legal victory for the Trump administration, the rule of law, safety of the American public," Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement. "TPS was never meant to be a de facto asylum system, yet that is how previous administrations have used it for decades," she said, adding, "This unanimous decision will help restore integrity to our immigration system to keep our homeland and its people safe." Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, was established by Congress in 1990 to shield migrants in the United States from being deported to their home countries experiencing crises such as war, conflict or famine, where they would be put into harm's way. Honduras and Nicaragua were both granted TPS designation in January 1999, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch a year earlier, with Nepal receiving the designation in 2015, due to a destructive earthquake that hit the country that April. Some 60,000 people from the three countries are currently protected from deportation to their native nations because of TPS, many of whom have been in the United States for decades. Trump is attempting to dismantle TPS as part of his immigration crackdown. He announced it was ending deportation protections for those from Nepal in early June, doing the same for Honduras and Nicaragua in July. The designations were to be terminated Aug. 5 for Nepal and Sept. 8 for Honduras and Nicaragua. The Trump administration has argued that TPS was never meant to be a long-term solution and that the conditions in those countries have changed. On July 7, the National TPS Alliance sued the federal government, arguing the terminations were unconstitutional as the Trump administration failed to follow the necessary review process, while its reason for ending TPS was racially motivated. In late July, District Judge Trina Thompson issued a strongly worded decision postponing the termination of TPS for Nepal, Honduras and Nicaragua until mid-November, stating: "The freedom to live fearlessly, the opportunity of liberty and the American Dream. That is all plaintiffs seek. Instead, they are told to atone for their race, leave because of their names and purify their blood." Following the ruling on Wednesday, Sandhya Lama, a TPS holder from Nepal, said she was "heartbroken" by the decision. "I've lived in the U.S. for years, and my kids are U.S. citizens and have never been to Nepal. This ruling leaves us and thousands of other TPS families in fear and uncertainty," she said in a statement. "We are families, workers and neighbors who have built our lives here. Despite this setback, we will continue to fight for justice." The Trump administration is also seeking to terminate TPS protections for Afghanistan, Haiti and Venezuela, moves that are also being challenged in court.
New York Times
32 minutes ago
- New York Times
The Folly of Trump's Cartel-Bombing Fantasy
Shootouts echoing through the streets. Masked gunmen dragging people from homes. Mutilated bodies dumped on the sidewalks. For almost a year, the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa has been under siege, as warring factions of the Sinaloa cartel, one of the world's most powerful criminal organizations, have waged a brutal internal conflict. Mexican authorities have cracked down on the syndicate, rounding up more than 1,500 alleged cartel operatives in the state since October, according to Mexico's security chief. But they have failed to stop the blood bath there or anywhere else in Mexico, where cartels have long been a dominant force. For years, President Trump has been threatening to get the U.S. military involved in this fight. The administration has already designated the Sinaloa Cartel a foreign terrorist organization, along with other Mexican cartels. The C.I.A. has been conducting covert drone flights over Mexico to identify fentanyl labs and other cartel targets. Today, the possibility of direct, unilateral military strikes against cartels on Mexican soil looks closer than ever. Mr. Trump has reportedly signed a directive authorizing the use of military force against the cartels. The Pentagon has reportedly been looking at such plans and has deployed thousands of additional troops to waters around Latin America and the Caribbean. Officials in Mexico City, who had claimed they were nearing a major security agreement with Washington, were apparently blindsided by the news. 'We will never, ever allow the U.S. Army or any other institution of the United States to set foot in Mexican territory ever,' President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico said on Aug. 11. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
