Latest news with #CBSEveningNews'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CBS Likely to Cast New Eye on ‘Evening News' After Wendy McMahon Exit
Expect new headlines soon out of 'CBS Evening News.' 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
Los Angeles Times
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The network evening news is in flux: Why an American TV institution is under pressure
For broadcast networks, the evening news broadcast is a cherished part of their legacies — having brought the likes of Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings into living rooms over the decades. But with pressures mounting on the traditional TV business, the American institution is in a period of flux. The traditional TV audience is a slow melting glacier, with network evening newscasts down nearly 1 million viewers in the 2024-25 season compared to the previous year, according to Nielsen. As a result, network news executives will be on edge this year, with two of the three broadcasts undergoing major overhauls. Next month, NBC will replace longtime 'Nightly News' anchor Lester Holt with Tom Llamas, 45, who helms the streaming NBC News Now program 'Top Story.' It will mark only the fourth change in the 'Nightly' role since 1983. This comes after 'CBS Evening News' in January replaced Norah O'Donnell with a duo of John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois. Conceived by outgoing '60 Minutes' executive producer Bill Owens, the new 'CBS Evening News' has aimed to do longer segments instead of the headline-driven style the broadcasts are known for. Although broadcast networks have largely ceded scripted TV shows to streaming, they are still protective of the news programs. Both NBC and CBS are trying to improve their competitive position against 'ABC World News With David Muir,' which has its largest lead over the second-place peacock network in 30 years. Like other TV newscasts, evening programs are in a battle to maintain relevance amid competition from not only cable and streaming but also YouTube, which attracts older audiences as well as younger, digital-savvy viewers. 'No one wants a tombstone that reads 'Here lies the guy who killed the evening news,'' said Jonathan Wald, a veteran producer who worked with Brokaw on 'NBC Nightly News.' Evening newscasts on ABC, CBS and NBC — all of which launched in the late 1940s — are among the few shows that still drive appointment viewing. They've held up better than most TV network genres. Nielsen data show the programs are watched by an average of 18 million viewers a night and reach 71 million each month despite competition from 24-hour cable news and a barrage of platforms available digitally. There are many weeks throughout the year when Muir's broadcast is the most watched program in all of TV, often averaging 8 million viewers. So far, the audience isn't buying the changes on 'CBS Evening News.' The program has dropped below 4 million viewers in some weeks since its launch and occasionally gets topped by 'Special Report With Bret Baier' on Fox News. NBC News executives believe Llamas can provide a fresh spark for 'Nightly News.' They're encouraged that he led in the 25-to-54 age group on recent nights when he filled in for Holt. 'We think he's exactly the right guy at this moment,' said Janelle Rodriguez, executive vice president of programming for NBC News. 'He is someone who has worked at this literally since he was a kid.' But there is always risk involved when an anchor change occurs — programs typically see a shift of 500,000 viewers in the aftermath. A single audience share point decline in the Nielsen ratings can mean about $10 million less in ad revenue. Evening news broadcasts are still profitable businesses and have benefited from increased advertiser demand for audiences watching live TV. In 2024, ad spending on the three network evening newscasts, including the weekend editions, hit $669 million, according to measurement firm an increase of 12% over the previous year. The programs also still provide an identity for ABC, CBS and NBC. A recent study by research firm Magid found that 50% of consumers cite news as their top reason for watching a network TV affiliate. Most of the people tuning in at 6:30 p.m. to watch are older viewers who likely grew up with the habit, as evidenced by the commercial breaks. The data from iSpot show around 46% of the ad dollars spent on the programs are for pharmaceutical products. Competitors have long taken shots at 'World News,' calling it a shallow broadcast that delivers a lot of of stories without much detail. ABC News executives counter that Muir has traveled around the world to do lengthier reports that are expanded into documentaries for Hulu. 'We spend a lot of time making sure the show is informative visually and reflects a modern, elegant broadcast,' said Chris Dinan, Muir's executive producer. 'David knows television. He's a student of it.' Viewers, who like Muir and the visual sizzle of 'World News,' have made it No. 1 for nine consecutive years. 'You can't listen to the chattering classes,' said Wald. 'The show is watchable and consistent. You know what you're going to get.' Muir's success has been rewarded. After sharing special coverage anchor duties with George Stephanopoulos, he is now the dominant face of ABC News. Muir's former longtime executive producer, Almin Karamehmedovic, became president of the division last year. For most of his tenure, Muir has maintained a neutral image that protected him from right-wing claims of bias made against many mainstream journalists. That changed last fall as Muir and colleague Linsey Davis became targets after they vigorously fact-checked President Trump at the second presidential debate in September. 'I'm not fans of those guys anymore,' Trump said during a Fox News appearance. 'And his hair was better five years ago.' Trump's anger at Muir has had no impact on the ratings for 'World News,' which have remained steady. Nielsen data show the program's audience is down only 1% in the 2024-25 TV season compared to a year ago, while 'NBC Nightly News' is off 6% and 'CBS Evening News' is down 8%. While Holt's departure from 'Nightly News' was presented as his decision, NBC News is historically unsentimental when it comes to making talent transitions, always looking for the next generation. Llamas, 45, has spent three years at the helm of 'Top Story' on NBC News Now, the network's 24-hour streaming news service that draws a younger audience than the broadcast network. Like Muir, Llamas has been immersed in TV news since he was a teenager. Muir worked in a local Syracuse TV newsroom where staffers tracked his growth spurt with pencil marks on a wall. A 15-year-old Llamas landed an internship at a Miami TV station with the help of Jorge Ramos, the longtime Univision anchor. (Ramos' children were patients of Llamas' father, who has a dental practice in Miami.) Llamas interned at 'NBC Nightly News' and went on to jobs at MSNBC and as a local anchor at NBC's Miami and New York stations. He moved to ABC News in 2014, where he was anchor of the weekend newscast and often filled in for Muir. He returned to NBC in 2021, leading to immediate speculation that he was being developed as Holt's heir apparent. 'He'll be a great steward for what 'Nightly' is now and maybe even extend its lifespan by injecting some youth,' said Wald. The question at CBS News — which has been distracted by a lawsuit filed by Trump against '60 Minutes' and the pending sale of parent company Paramount Global to Skydance Media — is whether it will make tweaks to its evening news format before viewers start sampling again after Holt departs. CBS News declined to provide an executive to speak on the record about the newscast. But two people close to the show said management continues to support the alternative approach to the broadcast and there are no imminent changes. People who work on 'CBS Evening News' but were not authorized to comment publicly said the program has already moved to shorter pieces. The producers are also expected to get some notes from Tom Cibrowski, the new CBS News president who comes from ABC News, where there is an emphasis on being viewer-friendly. But the challenges faced by CBS demonstrate how hard it is to make changes to evening news when continuity and familiarity matter to the audience. Muir was a longtime weekend anchor and then primary substitute for Diane Sawyer during her five-year run on 'World News.' Holt was a fill-in for Brian Williams before his abrupt departure in 2015. CBS has likely been hurt by changing evening news anchors six times since Dan Rather ended his 20-year run at the desk in 2005. The program has long suffered from a weak audience lead-in from its local stations, a problem that goes back to the mid-1990s, when a number of its affiliates switched to Fox after CBS lost its NFL package. But broadcast networks are aware that the downward trend in appointment viewing on traditional TV is never going to reverse. It's why the networks have expanded their evening news programs online. Llamas will continue to do 'Top Story' on NBC News Now after he takes over for Holt in June. Dickerson has done an additional half-hour, which includes a longer newsmaker interview and a brief commentary at the end, on 'CBS Evening News Plus,' which is shown on CBS News Streaming after the network broadcast. All of the evening newscasts stream full episodes on YouTube, each attracting several hundred thousand viewers a night, as well as getting repeat airings on the 24-hour streaming news channels. 'NBC Nightly News' clips reached 43 million on TikTok in the first quarter of 2025. 'As people move across different distribution points, we need to be ready for them,' Rodriguez said.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
CBS News renews attention to nuclear waste fallout at Coldwater Creek
ST. LOUIS – A new two-part series from 'CBS Evening News' has brought renewed attention to decades-long concerns of nuclear waste contamination at Coldwater Creek and its devastating impact on St. Louis-area families. The contamination stems from uranium production during the Manhattan Project, a World War II-era effort that occurred in the St. Louis region. When leftover nuclear waste was later disposed, it found way into Coldwater Creek, a 19-mile tributary of the Missouri River that runs through neighborhoods, schools, and parks. Over the last few years, national reports have surfaced suggesting that the federal government downplayed and failed to fully investigate the risks of nuclear waste contamination that stemmed from the Manhattan Project. In its first of two reports, CBS Evening News focused on the story of Linda Morice, a north St. Louis County resident whose family was severely affected by cancer. Police respond to South County Mall after man displays gun Morice's family moved to St. Louis in 1957, unaware of dangers lurking in their backyard. Over the years, Morice lost her mother, father and brother to cancer, all believed to be tied to long-term exposure to nuclear waste at Coldwater Creek. 'It was a slow, insidious process,' Morice told CBS. 'All that time, all those fun things were happening, but that whole time we, and the rest of the community were being exposed to some pretty dangerous stuff.' Urologic oncologist Dr. Gautum Agarwal told CBS he has seen an unusually high number of aggressive cancers in people who grew up near the creek, something he has been tracking closely in medical reports. 'I was seeing patients who are young, who had developed pretty significant cancers from areas that there's been some contamination with nuclear waste,' said Agrawal. Morice also recalled a chilling comment from her physician's uncle, who once warned, 'Everyone on this street has a tumor.' The waste wasn't limited to one site. CBS reports that it spread across 82 different spots in St. Louis County, including places where children played and families lived unaware of risks. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now This isn't the only time nuclear waste around St. Louis has caught national attention either. In recent years, environmental investigation consultants have pointed out radioactive contamination at Jana Elementary School in north St. Louis County. There are also prolonged concerns about the West Lake landfill in Bridgeton and a former uranium plant site in Weldon Spring. Efforts to secure compensation for victims of radioactive contamination through U.S. Congress have gained some momentum in the past, including a push from a local advocacy group Just Moms STL, but legislation on the matter has not passed as of April 2025. Just Moms STL, a vocal forced behind the push for accountability, shared the CBS story to their social media pages with the caption: 'This is why we need RECA!' Missouri U.S. Josh Hawley has been a major proponent of swift action at Coldwater Creek, repeatedly urging Congress to recognize St. Louis-area radioactive contamination victims and fund their care. According to previous Associated Press reports on cleanup of Coldwater Creek isn't expected to finish until 2038, though the Army Corps of Engineers believes the worst of the contamination has been removed. Part II of the two-part 'CBS Evening News' special on Coldwater Creek airs Wednesday evening. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dan Rather Shaded Trump With A 'Turkish Proverb,' And It's Gone Hugely Viral
Dan Rather has some choice words, or rather, a little proverb for President Donald Trump. The veteran broadcast journalist and former 'CBS Evening News' anchor seemed to hit a nerve Monday, sharing on Facebook a post aimed squarely at Trump's tumultuous administration — to nearly one million likes and more than 60,000 comments. 'When a clown moves into a palace he doesn't become a king, the palace instead becomes a circus. — Turkish proverb,' the post reads. Rather also shared a recent article of his in the comments of Monday's post about Trump's steep international tariffs and the U.S. economy, seemingly confirming the proverb was about him. The premise of a clown entering a palace seemed to strike a chord. 'Perfect description of what is going on right now. I never understood people's fear of clowns, until now…,' wrote one Facebook user, with another commenting: 'My daughter used to be afraid of clowns. Here is one we can all be afraid of.' Trump has certainly created the current White House in his image. The former reality television star forewent the Oval Office's traditional decor to include more gold, hawked Tesla vehicles on the grounds for his billionaire tech mogul buddy Elon Musk — and is practically selling U.S. citizenship for $5 million a pop. The proverb itself likely originated with the Circassians, Sunni Muslims from the Northwestern Caucasus, and is not specifically Turkish. Regional newspaper Türkiye Today noted as much after NBA star LeBron James shared the words on Instagram in February. 'Turkish proverb / American reality,' one user nonetheless argued on Rather's post Monday. In his career, Rather covered some of the biggest events in modern history, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Gulf War and 9/11. He was fired in 2006 over reporting on then-President George W. Bush's National Guard service — and later sued the network for $70 million. Rather has spent his retirement sharing his political thoughts on Facebook and Substack. Livid Jim Cramer Tears Into Trump For Making Him 'Feel Like A Sucker' On Tariffs CNN's Diehard Trump Fan Scott Jennings Makes Surprising Confession On Tariffs Critics Call Utter B.S. On Kellyanne Conway's Rebrand Of Trump's Tariffs
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
CBS Evening news features Sioux Falls couple
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Don and Marilyn Barnett of Sioux Falls were featured on CBS Evening News' 'On The Road with Steve Hartman' for Valentine's Day. The story is below: In less time than it takes to make a cup of tea… …I will explain the secret of a long and happy marriage – as told to me by 94-year-old Don Barnett and his 93-year-old wife Marilyn of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Their public displays of affection made possible, they say, by their private nightly ritual. 'It's very simple and it's very easy to do,' said Don. 'We wouldn't go to sleep without that,' said Marilyn. It happens…. 'Want a song?' said Don. …right before bed. 'Sure!' said Marilyn. Don sits down beside his bride of 68 years…and starts to sing. 'I just look forward to it. And he has a beautiful voice,' said Marilyn. They started doing this about 50 years ago. 'And I discovered a couple of things. First of all, it pleased her. And secondly, it calmed us. And if we had a disagreement or something before, it was gone by the time we went to sleep,' said Don. A magic musical elixir… 'Yep, you got it,' said Don. …that their son Doug says happens without fail. Steve: Whether they're here, in a hotel room, or in the hospital. Don: Doesn't matter. I'm not aware that they ever miss it. Last month, Marilyn fell and broke her hip. And sure enough, her nightly serenade continued – without skipping a beat. Don: When you sing to your spouse, she realizes that you really care enough to go out of your way – rather than just say, 'Goodnight, honey!' This Valentine's weekend, couples will be searching for just the right words to show their love – but for Don and Marilyn there's nothing to say – that can't be sung. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
