A ratings free fall is underway at CBS News as critics pan its transition to a two-anchor evening show format while insiders panic about the rudderless directions they’re receiving from executives who themselves are distracted or sitting on the chopping block.
At the start of the year, “CBS Evening News” debuted John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois in a bid to replace longtime host Norah O’Donnell. The “magazine-style, less headline-driven” format has been a snoozer for audiences while producers fear that executive producer Bill Owens has too much on his plate.
“It’s been critically panned, ratings down week by week and from this time last year,” the source told the Daily Mail. “[Executive Producer] Bill Owens is also overstretched and feeling the pressure with this lawsuit from Donald Trump,” a reference to the $20 billion lawsuit alleging “60 Minutes” deceptively edited its election-year interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Owens, the longtime EP for “60 Minutes,” was enlisted to revive flagging ratings at “CBS Evening News,” which have only fallen further since he took the gig last summer. Some of his early cheerleaders, including CBS News and Stations’ President of Editorial and Newsgathering Adrienne Roark, have left the network, while others, like CEO Wendy McMahon, are rumored to be next in line for axing.
Nielsen ratings released last week and cited by sources show a 14% year-over-year decline for the evening news program. […]
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