Posted on 02/21/2025 9:38:50 AM PST by Red Badger
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.
“I would say it’s a five-alarm fire,” a seasoned former TV news executive confided to Status on Friday.
“It’s mind boggling,” another producer said about the overhaul strategy. “They took the ‘news’ out of the ‘Evening News!’ It’s not surprising the audience is leaving in droves.”
Despite the slump, defenders of the network insisted the new “CBS Evening News” will pay off in the long run.
“We are in this for the long term and are confident in our long game,” they told the Mail. “We expected this.”
Still, advertisers are growing wary as CBS’ ratings crater with key demographics. For the week of February 10th, CBS Evening News saw a 24% drop in 25-54-year-old viewers.
“That demographic is very important to advertisers,” the executive said. “The experiment is failing.”
Status’ other source noted that ratings for rival evening news programs on ABC and NBC saw slight bumps in ratings over the same period.
“It’s almost impossible to build it once you’ve lost it. So to have a drop off like that suggest that this asset… is circling the drain,” the producer added.
“Why did McMahon and Owens decide to try to reinvent the ‘Evening News’ in this challenging moment?” the industry insider went on to ask. “Any excuse you give the audience to change their habit is a massive risk. The habits are so fragile in this new media landscape. So if you give them an excuse to stop watching, they will.”
One source pointed to recent coverage of President Trump’s Oval Office appearance with Elon Musk which received just 22 seconds of coverage by Dickerson and DuBois.
This is “one of the most consequential periods for news in years,” they told Status. “And [yet] they are often minimizing the biggest story of the day to 20 seconds.”
That’s a shame.
The government control corporate media followed its “narrative engineering” right onto the rocks. Nobody believes them anymore.
You might try presenting truthful news for a change.
Just a thought.
Try being honest for a change
What a tragedy! Oh well, now for the weather.
Once Mockingbird 2.0 is fully shut down the network news will be nothing but announcers freezing on air doing Mitch McConnell imitations.
They will have no propaganda to recite.
Network news is going the way of the Dodo Bird.
Seems there are still a few drooling in cups and assorted shut-ins who still watch this BS.
That is heresy, they would be banned from the A list parties.
My old steaming compost pile consisting of stall shavings and horse poop had greater value.
TOOK THE NEWS OUT OF THE EVENING NEWS.....
MEDIA HAS BEEN MANIPULATING EVENT OVERAGE FOR YEARS.
WELCOME To BLOW BACK.
If they are serious about getting good ratings, they should put on Charlie Kirk's podcast for CBS Evening News.
I expect that you are right. However, I am not gladdened to see the ascendancy of the type of “television” preferred by China.
With the Internet, George Orwell will be proven to be prophetic. The TV really will watch you more than you watch it. You will pay extra for a little room that does not have one, just as Smith did.
“Broadcasting” was the best of its time, which, as you say, may be like the Dodo Bird.
I mean, I’ve pretty much been using FR as my sole source of news for years.
They can learn to code or deliver Amazon packages along with their fired government worker buddies.
“Tonight, we have more stories about the outrageous behavior of that arch-fascist, arch-imperialist, homophobic murderer of trans people, Donald Trump! We’ll be right back after these messages, so stay tuned!”
Nielsen ratings released last week and cited by sources show a 14% year-over-year decline for the evening news program.
Wonderful news! Great news! The old Dominant Media is dominant no more!
Long live the resistance! Long live alternative media!
Long live freerepublic!
Long live the Consitution, the rule of law, and the Republic!
It’s really a pathetic comment on legacy media that some guy on the internet sitting at a desk in front of a microphone wearing ear phones can get vastly MORE viewers/listeners than the best and brightest legacy media has.
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