It was a newsworthy story, to be sure, but it didn’t necessarily need a well-known author to tell the world about it.
In fact, it took two somewhat obscure PEOPLE staffers, Stephanie Wenger and JP Mangalindan, to author this yesterday:
Norah O’Donnell is stepping down as anchor and managing editor of CBS Evening News following the 2024 presidential election.
O’Donnell, who anchored the primetime program for five years, will remain at CBS and transition to a new role as a CBS News senior correspondent, PEOPLE has learned, conducting high-profile interviews that will air across the network’s platforms, including broadcast, streaming, digital and Paramount+. The seasoned journalist will also contribute to CBS Evening News, 60 Minutes and CBS News Sunday Morning.
Pretty much everyone had the obligatory MacArthur-like statement which O’Donnell sent out yesterday that thanked and extolled the team, including the PEOPLE pair:
“I love what I do, and I am so fortunate to work with the best journalists and people in the business…Together, our team has won Emmy, Murrow, and DuPont awards. We managed to anchor in-studio through COVID; we took the broadcast on the road from aircraft carriers to the Middle East, and around the world. We were privileged to conduct a historic interview with Pope Francis. There’s so much work to be proud of!”
“But I have spent 12 years in the anchor chair here at CBS News, tied to a daily broadcast and the rigors of a relentless news cycle,” she continued. “It’s time to do something different.”
But more seasoned journalists picked up on the realities of late that seem to indicate that, at best, this may have been a mutually determined career move for O’Donnell. Per VARIETY’s Brian Steinberg:
(T)he maneuver is part of a parade of major changes at CBS News in recent months. The national newsgathering operation was in 2021 merged with CBS’ stations, and late last year was consolidated further under the management oversight of Wendy McMahon, who also oversees CBS’ syndicated business. In July, Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, a veteran journalism executive who was named president of the Paramount Global news unit just last August, told staffers she would exit her role in favor of consulting duties; CBS has yet to name her replacement.
And as the LOS ANGELES TIMES’ Stephen Battaglio observed:
O’Donnell’s broadcast typically finished third in the ratings behind “ABC World News Tonight With David Muir” and “NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt.” CBS has run behind its competitors in the evening news ratings race since losing key affiliate stations in the mid-1990s.
What’s crucial to note there is that for as storied and auspiced as the brand of a national evening newscast is–in this case, one that goes back more than 80 years to the World War II radio era where the likes of Edward R. Murrow regularly contributed–to the business model of today’s media conglomerates, it is programming content where ROI reigns supreme. In the world of TV news, since the earliest days of TV on a market-by-market basis local news drives both audience and profitability. Local newscasts get higher ratings and drive more channel-switching; it’s not by accident that evening newscasts air virtually everywhere on the half-hour and don’t fully retain their lead-in audiences. It’s also no accident that the businesses of local TV and national news are now co-mingled under common top management not only as CBS under McMahon, but at ABC (at least for the moment) under Debra O’Connell.
Lord knows CBS has tried to recapture the glory days they once had as the most-viewed evening newscast under legends like Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather. Under Les Moonves, CBS made a monumentally noisy and expensive move to lure Katie Couric away from the TODAY SHOW and give her a less abnormal sleep schedule, not to mention making her the first solo female anchor in the program’s history.
That didn’t move the needle. Nor did her successors, the 60 MINUTES pedigreed Scott Pelley and the veteran of the Syracuse 6 o’clock news Jeff Glor. 
And despite the fact that her audience on a raw numbers basis still is larger than many prime time series, O’Donnell has been no more successful.
Perhaps the most ominous line in these reports was this throwaway from Battaglio: The network made no announcement about a replacement.
As well as this follow-up paragraph:
O’Donnell’s decision comes at a time of upheaval at CBS parent company Paramount Global. The company’s board and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone recently approved an agreement to merge with Skydance Media for $8 billion, likely to bring a period of uncertainty inside the news division that could face significant cost-cutting.
Under McMahon, the network has rebranded and reinforced their streaming news efforts, now under the national umbrella title of CBS NEWS 24/7, and more seamlessly incorporates talent and stories from the 14 sister streams of CBS LOCAL. It is similar to the efforts that have been underway and achieved financial efficiencies at NBC, where its NEWS NOW service has served as a de facto farm system for the next generation of anchors, including one time owned-and-operated station talent like Hallie Jackson and Tom Llamas. Efforts championed by none other than Jeff Shell, who coincidentally is now calling the shots at Paramount.
So with all due respect to those that are already speculating that O’Donnell’s replacement may come from the likes of her current top Washington correspondent Major Garrett or FACE THE NATION’s Margaret Brennan, my money is on the likes of those who are serving as the front and center talent of 24/7. Per Wikipedia, that includes these “personalities”:
The morning hours are typically anchored by Anne-Marie Green and Vladimir Duthiers, with afternoons anchored by a rotating team including Lilia Luciano, Tony Dokoupil, Errol Barnett, Lana Zak and Elaine Quijano.
If you’ve heard of any of them, you’re a more dedicated news junkie than I am, and you’re more than likely out of the 25-54 demo. But I suspect almost no one outside of immediate family who is in that demo, which makes up the lion’s share of the cumulative audience that tunes in 24/7, is watching any of them. Much as not enough of those that aren’t were watching O’Donnell.
The days of Cronkite, Rather or even Couric are long gone. So don’t be surprised if one–or more–of those people turn out to be next in line.
Or perhaps someone who’s now anchoring somewhere like CBS NEWS COLORADO or CBS NEWS DETROIT. Hey, they’re bigger markets than Syracuse.
Until next time…