CBS News announced that Tony Dokoupil will take over as anchor of the network’s flagship broadcast, CBS Evening News, beginning Jan. 5. The move, confirmed by the network on Wednesday, replaces the departing anchor team of John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois. The hire is the first major editorial appointment under Bari Weiss, who became CBS News editor-in-chief this fall following the company’s takeover by Paramount. Network leaders framed the choice as a bid to restore audience trust and sharpen the program’s competitiveness in the evening-news landscape.
- CBS named Tony Dokoupil to start as CBS Evening News anchor on Jan. 5; he is 44 years old and has been with CBS since 2016.
- Dokoupil succeeds John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois, both of whom left the network in recent months.
- Under current Nielsen data cited by the network, CBS Evening News averaged about 4.04 million viewers versus ABC’s 7.83 million and NBC’s 6.19 million this year.
- CBS’s evening newscast is down roughly 16% year-over-year in 2024, while ABC is down 2% and NBC down 3%, according to Nielsen figures cited by the network.
- Bari Weiss, newly installed editor-in-chief, said Dokoupil’s approach aligns with her emphasis on rebuilding trust and rigorous reporting.
- Dokoupil has anchored CBS Mornings since 2019, previously worked at MSNBC and wrote for Newsweek and The Daily Beast.
- He hosts a streaming program, The Uplift, and authored a memoir about his father, The Last Pirate.
Background
The CBS Evening News, once an audience leader in the Walter Cronkite era, has struggled to reclaim a top position across successive anchors. Over decades the broadcast moved from first place to third, with notable anchors including Dan Rather, Katie Couric, Scott Pelley and Norah O’Donnell. In recent years the program has cycled through several leadership changes as networks confront shifting viewer habits and the rise of cable and streaming alternatives.
Bari Weiss was appointed editor-in-chief this fall following Paramount’s corporate takeover, marking a significant editorial shift at CBS News. Weiss’s arrival signaled a willingness to recruit high-profile talent and reach beyond internal candidates during the evening-anchor search. The network sought a candidate who could appeal to legacy viewers while also addressing broad trust and credibility concerns across diverse audiences.
Main Event
On Wednesday CBS publicly named Tony Dokoupil as the new anchor and positioned the hire as central to a broader effort to rebuild the program’s audience. Dokoupil, 44, has been a visible presence at CBS since joining in 2016 and serving on the CBS Mornings team from 2019. His journalism resume includes stints at MSNBC and bylines at Newsweek and The Daily Beast, plus a weekly streaming program focused on positive stories.
Network executives described the appointment as a strategic answer to ABC’s David Muir, whose World News Tonight leads broadcast evening news in total viewers. CBS officials said Dokoupil will bring what they called a commitment to rigorous reporting and direct questioning, intended to restore trust among skeptical segments of the public. The selection followed outreach by Weiss to figures both inside and outside the network during the search process.
The hire is not without controversy: in late September 2024 CBS formally reprimanded Dokoupil after a contentious interview with author Ta-Nehisi Coates about Israel and the Palestinians. Then-CBS News chief Wendy McMahon emphasized the network’s duty to avoid the appearance of bias; the episode prompted internal review and public scrutiny. Despite that episode, CBS leaders concluded Dokoupil remains a viable choice to lead the evening broadcast.
Analysis & Implications
Putting Dokoupil at the helm signals CBS’s intent to aggressively pursue a ratings recovery and to reframe the Evening News under new editorial leadership. The program’s 16% audience decline this year makes turnaround urgent: even modest gains in prime-time retention could materially affect advertising revenue and affiliate relations. Dokoupil’s profile as a cross-platform journalist—television anchor, streaming host and memoirist—fits a strategy that blends traditional broadcast gravitas with digital familiarity.
Beyond raw ratings, CBS faces a credibility challenge. Bari Weiss has publicly framed the hire as part of rebuilding trust in journalism, a theme that resonates with viewers who have grown distrustful of mainstream media. Whether a single anchor change can shift long-term perceptions is uncertain; trust-building typically requires sustained editorial choices, transparent corrections and visible accountability mechanisms over time.
Competitively, CBS will need to differentiate the Evening News from ABC and NBC while contending with Fox’s nightly audience and cable alternatives. Reaching lapsed viewers may require format adjustments, more enterprise reporting and targeted outreach to key demographics. Advertisers and affiliates will watch early ratings trends; consistent declines could prompt further programming changes or investment shifts.
Comparison & Data
| Newscast | Average viewers (2024) |
|---|---|
| CBS Evening News | 4.04 million |
| ABC World News Tonight | 7.83 million |
| NBC Nightly News | 6.19 million |
| Fox Evening Newscast (Bret Baier) | ~3.0 million |
These Nielsen-based figures show CBS trailing both ABC and NBC this year, with ABC leading by a substantial margin. CBS’s 16% year-over-year decline contrasts with smaller drops at its competitors, indicating a widening gap rather than a static ranking. Small percentage shifts in national broadcast news audiences translate to hundreds of thousands of viewers, affecting both advertising rates and perceived network relevance among older, high-value demographics.
Reactions & Quotes
CBS and its supporters cast the hire as a vote of confidence in Dokoupil’s experience and temperament. Network statements emphasized a return to straightforward reporting and a focus on accountability as central aims of the appointment.
“Tony Dokoupil is the person to win it back,”
Bari Weiss, CBS News editor-in-chief
Weiss framed the selection around trust restoration and old-school journalistic values, arguing that Dokoupil’s style fits the network’s recalibrated editorial mission. That public endorsement underscores her influence in the hiring process following her fall appointment.
Dokoupil offered a concise message about his ambitions for the broadcast and his view of the journalist’s role after two decades in the field.
“A commitment to trust and the plain truth,”
Tony Dokoupil
Dokoupil described his intention to apply long-form reporting experience and broad field work to a nightly newscast that reaches a nationwide audience. His remarks emphasized reconnection with viewers in diverse American communities.
Observers outside CBS gave measured responses, noting both the potential and the obstacles ahead for the program. Media analysts highlighted the need for sustained editorial consistency to change long-term audience trends rather than relying on a single-anchor boost.
Unconfirmed
- It is not yet confirmed whether Dokoupil’s appointment will reverse CBS’s year-over-year viewership decline; early ratings after Jan. 5 will be the first measurable indicator.
- Reports that outreach during the anchor search included specific outside anchors are based on network accounts and have not been independently verified by all parties contacted.
Bottom Line
CBS’s appointment of Tony Dokoupil is a clear signal of intent: the network is pursuing a rapid editorial reset under Bari Weiss and placing a recognizable on-air journalist at the center of that effort. The hire addresses short-term needs for a single, identifiable anchor while framing a broader promise to rebuild trust and sharpen reporting.
But the appointment alone cannot guarantee a ratings turnaround or a restoration of audience confidence. Measurable progress will depend on editorial consistency, follow-through on trust-building measures and how viewers respond in the weeks and months after Jan. 5. Industry observers and advertisers will be watching early audience trends closely as the network seeks to reverse a notable year-over-year decline.