Norah O'Donnell supplants Jeff Glor as anchor of CBS Evening News while the network's This Morning also gets a makeover
05/06/19 14:18
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Jeff Glor’s brief reign as CBS Evening News anchor is over, although many viewers still might not be aware it even began.
His replacement is Norah O’Donnell, who sometime this summer will segue from the network’s CBS This Morning program. Incumbent Gayle King will remain, now as the lead anchor. Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil are slated to join her, on May 20th, with John Dickerson being transferred again, this time to 60 Minutes.
The changes were announced Monday by CBS News President Susan Zirinsky, who proclaimed this the “start of a new era for CBS News. Our job is to reveal America to itself through original reporting, strong investigative journalism and powerful political coverage.”
As part of the makeover, the Evening News will be relocating from New York City to Washington, D.C. this fall. A CBS News publicity release says the shift “adds to the importance and stature of the broadcast and will give CBS News unique access to top lawmakers, whose decisions have a profound impact on all Americans.”
Both the Evening News and This Morning remain last and have long been so in three-way races with ABC and NBC.
Glor officially became the Evening News anchor on Dec. 4, 2017, succeeding interim anchor Mason after he filled in for Scott Pelley for several months. Pelley now is with 60 Minutes.
Dickerson had been host of CBS’ Sunday morning Face the Nation after Bob Schieffer retired. After two-and-a-half years, he was replaced by Margaret Brennan in February of 2018.
O’Donnell, who has been with This Morning since 2012, becomes the second woman to solo anchor the Evening News after Katie Couric had a five-year run. Connie Chung earlier co-anchored the Evening News with Dan Rather, but that partnership never jelled.
Zirinsky was named CBS News president in January of this year. She has been with the network’s news division since 1972, and for the previous 23 years was executive producer of 48 Hours, which remains on Saturday nights.
Glor, still a relative kid at age 43, was relegated to the final paragraph of Monday’s CBS News announcement. Zirinsky praised his award-winning work and commitment, and said “we are discussing opportunities for Jeff to remain with CBS News and continue providing the same substantive, trusted reporting that he has been offering for the past 12 years.”
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