CBS News streamer launches ‘Weekender’

CBS News Streaming Network added an hour of primetime news under a distinct name on Fridays in 2022.

The show airs at 7 p.m. eastern on Fridays, the same time the John Dickerson-anchored “CBS News Prime Time” airs Monday through Thursday and is called “CBS News Weekender.” 

Jan. 13, 2023’s edition was anchored by Catherine Herridge from CBS’s Washington, D.C. bureau and featured its own distinct open with elements of both the “CBS Evening News” look that debuted in August 2022 and the streaming network’s similar graphics.

It uses the same music used by other portions of the streamer’s newscasts, which itself incorporates elements from the latest “Evening News” theme’s signature.

Most of the newscast was a single one-shot of Herridge at the flashcam position overlooking the D.C. newsroom, though there was what appeared to be a taped interview segment that Herridge conducted from the “Evening News” set in the bureau with generic CBS News graphics fed to the video walls.

Jan. 13’s newscast included re-airing of a package used earlier on the “CBS Evening News” (which notably wouldn’t have aired yet in most markets outside the central and eastern time zones) but almost incorporated numerous anchor voiceovers read over footage or graphics from CBS’s newsgathering resources and, in some cases, used earlier in the day. There were also what appeared to be live shots (or at least look-lives). 

CBS also mixed in original content, including appearances and interviews with correspondents and guests as well as an original weather update thanks to its partnership with The Weather Channel. “Entertainment Tonight” content was also repurposed (CBS Media Ventures distributed the syndicated show).

The name choice of “Weekender” is a bit odd, considering the broadcast doesn’t actually air on the weekend, though by the time it airs many people have started their weekends.

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It is also possible CBS plans to eventually expand the broadcast to Saturdays or Sundays (or both), though that was not announced. However, network news streaming offerings are frequently expanding with additional blocks of anchored news.

The name also has similarities to the “CBS Weekend News,” the title the network uses for the newscast that typically airs at the same time as the “CBS Evening News” on weekends.

The broadcast largely maintained a hard news format, though it did dive into health, consumer and pop culture news. An extended report and interview about the Mega Millions jackpot served to round out the broadcast before it cut to a graphic depicting Friday’s stock market closes. 

Correction: “CBS News Weekender” launched in 2022. An earlier version of this story misstated the debut date.