Norah O’Donnell leaving ‘CBS Evening News’ after election

“CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell is stepping down from the anchor desk after the 2024 election.

She will remain with CBS News as a senior correspondent, according to a memo issued by Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News and Stations.

“Norah will have the time and the support to deliver even more of the exceptional stories she is known for across our shows and streams, across CBS Network and Paramount+. She will have the real estate and flexibility to leverage big bookings on numerous platforms, including primetime specials, 60 Minutes, CBS News Sunday Morning, and more,” McMahon is quoted as saying in the network’s own article on O’Donnell’s departure.

O’Donnell took over the broadcast in 2019.

CBS News relocated the broadcast’s studio to Washington, D.C. The move away from New York was billed as a way to put O’Donnell closer to the center of U.S. political news while also allowing her to be closer to her primary residence near the city.

As part of her move to the “Evening” anchor desk, she left “CBS This Morning” where she had been a longtime member of a rotating cast of talent.

Both “Evening” and “This Morning” were and continue to be the third-place broadcasts in their respective timeslots. Since O’Donnell left, “This Morning” was renamed “CBS Mornings” and has shown some growth.

The network did not indicate who would replace O’Donnell or if the broadcast would remain in Washington.

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According to McMahon’s memo, the choice to leave “Evening” was O’Donnell’s. In a separate statement, O’Donnell mentioned that the changing face of network TV played a part in her decision. 

“Together, our team has won Emmy, Murrow, and DuPont awards,” O’Donnell wrote in a memo to staff. “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!” She also noted the broadcast is marking its fifth year with her at the desk.

Earlier this summer, Paramount Global, the parent of CBS, announced plans to merger with Skydance Media. The deal, which is still being finalized and faces regulatory approval, is expected to see job losses across the newly merged company, though O’Donnell said the pending merger wasn’t a direct factor in her decision.

O’Donnell said she has made a “long term” deal to remain at the network and contribute to various programs, including continuing her role as “60 Minutes” correspondent. 

O’Donnell renewed her contract with CBS in 2022, though it reportedly included a pay cut from her previous purported $8 million salary. At the time of the 2022 deal, the network indicated it would entail O’Donnell staying with the broadcast past the 2024 election, though an exact end date of the contract extension wasn’t announced. 

After the 2024 election, CBS will have a big decision to make: Who will take over its venerable broadcast, once the realm of Walter Cronkite. 

There’s no heir apparent to the role, though during previous rumblings that O’Donnell might be replaced, some names including “CBS Mornings” co-anchor Tony Dokoupil, “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan and chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett have been mentioned among industry watchers and insiders.

In 2022, there were reports that CBS was looking to replace O’Donnell and approached former “NBC Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams, but he ultimately passed and the network opted to continue the current course.

In many ways, CBS has been trying to find the right anchor to turn around the broadcast’s fortunes for decades going back to the late 1980s when, in post-Cronkite years, the broadcast plummeted in the ratings.

After six years under former top “Today” anchor Katie Couric failed to goose the ratings, Harry Smith was made interim anchor until Scott Pelley started in 2011. He lasted another six years before the network opted to move Jeff Glor to the chair, with Anthony Mason filling the gap between the two. Glor was ousted in 2019 and replaced with rotating hosts until O’Donnell took over.

Pelley, Glor and Mason have all remained with CBS News.

Full text of McMahon’s memo:

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Hi everyone,

Just a few moments ago, Norah O’Donnell shared her decision to step away from the Evening News desk after the election, moving into a new role at CBS – a role that will enable her to, as she notes, do something different, and thankfully for us, do more of the storytelling and big interviews that are a hallmark of CBS News, as well as Norah’s illustrious career.

The fact is… Norah’s superpower is her ability to secure and then masterfully deliver unparalleled interviews and stories that set the news cycle and capture the cultural zeitgeist. From her global exclusive with Pope Francis to her interviews with every living president, Norah’s newsmaking interviews always deliver for the audience. How many people can effortlessly shift from field-anchoring on an aircraft carrier in the Red Sea to sitting down with Bono and Dolly Parton? Norah’s work here is legendary, and she has several major interviews in the works that will be equally memorable and momentous.

As Norah noted in her email, this is a transformative time in our industry, where we have the challenge and the opportunity to connect with viewers in entirely new ways, and she is uniquely positioned to do so for CBS. In this new role, Norah will have the time and the support to deliver even more of the exceptional stories she is known for across our shows and streams, across CBS Network and Paramount+. She will have the real estate and flexibility to leverage big bookings on numerous platforms, including primetime specials, 60 Minutes, CBS News Sunday Morning, and more.

But first, there is an election to cover, and Norah will continue to lead our political coverage, including the Democratic National Convention and Election Night. We look forward to Norah’s ongoing coverage of this important political cycle.

I know many of you will have questions about what this means for the CBS Evening News moving forward. Please know we remain committed to its mission, we will share more about our plans soon, and we want to thank all our colleagues who contribute to its coverage every night. As Norah said, her Evening News signoff is not anytime soon, and we look forward to seeing her reporting and interviews now and in the future.

Wendy