CBS sets date for Norah O’Donnell’s last day on ‘Evening’

Norah O’Donnell’s final night on the “CBS Evening News” has been officially scheduled.

O’Donnell, who has anchored CBS’s flagship newscast since 2019, announced in July 2024 that she would depart the broadcast sometime after the 2024 election.

The date for her final newscast was originally planned to be Jan. 24, 2025, but CBS coverage of the Farmers Insurance Open later meant O’Donnell’s last day was switched to Jan. 23, 2025.

That date will allow her to continue to anchor through the inauguration of Donald Trump and the first few days of his second term. 

CBS has also set Jan. 27, 2024, the Monday immediately following O’Donnell’s last broadcast, as the premiere date for the revamped “CBS Evening News” with John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois anchoring from New York and “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan contributing from Washington, D.C. WCBS forecaster Lonnie Quinn will also appear regularly form New York.

The date of the new “Evening News” launch was not affected by the change in O’Donnell’s final day.

O’Donnell, meanwhile, will remain with CBS News as part of a new multi-year deal she signed with the network in 2024. She is slated to appear on “60 Minutes” and contribute to other coverage as well, but is no longer expected to be seen on-air on a daily basis.

About a month after O’Donnell’s departure was announced, the network also said it would bid farewell to her executive producer, Adam Verdugo. Carolyn Cremen has been serving as interim EP ahead of Bill Owens, who also heads up “60,” takes over Jan. 27.

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The change is the latest in a long series of anchor shuffles and other changes over the past two decades the network has attempted to improve ratings, none of which have been met with much success. Even the venerable Katie Couric was unable to raise the broadcast’s fortune consistently when she anchored from 2006 to 2011.

“Evening” continues to rank behind “ABC World News Tonight” and “NBC Nightly News,” though it has posted some signs of growth and narrowing the gap between it and the second-place broadcast over the years.

When “Evening” relaunches in 2025, the network is also planning to launch “CBS Evening News Plus,” an additional 30-minute block to be solo anchored by Dickerson. The broadcast will be streamed for free on CBS News 24/7 as well as airing on the linear schedules at three CBS-owned stations.

Although all of the “big three” networks have offered expanded editions of their evening newscasts for special event and breaking news coverage, this will be the first time there will be a scheduled hour-long evening news block (albeit one that only airs on traditional TV in select markets).

O’Donnell’s tenure has been met with mixed reviews and was also marred by a 2022 New York Post report that, citing multiple anonymous sources, accused her of “toxic behavior” and branded her a “news actress.” The report alleged that the broadcast’s production was bogged down by daily “dress rehearsals” and that execs wanted O’Donnell appear more natural on-camera. The Post did not name any of its sources and most elements of the story were not officially confirmed.