Norah O’Donnell will step down as managing editor and anchor of CBS Evening News after the November election, as she said to her teammates in a memo that she signed.
The Managing Editor of CBS Evening News, who has led the program for almost five years, will be taking up a new role as senior correspondent after the election is conducted. She will add important stories and equally conduct “big interviews” in her new role across CBS’ many platforms and shows.
O’Donnell stated in her note to staff that while she appreciates her period as anchor of CBS Evening News, she feels that the time to change her current role is now.
O’Donnell again stated her “long-term commitment” to CBS News, indicating that she will not stop storytelling and conducting important interviews, which have been a hallmark of her time at the CBN Evening News.
O’Donnell’s decision comes at a time of significant change for CBS. Paramount Global, the CBS parent company, revealed in early July plans to merge with Skydance Media and revealed a major leadership change. CBS News President Ingrid Ciprián-Matthews also recently announced her resignation in preparation for the upcoming presidential election.
O’Donnell informed the staff that her decision to leave her current position is not linked to the merger between CBS and Skydance, although the evolving media landscape did influence her decision.
ICBS News President Wendy McMahon assured staff in her memo that the network remains committed to CBS Evening News and its mission.
She reiterated that her decision to swap roles was her own, despite previous attempts by network executives to change her. CNN reported two years ago that then-CBS News President Neeraj Khemlani had tried to recruit former NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams for the role, but he declined the offer.
Another person to replace O’Donnell is yet to be revealed.
They have lost some of their appeal in a fragmented digital news landscape that has transformed the industry, despite the fact that major evening news broadcasts continue to draw significant ratings compared to other linear television news programs.