The relaunch of the CBS Evening News with new anchor Tony Dokoupil has endured a tumultuous and closely scrutinised first week, blending high-profile interviews with social media backlash, abrupt personnel changes, and a disrupted national tour.
A Rocky Start Amid High Expectations
Officially launching on Monday, 6 January 2025, the programme had an unofficial start two nights earlier with a special edition following the US attack on Venezuela. The broadcast, personally championed by editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, immediately faced intense public and professional scrutiny. Despite declining traditional TV audiences, the show had no trouble attracting attention, though much of it was critical.
Dokoupil, a 45-year-old veteran of CBS's morning show but a first-time solo anchor, was picked by Weiss to helm one of her top priorities. The network initially planned an ambitious 10-city, 10-day tour across America. However, the news cycle in Donald Trump's America proved unpredictable. A planned broadcast from Denver, Colorado, on Thursday was hastily rerouted to Minneapolis, Minnesota, after an ICE agent killed a 37-year-old US woman, Renee Nicole Good, on Wednesday.
Interviews, Criticism, and an Abrupt Firing
The show secured access to major newsmakers, including senior Trump administration officials and Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. Yet, Dokoupil faced significant backlash for what critics deemed an insufficiently challenging approach, particularly in an extended Saturday interview with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
A moment of praise came on Wednesday night when Dokoupil pressed border czar Tom Homan on whether excessive force was used in Good's death. Homan's response, urging patience for the investigation, diverged from the official Homeland Security line and made headlines. Journalism professor Tom Bettag, a former executive producer for the show, contrasted the two interviews, calling the Homan exchange "remarkably combative in a courteous manner."
This brief success was quickly overshadowed. Later that same Wednesday, the programme's top producer, Javier Guzman, was abruptly terminated, causing confusion in the New York newsroom. CBS provided no public explanation, though sources cited interpersonal dynamics. Colleagues described Guzman as "one of the few grown-ups left" who understood the standards of a nightly newscast.
Social Media Scrutiny and the Ratings Challenge
Clips from the revamped broadcast spread rapidly on social media, generating strong reactions. Dokoupil drew particular fire during the Miami tour stop for a segment that seemed to praise Secretary of State Marco Rubio and for a brief, balanced mention of the January 6 Capitol insurrection anniversary, criticised as "both-sides-ism."
Technical glitches also plagued the launch. On Monday's official debut, a segment meant to feature Minnesota Governor Tim Walz instead displayed a photo of Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, prompting Dokoupil to acknowledge, "First day, first day, big problems here."
While early viewership data showed an improvement—4.4 million viewers tuned in on Monday compared to recent performance—it remains a distant third. ABC's World News Tonight drew 8.1 million and NBC's Nightly News attracted 7.2 million the same night.
Closing Thursday's broadcast from Minnesota, Dokoupil offered reflective commentary on the community's division following Good's death, a segment that garnered praise online from some, though one viewer succinctly advised: "Ditch the final thoughts. Just tell us the news." The chaotic first week underscores the immense challenge ahead for Dokoupil and Weiss in stabilising the broadcast and carving out a distinct identity in a competitive and rapidly evolving media landscape.
