CBS News has named “CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil as the new anchor of “CBS Evening News,” elevating one of Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss’ favorite personalities to one of the news organization’s most important hours.
The network confirmed Dokoupil’s appointment on Wednesday’s “CBS Mornings.”
Dokoupil’s appointment marks the first major programming change during Weiss’ two-month tenure as CBS News editor-in-chief. Since Weiss’ appointment in October following Paramount’s $150 million purchase of Free Press, Weiss has overseen the departure of CBS News’ standards chief, the departure of two “Evening News” co-anchors and a wave of layoffs.
It also ends months of speculation over who would anchor the beleaguered prime time show, which has suffered in the ratings since John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois were named co-anchors. Weiss reportedly sought to lure cable hosts like Anderson Cooper and Bret Baier to the network, but both are tied to contracts with CNN and Fox News, their respective cable news houses.
Weiss’ interest in Dokoupil predates his tenure atop the CBS News headline. After Dokoupil interviewed author Ta-Nehisi Coates about his book referencing the Israel-Gaza war, Weiss led coverage of CBS News management’s rebuke of Dokoupil and defended his pointed questioning of Coates’ position on the war.
On Monday, Weiss also announced the hiring of ABC News’ Matt Gutman as chief correspondent for CBS News, the network’s first on-air hire under Weiss’ leadership.
