CBS Evening News is pushing a deadline. Though executives had originally hoped to have the show move to Washington, D.C. in November, the venerable CBS News evening newscast will on Monday start to broadcast from the nation’s capital on most nights. The move to D.C. is a bid to gain new traction and relevance – not only in the show’s nightly ratings battle with ABC’s “World News Tonight” and NBC’s “NBC Nightly News,” but also in the overall fight to snare viewers who might otherwise use their smartphone to dip into the daily news cycle.
In a promo released Sunday evening, anchor Norah O’Donnell is seen holding forth in a new studio with a blue-and-white color scheme and pictures of what appear to be the U.S. Capitol Building and the Washington D.C. skyline. “Our nation’s capital. The decisions that are made here affect all of us,” says O’Donnell during the short video. “And today, more than ever, people want truth, understanding and accountability.” She goes on to tell viewers she will present original CBS News reportage from around the world, “while keeping our eye on what’s going on, right here, in Washington.”
The hope at CBS is that O’Donnell’s years of covering the White House, Congress and other national institutions combined with a show that is based alongside those elements of government will provide can’t-miss moments and lure new viewers to the program. “CBS Evening News” has languished in third place for years amid a series of anchor changes that have not helped the program in its ongoing joust with offerings on NBC and ABC.
