Norah O’Donnell to step down as anchor of ‘CBS Evening News’ for new role
O’Donnell, who has helmed the venerable evening news program for nearly five years, will transition after the election to a new role as senior correspondent, contributing stories across CBS’ platforms and shows.
In a note to staff Tuesday, O’Donnell said that though she has loved her time as network anchor, it was time for a change.
“But I have spent 12 years in the anchor chair here at CBS News, tied to a daily broadcast and the rigors of a relentless news cycle. It’s time to do something different. This presidential election will be my seventh as a journalist, and for many of us in this business we tend to look at our careers in terms of these milestone events,” O’Donnell wrote.
O’Donnell added that she has made a “long-term commitment” to stay with CBS News and will “continue to do the same storytelling and big interviews that have been our hallmark.”
“I don’t need to tell you what a transformative time our business is facing. I see this as an opportunity,” O”Donnell wrote. “I want to thank [CBS News President] Wendy McMahon as this new role will also allow me to extend the reach of the work we do to new audiences in new ways. Those interviews and reporting will be shared across the many platforms CBS offers - streaming, digital, primetime, Paramount+, and more. And in fact, we have a big interview coming up that I hope to share more details about very soon.”
CBS News President Wendy McMahon said in her own memo to staff that in her new role O’Donnell “will have the time and the support to deliver even more of the exceptional stories she is known for across our shows and streams, across CBS Network and Paramount+. She will have the real estate and flexibility to leverage big bookings on numerous platforms, including primetime specials, 60 Minutes, CBS News Sunday Morning, and more.”
O'Donnell's new role as a senior correspondent involves contributing stories to various CBS platforms and shows, expanding the reach of her journalistic work to media outlets beyond the evening news program. With this transition, she will have the opportunity to collaborate with different CBS departments, such as streaming, digital, and Paramount+.
The transformative time that the media business is currently facing presents an opportunity for O'Donnell, enabling her to demonstrate her exceptional storytelling abilities across multiple digital and broadcast platforms, including primetime specials, 60 Minutes, and CBS News Sunday Morning.
