Tony Dokoupil made his official weeknight debut as the anchor of "CBS Evening News" on Monday, January 5, following an earlier unscheduled appearance on January 3. The broadcast experienced several on-air incidents, which Dokoupil acknowledged, including transition errors and a geographical misstatement. Despite these issues, the January 5 broadcast recorded an increase in viewership compared to the program's season averages, although it continued to rank third among major network nightly newscasts. Dokoupil's appointment and his stated journalistic mission focusing on the "average American" followed recent leadership changes at CBS News.
On-Air Incidents During Debut
During his official debut broadcast on January 5, Tony Dokoupil experienced and acknowledged multiple on-air incidents. While transitioning between news segments, he misidentified an upcoming report, stating: "Other news, as you just heard from Jill… well as to other news now to Gov. Walz, no, we’re going to do Mark Kelly." He then remarked, "First day, big problems here," before proceeding with the intended segment.
A graphic displaying Arizona Senator Mark Kelly appeared on screen during a segment that was intended to cover Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Additionally, Dokoupil later referred to Minnesota as "The Great Lake State," a nickname commonly associated with Michigan, rather than Minnesota's "Land of 10,000 Lakes." Viewer comments on social media noted these technical issues.
Broadcast Content
The broadcast included a segment on Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, which reported on a possible demotion from his retired Navy rank of captain. The Navy had issued a letter of censure to Kelly, a Democrat, for his participation in a video that called upon service members to defy unspecified illegal orders, with the Navy characterizing his actions as an act of sedition. Following this report, Dokoupil transitioned to a segment on Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, stating that he was announcing Walz as the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee.
Viewership Performance
According to Nielsen ratings, the January 5 broadcast attracted 4.37 million viewers, marking an approximate 9 percent increase from the show's season average of 4.02 million viewers. In the demographic of adults aged 25-54, the broadcast drew 596,000 viewers, an improvement of 20 percent over the season average of approximately 498,500.
Despite these increases, "CBS Evening News" viewership trailed its competitors on January 5:
- ABC's World News Tonight led with 8.24 million total viewers and 1.02 million in the 25-54 demographic.
- NBC Nightly News followed with 7.21 million total viewers and just under 1.1 million in the 25-54 demographic.
Dokoupil had previously anchored an unscheduled broadcast on Saturday, January 3, covering a U.S. military operation in Venezuela.
Context of Appointment and Stated Mission
Tony Dokoupil was appointed anchor of the CBS Evening News in December, succeeding John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois. His appointment followed Bari Weiss's takeover of CBS News, which was prompted by new Paramount chief David Ellison.
In a New Year's Day video and pre-debut statements, Dokoupil outlined his mission for the program, emphasizing a focus on the perspective of the "average American." He stated that the press has "missed the story" by placing "too much weight in the analysis of academics, or elites, and not enough on you." Dokoupil communicated a pledge that viewers would be his primary focus, stating, "Not advertisers. Not politicians. Not corporate interests. And, yes, that does include the corporate owners of CBS. I report for you." He also committed to transparency, stating, "when I get it wrong, I’ll tell you that too."
Bari Weiss, editor-in-chief of CBS News, stated at the time of Dokoupil's appointment that he would "help win back viewers’ trust" and that "Americans hungry for fairness will see that on display night after night." Long-term performance metrics of Dokoupil's tenure are anticipated to provide a more comprehensive assessment.