Norah O’Donnell has anchored her final broadcast of the “CBS Evening News.” She announced her departure last summer, saying it was time to do something different after 12 years in the anchor chair at CBS News. In a video posted to her Instagram Story, O’Donnell shared the news while filming at the studio. “We just announced today that I am going to be anchoring the evening news for another two months, through inauguration day, so I hope you’ll continue to tune in every night,” she said.
Though her last day was previously set for Jan. 24, CBS aired special programming that evening. O’Donnell’s final shift at the desk was on Jan.
23. “I have spent 12 years in the anchor chair here at CBS News, connected to a daily broadcast and the rigors of a relentless news cycle,” O’Donnell said in a statement shared by the network in July. “It’s time to do something different.
O’Donnell exits national anchor role
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.”
In a Q&A on Instagram, O’Donnell replied to a fan asking about her plans after leaving the “Evening News” desk. “Big interviews and investigations for ’60 Minutes’ and CBS News.
Send ideas!” she said. CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon said O’Donnell’s new role will allow her to “have the real estate and flexibility to leverage big bookings on numerous platforms, including primetime specials, ’60 Minutes,’ ‘CBS News Sunday Morning,’ and more.”
Starting Jan. 27, CBS anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois will anchor “Evening News” from the show’s new home at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York.
Margaret Brennan, CBS News’ chief foreign affairs correspondent and “Face The Nation” host, will anchor political and foreign affairs coverage from Washington D.C. Lonnie Quinn will lead weather coverage for the program from New York as chief weathercaster. During her tenure, O’Donnell interviewed notable figures such as Pope Francis, Oprah Winfrey, Dolly Parton, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Hillary Clinton. She has also interviewed every living U.S. president.
In her final broadcast, O’Donnell said her time as anchor “has been the honor of a lifetime.” Oprah Winfrey narrated a sendoff, saying, “Through countless hours of breaking news, and nearly 1,300 broadcasts … you have treated each story with grace and compassion.”
O’Donnell’s departure reflects broader trends across broadcast and cable networks. As viewer habits have shifted to streaming and social media, networks have been trimming costs and reducing the emphasis on high-profile, highly paid star anchors.
