Tony Dokoupil is making a statement.
Under scrutiny since taking over in early January, the “CBS Evening News” anchor recently led the newscast to an audience of just over 4 million for the five-day period concluding May 22, as reported by Nielsen. This marks the first time in several weeks that the show has reached such viewership numbers.
Additionally, the program attracted 605,000 viewers within the key demographic of 25 to 54-year-olds favored by advertisers. In comparison, the previous week saw the “CBS Evening News” draw approximately 3.8 million viewers and 482,000 in the same demographic.
Despite these gains, “CBS Evening News” still trails behind its main competitors, ABC’s “World News Tonight” and NBC’s “NBC Nightly News.” However, there are signs of progress.
ABC’s “World News Tonight” continues to dominate, with nearly 8.2 million total viewers and 966,000 in the key demographic. Meanwhile, “NBC Nightly News” garnered nearly 6.1 million viewers and 867,000 in the demographic.
Reports suggest that last week’s ratings are based on four days of broadcasts. Both ABC and NBC “retitled” one broadcast day last week, and it remains unclear if CBS did the same, although they typically exclude Fridays from their calculations. Networks often “retitle” episodes when external factors, such as a sports event or reduced viewership, could impact the Nielsen ratings.
Reaching the 4-million-viewer mark has been a significant benchmark recently. Before Dokoupil’s leadership, CBS News attempted a two-anchor format with Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson to spark interest as Lester Holt transitioned NBC’s “Nightly” to Tom Llamas. This strategy was unsuccessful, resulting in a viewership drop below 4 million on many nights.
Dokoupil gained prominence as a co-anchor on “CBS Mornings” and caught the attention of former CBS News president Susan Zirinsky and CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss. Known for crafting engaging features, he has also tackled challenging topics like questioning author Ta-Nehisi Coates on his stance toward Israel. Dokoupil aims to give the evening newscast a distinctive voice and has traveled extensively during the early days of his role.
Last week’s “CBS Evening News” also launched “Affordability in America,” a series investigating how Americans are dealing with economic challenges. According to a source, senior executives believe the increase in viewership is partially due to the efforts of Dokoupil, executive producer Kim Harvey, and the production team.
