Tony Dokoupil was expected to revive CBS Evening News after stepping into the anchor role in January, but the program has now slipped under 4 million viewers for the first time since his arrival.
According to Variety, citing Nielsen figures, CBS Evening News averaged 3.83 million viewers for the week of March 9. This is the first time the show has dropped below 4 million since Dokoupil took over from Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson on January 5.
In the coveted Adults 25-54 demographic, CBS Evening News averaged 468,000, down from the previous week’s 507,000. The show was also down 15% in the key demo from the same quarter last year.
Compared to its rival evening news shows, ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir averaged 8.48 million total viewers and 1.03 demo viewers for the week of March 9. Meanwhile, NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas averaged 6.51 million total viewers and 946,000 in the key demo.
Friday’s edition of CBS Evening News was “retitled,” and so its results were not included in the weekly average.
Dokoupil previously served as co-host of CBS Mornings alongside Gayle King and Nate Burleson. He was promoted to CBS Evening News by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, who joined the organization last October and immediately went to work putting her stamp on the network.
According to Variety, Dokoupil’s first five days, from January 5 to January 9, averaged nearly 4.17 million, and a subsequent week averaged 4.6 million. However, numbers have fallen in recent weeks and are now back under 4 million, similar to the numbers Dickerson and DuBois were averaging.
Dokoupil and Weiss have both faced criticism for appearing to appease President Donald Trump and his administration. Technical issues plagued the anchor’s debut episode, and he was later criticized for his lenient coverage of the January 6 attacks and for featuring an interview with his own mother on the program.
CBS News has also seen multiple exits in recent weeks, including the departure of top producers and on-air reporters, including Anderson Cooper, who announced he’ll be leaving 60 Minutes at the end of the current season.
CBS Evening News, Weekdays, 6:30/5:30c, CBS
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