Though Norah O’Donnell had her first turn as anchor of CBS Evening News Monday night, she didn’t rely on any attention-grabbing tricks to carry the day. (Variety)
The newscast kicked off with O’Donnell covering President Trump‘s tweets going after Congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley. (Mediaite)
O’Donnell ended her first CBS Evening News broadcast as anchor with a promise for the future and a nod to the past. Quoting Edward R. Murrow’s famous “wires and lights in a box” speech, O’Donnell pledged to use the “instrument” of television “well and with integrity.” (Deadline)
With the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing on July 20, the timing of O’Donnell’s debut offers an opportunity to remind viewers of the division’s legacy. On Tuesday, O’Donnell will anchor the program live from the Kennedy Space Center, the same location where Walter Cronkite broadcast 50 years ago. (THR)
CBS has been stuck in third place in the evening newscast ratings race going back to the days of Dan Rather. Katie Couric, Scott Pelley, and most recently, Jeff Glor couldn’t help lift the network out of the rut. (TVNewser)