As TVNewser first reported a month ago, CBS News has decided to change the way it produces its weekend newscasts, a fixture on the network since 1966.
In April, production staffers–believed at the time to be fewer than ten–who worked on the Saturday and Sunday editions of the CBS Evening News were informed they would be laid off at the end of the month. Sunday night marked the final weekend newscast produced by those employees. CBS News tells TVNewser many of the impacted employees have been transferred within the company.
Beginning next weekend, a re-branded “CBS Weekend News” will debut, featuring two new anchors, Reena Ninan (who joined CBS last month) on Saturdays, and Elaine Quijano on Sundays. Both are anchors on CBS’ streaming news service, CBSN. Ninan and Quijano replace Jeff Glor and Jim Axelrod.
Weekend newscasts will likely involve far more integration–both production and editorial–of CBSN resources.
“Given the number of sports overruns and out-and-out pre-emptions, it would be better for us as a news organization to come up with what I think is a smarter, 24-hour approach to covering the world, and making sure we’ve got all the bases covered,” CBS Evening News executive producer Steve Capus, told Variety. “That’s what we’ve done.”
Vladimir Duthiers will anchor the first CBS Weekend News Saturday, with Ninan taking over the following Saturday.