Tony Dokoupil and CBS Evening News face trust and ratings challenges

CBS has relaunched the CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil under Bari Weiss's oversight; initial viewership in Dokoupil's first week averaged about 4.17 million, lower than a year earlier, and critics have raised concerns about tone, editorial choices and on-air errors.

Tony Dokoupil is the new anchor of the CBS Evening News after a wider retooling of CBS's news operation under Bari Weiss. The relaunch has drawn attention for on-air missteps, editorial decisions and internal memos that have leaked to social media. Early ratings in Dokoupil's first week were reported at about 4.17 million viewers, down from roughly 5.4 million a year earlier. Key points: - Bari Weiss was hired to oversee CBS News and the Evening News relaunch is seen as an early test of her approach. - Tony Dokoupil's first weeks featured on-air mistakes and drew criticism from some reviewers; an experienced producer was dismissed and internal memos have circulated publicly. - Deadline and Nielsen figures show the show averaged about 4.17 million viewers in Dokoupil's first week, with all three legacy network evening newscasts reporting year‑over‑year declines. - Analysts and research cited in coverage note that evening news audiences are older and that many viewers now get news on digital platforms, changing how networks measure engagement. Summary: The CBS Evening News relaunch illustrates broader challenges for legacy broadcast news: declining linear audiences, critical scrutiny of editorial choices, and a shift toward online engagement. How audiences will respond over time and whether the changes will alter longer-term trends is undetermined at this time.