This Tony Dokoupil Thing Isn’t Working
Vulture • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Tony Dokoupil's debut as anchor of CBS Evening News has been plagued by technical issues, awkward moments, and an overbearing on-air style, failing to improve the show's reputation.
- Despite heavy promotion and a busy news week, CBS Evening News averaged 4.17 million viewers in Dokoupil's first week, matching the season average but falling short of previous anchors' debuts.
- The ratings disappointment is notable given that predecessors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois each attracted nearly 5 million viewers during their initial weeks as co-anchors.
- Declining viewership trends in linear broadcast and cable news, driven by shifts to streaming, make it difficult for any network to grow audiences, a challenge NBC also faced
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