‘CBS Evening News’ Back Over 4 Million Viewers for First Time in Weeks

Tony Dokoupil, the anchor of “CBS Evening News,” is making a strong comeback. After facing intense scrutiny since taking on the role in January, Dokoupil led the signature CBS newscast to an audience of over 4 million viewers during the five-day period ending May 22, as reported by Nielsen. This marks the first time in weeks that the show has reached this level of viewership.

In addition, the program also attracted 605,000 viewers in the key demographic of people aged 25 to 54. This is a significant improvement from the previous week, where the show garnered around 3.8 million viewers and 482,000 in the demographic.

While “CBS Evening News” still lags behind its main competitors, ABC’s “World News Tonight” and NBC’s “NBC Nightly News,” the recent increase in viewership is a positive sign of progress. “World News Tonight” continues to lead the sector with nearly 8.2 million overall viewers and 966,000 in the demographic, while “NBC Nightly News” drew nearly 6.1 million viewers and 867,000 in the demographic.

The ratings for last week were based on four days of broadcasts, with networks like ABC and NBC “retitling” specific episodes to account for outside factors that may affect viewership measurement by Nielsen. CBS typically excludes Fridays from its tabulations.

Prior to Dokoupil taking over, CBS News experimented with a two-anchor format for “CBS Evening News” to generate interest, but the show struggled to maintain viewership. Dokoupil’s tenure has seen him develop engaging features and tackle important issues, such as a recent debate with author Ta-Nehisi Coates. He has also brought a more writerly voice to the evening newscast and traveled extensively for coverage.

Last week’s “CBS Evening News” featured the launch of “Affordability in America,” a new series exploring how Americans are coping with economic challenges. Senior executives credit the increase in viewership to the dedicated work of Dokoupil, executive producer Kim Harvey, and the production team.

Overall, Dokoupil’s efforts seem to be paying off as “CBS Evening News” shows signs of regaining ground in the competitive news landscape. As he continues to innovate and engage viewers with compelling content, the future looks promising for the iconic newscast.