Several media outlets are reporting Scott Pelley has been removed as anchor of the CBS Evening News.
The change has been rumored for months and was fueled in part by Pelley’s decision to put his home in Darien on the market. Pelley, the winner of the 2013 Fred Friendly award presented by Quinnipiac University, will reportedly stay with the network as lead correspondent for 60 Minutes.
The handling of this development by CBS is odd for several reasons:
- The news leaked before an official announcement could be made
- Pelley is on assignment overseas making it look like a firing
- There appears to be no replacement lined up
- The NYT reports Pelley himself ordered movers to begin packing up his Evening News office, before the news was announced
In third place for years, CBS has been considering redesigning the evening news for sometime. This could include a format that places less emphasis on the anchor.
Pelley is seen as a leading force inside CBS News placing an emphasis on the network’s tradition of serious journalism that is encapsulated in the branding phrase “original reporting.”
