The dawn of a new era for the CBS Evening News is upon us, a few days ahead of schedule, according to a source with intimate knowledge of the matter. Tony Dokoupil will helm the Saturday night edition of the evening news to cover the Trump administration's shocking raid on Venezuela, where U.S. forces apprehended Nicolás Maduro, the country's president.
Dokoupil, who was slated to officially take over the program on January 5th, will make his debut in the anchor chair on one of the most unexpected and newsworthy Saturdays in recent memory. The Live From America tour will resume at a later date.
Dokoupil isn't the only A-list anchor returning to work on Saturday to cover the news. Rachel Maddow appeared on MSNBC to analyze the situation, while Bret Baier appeared on Fox News, where he revealed that he was in active talks to travel to Venezuela to interview Maduro. On CNN, Wolf Blitzer and Erin Burnett signed on to cover the news. At NBC News, Tom Llamas is expected to anchor NBC Nightly News.
Dokoupil is seeking to put his own stamp on the evening news and turn its ratings fortunes around. In a New Year's Day video, he acknowledged that the public has lost trust in the media and laid out his vision for running the program.
"So here's my promise to you today and every time you see me in this chair: You come first," he said. "Not advertisers. Not politicians. Not corporate interests. And, yes, that does include the corporate owners of CBS. I report for you."
The show subsequently laid out five core principles, including "we report on the world as it is," "we respect you," and "we love America," in an effort to try and win back viewers who may have otherwise abandoned CBS News or legacy TV news programs altogether.
