Norah O’Donnell’s career at CBS may see a revival after her standout coverage of Pope Francis’ death and Pope Leo XIV’s election, according to The NY Post.
The former “CBS Evening News” anchor, replaced in a controversial January shakeup by John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois, demonstrated her expertise during Rome coverage, leveraging her Vatican connections and prior exclusive interview with Pope Francis.
Insiders praised O’Donnell’s commanding presence, noting she outshone DuBois, who appeared sidelined, and Dickerson, whose political focus seemed limited. CBS News’ coverage of the conclave and Pope Leo XIV’s announcement drew 3 million viewers, surpassing NBC’s 1.9 million and trailing ABC’s 3.5 million, per Nielsen ratings.
The success may complicate matters for CBS News chief Wendy McMahon, who orchestrated the anchor switch. Since the shakeup, “CBS Evening News” viewership has dropped to 3.5 million total viewers and 657,000 in the 25-54 demographic, compared to 5 million and 722,000 under O’Donnell last year.
With Skydance Media’s $8 billion merger with CBS-parent Paramount Global nearing, sources say Skydance leaders David Ellison and Jeff Shell are dissatisfied with the news division’s performance. They may consider reinstating O’Donnell to revamp “The Evening News,” with one source predicting a bright future for her at the network.
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