Scott Pelley Departs as Anchor of CBS EVENING NEWS; Anthony Mason Named Interim Anchor

CBS News announced today that Scott Pelley will become a full-time correspondent for 60 MINUTES, America's most watched news program, as it enters its 50th season. Pelley will also report on major stories and breaking news events across the CBS News division.

Since 2011, Pelley has been both a correspondent for 60 MINUTES and the anchor and managing editor of the CBS EVENING NEWS WITH SCOTT PELLEY. This will mark Pelley's 14th season with 60 MINUTES; he joined the program as a correspondent in 2004.

"Scott brought the best values of 60 MINUTES to the CBS EVENING NEWS, and we thank him for his commitment to the journalism of this broadcast every night these past six years," said David Rhodes, President of CBS News. "The milestone 50th season of 60 MINUTES requires Scott's full contribution, and we look forward to important reporting from him for many years to come."

"Scott's work over many years at 60 MINUTES has been extraordinary. So has his dedication to consequential reporting," said Jeff Fager, executive producer of 60 MINUTES. "It is exciting for all of us, and good for our viewers, that he will be focusing all of his efforts on 60 MINUTES."

Pelley thanked his colleagues for six successful years with the broadcast: "I find my heart filled with gratitude for the opportunity to know you, humility in light of your sacrifices, and hope for the future of journalism because of the standards you live by," Pelley said. "CBS has been great to me for nearly 30 years. I'm glad to accept this assignment with continuing gratitude."

"Scott's tenure as anchor and managing editor of the CBS EVENING NEWS has been one of the finest chapters in the history of this storied broadcast," said Steve Capus, executive editor of CBS News and executive producer of the CBS EVENING NEWS. "Ever the consummate professional, Scott's commitment to outstanding journalism, enterprise reporting and memorable storytelling has propelled the CBS EVENING NEWS to new heights and made the broadcast a showcase for excellence."

Pelley took the helm of the CBS EVENING NEWS on June 6, 2011. The broadcast grew its audience in each of the first five seasons, the longest run of growth for any network evening news broadcast in the history of the modern ratings system.

With Pelley as anchor, the CBS EVENING NEWS earned journalism's most prestigious honors, including seven Emmys, two George Foster Peabody Awards, an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award, two George Polk Awards, 13 Edward R. Murrow Awards and a host of additional honors.

In addition to his contributions as anchor of the CBS EVENING NEWS, Pelley's stories for 60 MINUTES have accounted for half of all the major awards won by the broadcast since he joined it. Pelley has won a record 33 Emmys for his work in the field, nearly all of them for 60 MINUTES stories, which have also been honored with five Edward R. Murrow awards, three George Foster Peabody awards, two Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Silver Batons, a George Polk award, as well as other journalism honors. Click here for Pelley's full CBS News biography.

Anthony Mason will serve as the interim anchor of the CBS EVENING NEWS beginning in the coming weeks. Mason, who is one of the most experienced journalists at CBS News, will continue to co-anchor CBS THIS MORNING: SATURDAY with Alex Wagner. In a quarter century as a reporter and anchor for CBS News, he has reported from more than 30 countries and won seven Emmy Awards. He is also a frequent contributor to CBS NEWS SUNDAY MORNING. Click here for Mason's full CBS News biography.

About CBS News CBS News is the news and information division of CBS Corporation, dedicated to providing the highest quality journalism under standards it pioneered and continues to set in today's digital age. Headquartered in the famed CBS Broadcast Center in New York, CBS News has bureaus across the globe and produces influential, critically acclaimed programs providing original reporting, interviews, investigations, analysis and breaking news 24 hours a day, seven days a week. CBS News provides news and information for the CBS Television Network, CBSN, CBSNews.com, CBS Radio News and CBS Mobile. CBS News is home to the nation's #1 news program, 60 MINUTES, the 24/7 digital streaming news network, CBSN, and the award-winning broadcasts CBS THIS MORNING, co-hosted by Charlie Rose, Norah O'Donnell and Gayle King, the CBS EVENING NEWS, 48 HOURS, FACE THE NATION and CBS SUNDAY MORNING.

About 60 Minutes 60 MINUTES, the most successful television broadcast in history, began its 49th season in September 2016. Offering hard-hitting investigative reports, interviews, feature segments and profiles of people in the news, the broadcast begun in 1968 is still a hit in 2017, consistently making Nielsen's Top 10 list week after week. Today, 60 MINUTES continues its dominance as the #1 news program, drawing an average of approximately 14 million viewers per week - almost twice the audience of its nearest network news magazine competitor. The average audience for a 60 MINUTES broadcast still dwarfs the biggest audiences drawn by any and all cable news programs.

Image courtesy of CBS News

To post a comment, you must register and login.