Scott Pelley named anchor of ‘CBS Evening News’
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Well, it’s finally official: As expected, ’60 Minutes’ correspondent Scott Pelley has been named anchor of the ‘CBS Evening News,’ the network announced Tuesday. He will take over for Katie Couric on June 6 and will continue to report stories for ’60 Minutes.’
‘Scott has it all. He has the experience, the credibility and he is among the very best reporters ever to work at CBS News,’ said CBS News chairman and ’60 Minutes’ executive producer Jeff Fager in a statement. ‘In more than two decades at CBS News, he has distinguished himself at every level, right up to his current role at ’60 Minutes,’ where his work has been incomparable. We like to think of CBS News as the ‘reporter’s network’ and I can’t think of anybody in this business better suited for the anchor chair than Scott.’
During his time at CBS, Pelley has covered wars, elections and the recession, served as a White House correspondent and conducted a memorable interview with President George W. Bush. Before becoming chief White House correspondent, Pelley was assigned to the 1992 presidential campaigns of Bill Clinton and Ross Perot. His appointment to the position appears to be a sign that CBS News wants to stick to a familiar, tried-and-true news name rather than taking another risk as they did with Couric.
One of Pelley’s chief goals will be to help ‘CBS Evening News’ climb out of last place. It currently lags behind ‘NBC Nightly News,’ anchored by Brian Williams, and ABC’s “World News,” anchored by Diane Sawyer.
‘I am delighted to join the terrific team at the ‘CBS Evening News,’ ‘ Pelley said in a statement. ‘It’s a privilege to work alongside the most gifted and talented journalists in the industry.’
-- Melissa Maerz