Scott Pelley named anchor of "CBS Evening News"

[Newsjock]

Source: CBS News

Scott Pelley, one the most experienced reporters in broadcast journalism, has been named anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News," it was announced Tuesday by CBS News Chairman and "60 Minutes" Executive Producer Jeff Fager and David Rhodes, the President of CBS News. The appointment to the broadcast, to be re-named the "CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley," is effective on June 6. Pelley 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 Fager. "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."

... Pelley's work during the Clinton White House was also remarkable. He broke more stories than anyone. In fact, he was first to report that Monica Lewinsky had become a cooperating witness in the investigation conducted by the Office of the Independent Counsel. He also reported on the impeachment of President Clinton and was first to report that President Clinton had been subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury. Additionally, while reporting from the White House, Pelley covered presidential tours of South America, Africa, China and Europe. He also conducted the first interview with President-elect George W. Bush after the controversial 2000 election.

... Prior to his time at CBS News, Pelley was a producer/reporter for WFAA-TV Dallas/Fort Worth (1982-89), KXAS-TV Dallas/Fort Worth (1978-81) and KSEL-TV Lubbock, Texas (1975-78). He began his journalism career at the age of 15 as a copyboy at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal newspaper.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/03/eveningnews/main20059267.shtml

[snooper2]

1. I was like Scott who?

Then I looked up a picture, good, a real journalist for once...

[AlinPA]

3. He is a complete ass from "60 Minutes".

[snooper2]

4. I never watched that but I thought he was pretty good from the few times I saw him

maybe I'm wrong..

[AlinPA]

14. I have watched "60 Minutes" a lot, and my impression is from seeing him there.

OOps, this was meant as a reply to a post below.

[closeupready]

6. Completely agree. I won't be watching CBS Evening News anymore.

nt

[MicaelS]

7. Why is he a "complete ass"??? n/t

[AlinPA]

15. Please see my response to snooper2 above.

[Ian David]

2. The fact that he was Bush's first interviewer speaks volumes. n/t

[Auntie Bush]

17. And he was really harsh on Clinton.

I'll bet he really favors the ReThugs. We'll see! I'll give him an open mind...besides only time will tell.

[Marblehead]

5. I miss Dan Rather

Scott pales in comparison.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

8. Scott Pelley

is the best journalist on "60 Minutes." I've become more and more disenchanted with that show as long as Leslie Stahl and Steve Kroft appear. I say we give Scott a chance.

[PatSeg]

9. I've never been very impressed with Scott Pelley

but I don't watch CBS News anymore. He strikes me as a rather odd choice, but then again, this is the network that fired Dan Rather.

[EC]

10. He's the one that looks like

he grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth, isn't he?

[gauguin57]

11. Blech. Not a big fan.

He's fine on "60 Minutes" (though far from my fave).

If I thought he were the best choice, I wouldn't say this, but ... yet another white male.

They couldn't consider another woman, or a person of color? What about Russ Mitchell, the weekend anchor (I really like him).

I don't watch CBS Evening News anyway (except on weekends, occasionally), and I especially won't be watching now.

[alp227]

13. what's wrong with white males? that comment reflects poorly on us

think about who can actually do the job not the person's appearance. I mean, not too many of us on DU were eager about Katie Couric. And I like Mitchell too and have enjoyed some of Pelley's reporting on 60 Minutes, some examples I posted here.

Former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw said something similar: "I’ve always hated the anachronistic idea of a white man, middle-aged, sitting there at a desk reading to America." (New York magazine, 1997, re-quoted on the David Horowitz website Discover the Networks)

And yes there have been women/colored anchoring weeknight evening news:
- Barbara Walters (ABC, 1976-1978, co-anchored with Harry Reasoner)
- Max Robinson (ABC, 1978-1981, when World News Tonight debuted with a multi-location format, the black Robinson anchored from Chicago with Frank Reynolds in Washington and Peter Jennings in London)
- Elizabeth Vargas (ABC, early 2006, co-anchored with Bob Woodruff during the transition between Peter Jennings and Charles Gibson as ABC anchor, a Hispanic)
- Connie Chung (CBS, 1993-1995, an Asian woman who co-anchored with Dan Rather with an experimental format)
- Katie Couric (CBS, 2006-2011)

In the UK, however, there are more women/minorities at the evening news desks if you watch the BBC World News for example, and the ITV newscasts generally have a woman anchor, and one of the Channel 4 anchors is Indian (Krishna Guru-Murthy).

[gauguin57]

21. That's why I prefaced my remark with "if I thought he were the best choice, I wouldn't say this."

He's NOT the best choice!

[RedEarth]

12. He seems alright....certainly a big improvement over Katie

...also will much prefer to watch him than Diane Sawyer or Brian Williams.

[center rising]

16. I miss Walter Cronkite

And that's the way it is, Tuesday, December 21st, 1974. For CBS news, I'm Walter Cronkite, good night.


(Day, date and year aren't right, I know. Just using it for demo purposes).

[Roland99]

18. Just reporting the news as it was...how novel.

[KamaAina]

19. They just had to go back to a man

they have plenty of female talent in-house, such as Sheila McVicar, Sharyl Attkisson, and, of course, Lesley Stahl. Then again, they got rid of Thalia Assuras :loveya: , so who knows what they're thinking?

[Dappleganger]

20. Never heard of the guy.

But then again, I never watch '60 Minutes.'