CBS Evening News head departs amid management reorg
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CBS Evening News executive producer Jay Shaylor is exiting amid reorganization of the show's management, sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: It's the second major leadership shakeup at the show in the last few years. The program has struggled for years to compete for ratings with evening news at ABC and NBC.
Details: The departure was announced abruptly Friday morning on a team call that, Shaylor, formerly an executive producer at CNN, was leaving. He had been in his role with CBS since late 2019.
- Sources tell Axios it's part of a wider management shakeup at CBS Evening News. Last week, the network named Alturo Rhymes and Elizabeth Turner co-senior broadcast producers.
The big picture: CBS Evening News has been through lots of changes in the past few years. Norah O'Donnell took over as anchor of the show in 2019.
- The show relocated from New York to Washington, D.C., that year and changed its management alongside the shakeup.
Be smart: It's not uncommon for leadership changes at major broadcast shows when management changes within the broader network structure. In April, ViacomCBS named Neeraj Khemlani and Wendy McMahon president and co-head of a unit that will oversee both CBS News and CBS television stations.
What they're saying: "Jay Shaylor is leaving the company. We thank him for his contributions to the broadcast and for helping develop it into the impactful program it is today," CBS News said in a statement.
- "The Evening News is in terrific hands with a stellar team of journalists, led by Elizabeth Turner and Alturo Rhymes, as we determine new executive leadership."
- "With Norah O’Donnell as the anchor and Managing Editor, the Evening News is in its best competitive position in years. We are extremely proud of the broadcast and what this team will be able to accomplish as we move forward."
