Release
A Message from Bill Owens on the CBS Evening News

Hello everyone,
As Wendy just announced, I will be taking on a new role to help reshape the CBS Evening News, and I couldn’t be prouder to do this. The Evening News was a defining part of my career and remains an historic broadcast. It matters to America.
I am about to talk to my team at 60 Minutes to promise them that I will not take my eye off the show with the stopwatch on Sunday. Not for a second. I appreciate Wendy’s commitment to all of us.
Moving the Evening News back to its home in New York and working with John, Maurice and our correspondent team to bring our audience a news show that prioritizes good writing and storytelling is our simple goal. Simple shouldn’t be confused with easy. We have work to do. We aim to put on a very different broadcast than the other networks – respecting our past as we move into the future.
I am extremely grateful that Guy Campanile, one of the most experienced journalists in the entire news division, will become the executive producer of the CBS Evening News when it moves back to New York. Guy is an award-winning 60 Minutes producer, who also was an integral part of the terrific Scott Pelley Evening News broadcast. His instincts, taste, writing ability and passion for this place make him the perfect partner. We both agree that every Evening News story must be well-written, additive, and elegantly produced. Thank you, Guy.
I am also delighted to announce that Joe DiMaggio, actually, no, Jerry Cipriano will return to CBS as the senior news editor and senior producer of the Evening News. The DiMaggio thing was only half a joke. Jerry is a legend and one of the greatest writers/editors the Evening News has ever known. He will partner with Guy, focusing on story selection, writing, and editing. His commitment to well-written, accurate, and engaging content will once again be the North Star that drives the “Fish Bowl” of the Evening News.
While Guy and Jerry will handle day-to-day operations, we look forward to working with all of the talented journalists at the broadcast, including Jim Axelrod’s Eye team, chief weathercaster Lonnie Quinn, and Steve Hartman for “On the Road.” There will be more changes as we move forward, as well as opportunities.
I consider the Evening News the pinnacle of daily news broadcasts. Our bar will be high. The goal is to deliver an informative broadcast every night, prioritizing the audience’s time and attention over headline lists and viral videos. Our viewers can expect thoughtful reports on the day’s most important stories and conversations between our anchors and correspondents. It’s an entirely new format that the audience will learn from, and we will never take them for granted.
We will be in the New York newsroom to meet with the Evening News team and will share plans soon for visits to our bureaus. We have an incredible opportunity to set a new standard for this historic broadcast and showcase the best of CBS News.
Let’s go.
Bill