Time may be ticking for the top producer at “CBS Evening News” as ratings sink below 4 million — a new low for the Tony Dokoupil-anchored show, CBS insiders told The Post.
Executive producer Kim Harvey, who has overseen the nightly broadcast since last August, will ultimately take the fall unless she can pull the network’s flagship show out of the abyss, insiders said.
CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss installed Dokoupil as anchor in January — replacing co-anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois — in hopes of reviving ratings that had slid under 4 million.
Dokoupil’s debut drew 4.4 million viewers and reached a ratings high of 4.6 million in late January, but viewership has steadily declined since — sinking to 3.8 million viewers for the week ending March 13, according to Nielsen ratings.
“It’s pretty terrible. Once you’re under 4 million, you’ve got to be worried that you’re in a death spiral,” said one CBS insider. “If they can’t retain an audience in the middle of a war, God help you when the war ends.”
CBS News did not immediately comment.
Some insiders griped that “CBS Evening News” is just “too soft” under Harvey’s direction. This week, the show ran a segment on a meteor sighting, and it has consistently closed the show with cute animal segments — which one source described as played out.
“It’s animal story overload,” the source said. “Kim’s thing is animals. She’s turning Tony into the animal anchor.”
What’s lacking is enterprise reporting, the person added, noting that one bright spot for the show was a recent hospice fraud investigation that Weiss pushed Harvey to put on the program.
A second CBS News source said, “The show has lost over a half a million viewers in three months. You’ve got to sacrifice somebody to the ratings gods.”
The outlet blamed the drop in ratings to the recent time change due to daylight savings time, according to Variety.
In contrast, top-rated “ABC World News Tonight” reeled in 8.5 million viewers, followed by “NBC Nightly News,” which captured just over 6.5 million viewers.
When ratings fall below a certain threshold — like they have at “CBS Evening News” — top brass begin to tinker with the graphics, set or programming before chopping the executive producer, sources noted.
This week, “CBS Evening News” changed the background, flipping the camera around to show Dokoupil presenting the news in front of a dark blue world map. Audiences previously saw the newsroom in the background with a tight shot on Dokoupil, creating a more old-school look.
But the cosmetic changes aren’t going to turn around the show’s sinking, last-place ratings, sources said — speculating that replacing Harvey is the next logical step.
“It feels like a hot mess every night,” the second source noted, adding that the show lost at least six producers when the network offered buyouts in February, hampering output.
Harvey, who was promoted to top producer in August, helmed the last few months of Dickerson and DuBois’ disastrous tenure. She took over from Guy Campanile, a gruff Yonkers, NY, native and “60 Minutes” veteran who locked horns with CBS News president Tom Cibrowski.
Cibrowksi and senior vice president of editorial Wendy Fisher chose a more deferential person to lead the show — someone who would follow their orders — according to sources with knowledge of the matter.
Sources said Dokoupil started off at a disadvantage as anchors usually pick their top producers, who in turn take cues from the anchor. Sources close to Dokoupil said the anchor has sung Harvey’s praises and works well with her.
Harvey aside, some critics said that the ratings slide is also Weiss’s fault, noting that she tapped Dokoupil despite his sore lack of experience anchoring on his own.
A former “CBS Mornings” co-host, Dokoupil got off to a bumpy start with a series of gaffe-filled broadcasts, leaving some to wonder if he was experienced enough for the gig.
Another challenge is keeping viewers’ attention with compelling reports that are unique to the show.
While Weiss, who took the network’s helm in October, has said she wants to invest more in investigative journalism, the goal is yet to yield results.
With more layoffs looming, insiders wonder how CBS News will simultaneously revamp marquee shows like “60 Minutes” and “CBS Mornings” while beefing up investigative storytelling — something that has suffered under previous leadership — sources told The Post.
“The one thing that CBS had going for it was enterprise and investigative journalism, and most nights, they are not leveraging this,” said one insider, who noted that investigative journalism has largely flailed at the network in recent years amid cuts and a revolving door of new bosses.
“The whole network has gone soft,” the person concluded.
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