Scott Pelley is being replaced as anchor of CBS Evening News and will return full-time as a correspondent on the network's Sunday night newsmagazine 60 Minutes.
CBS is expected to announce Pelley's departure Wednesday, according to The Associated Press, which spoke with two people familiar with the situation who would not give their names because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
The first reports of Pelley's departure came from the New York Post, which said Tuesday Pelley's office was being cleaned out. Pelley has been on assignment for 60 Minutes and has not anchored the nightly news broadcast for several days.
CBS did not comment on the reports.
Almost exactly six years ago, Pelley began anchoring the CBS Evening News, taking over for Katie Couric. Since then, CBS' nightly newscast grew its ratings, but has remained No. 3 behind ABC World News Tonight with David Muir and NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.
CBS had hoped Pelley's hard-news credentials -- he has won numerous rewards for his reporting including a record 33 Emmys -- would help the broadcast catapult the competition.
His tapping as anchor was a nod to CBS News' hard news heritage and a shift from Couric's more personality-driven approach. In addition to his work on 60 Minutes and 60 Minutes II, Pelley is a former chief White House correspondent and war correspondent.
"Anchoring was something I never thought I was going to do,” Pelley told USA TODAY last year.
Even though, evening news shows don't have the clout they once had -- with CNN, Fox News and MSNBC gaining in audience -- network broadcasts still reach more than 21 million viewers each night.
Pelley is expected to return as anchor of the nightly news show before moving to 60 Minutes, according to CNN, which cited persons at CBS familiar with the situation. Anthony Mason, a CBS News senior national correspondent and co-host of CBS This Morning: Saturday, is expected to subsequently host the show until a permanent anchor replacement is named, CNN reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.
