HOUSTON — Viewers are “craving a source of independent, unbiased news,” Norah O’Donnell, the incoming anchor and managing editor of the “CBS Evening News,” told the staff at KHOU 11 Monday.
O’Donnell said the “CBS Evening News” would fill that void and be “the most trusted broadcast in journalism.”
“We all are carrying smartphones that provide headlines and alerts all day long,” she said. “Our job is to go behind those headlines and tell viewers not just what happened, but why it happened with context, depth and analysis.”
O’Donnell has been visiting CBS affiliates and owned and operated stations around the country in the run up to her “CBS Evening News” debut on July 15. It was also announced Monday O’Donnell will lead the network’s coverage that week for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission and sit down with Amazon founder and space entrepreneur Jeff Bezos and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy for an exclusive interview.
On Monday, O’Donnell spent time with KHOU 11 vice president and general manager Bobby Springer and executive news director Sally Ramirez. She also recorded an interview and promos with KHOU anchor Len Cannon, then spoke with KENS anchor Deborah Knapp, who traveled to Houston from O’Donnell’s hometown of San Antonio to talk about the new role.
O’Donnell will begin anchoring the "CBS Evening News" in New York, and in the fall, transition with the broadcast to its permanent home in Washington, where it will be the only network evening newscast based in the nation’s capital.
“Every major story has a nexus in Washington, whether it’s health care, agricultural and economic policy, drug prices, you name it. It won’t be politics-centric,” O’Donnell said. “Wherever the story is, we will be there.”
O'Donnell is no stranger to Washington. As a journalist of more than two decades, she has covered six presidential elections and traveled the globe to interview some of the world's most important leaders, including six of the last seven U.S. presidents. She also said her background as a mother, wife and member of a military family would enhance CBS News coverage of issues that matter to viewers around the country. That includes tackling complex issues like health care and education and give viewers analysis and news in a way that they understand.
O’Donnell spent part of her childhood in San Antonio and also reported from the state during her career. She was on the ground reporting from Houston in 2017 in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. She was the first reporter to get inside cameras inside the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston, the city's main evacuation center. She found that thousands of evacuees were crammed inside — many of them without beds.
During her visit, O’Donnell mentioned the importance of connecting with new audiences, wherever they are. The “CBS Evening News” re-airs in its entirety every night at 9 p.m. CT, on CBSN, CBS News’ digital streaming news service available free online, on mobile devices and on nearly 20 digital platforms.
“People are hungry for and are craving a trusted source of news,” O’Donnell said. “There are a lot of different sources of information, but fewer trusted sources of information. We want to be that destination.”
