“CBS Evening News” anchor John Dickerson gave an emotional sign-off on Thursday night, thanking his departing co-anchor Maurice DuBois as the duo closed out the show together for the last time.
Both men are leaving as CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss mounts a shakeup of the third-place network. DuBois’ final broadcast was on Thursday and Dickersons will be Friday.
Substitutes will host the show until Tony Dokoupil, who had co-hosted “CBS Mornings,” will take over as full-time anchor of the broadcast on Jan. 5.
At the end of their last broadcast together, the pair thanked their team while highlighting some of the stories that they’d covered during their year co-hosting the ratings-challenged nightly newscast.
“I cannot thank this team enough,” DuBois told viewers. “I’ve walked out of here each night extremely proud of the work we’ve done together.”
Turning to Dickerson, DuBois said: “John, you’re an outstanding journalist, an even better person. I’ve learned quite a bit from working with you. Proud to call you not just a colleague, but a friend.”
An emotional Dickerson choked up, replying: “Thank you, Maurice. You know, a year and a half ago we didn’t even really know each other. And you’ve become a model for me and a trusted friend.”
The pair closed with: “Thank you for watching. Good night and good luck,” echoing the famed sign-off of famed CBS News anchor Edward R. Murrow.
Appointed by then-CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon, DuBois and Dickerson replaced Norah O’Donnell last January.
Even though O’Donnell’s “Evening News” had struggled in the ratings and remained in last place behind NBC and perennial frontrunner ABC, DuBois and Dickerson’s show hemorrhaged roughly a million viewers.
Critics complained about the lack of chemistry between the duo, as well as the ill-conceived format architected by then-“60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens, which favored feature-style segments over breaking news.
Although CBS News president Tom Cibrowski has worked to undo some of those issues, viewership has continued to dip. Both he and CBS editor in chief Bari Weiss, who joined he company in October, have had designs on overhauling the show.
Although they had been considering outside talent, Weiss and Cibrowski settled on Dokoupil, the internal favorite.
The Post first reported that when DuBois announced his departure earlier this month, it took network executives by surprise after alleged private conversations in which top brass told him he would not be “the future” of the program. Dickerson had made his own announcement about his exit weeks earlier.
At the time, CBS News told The Post that the network had been aligned with the DuBois’ announcement, but insiders said the timing had shifted and the execs were taken off guard, speeding up contract talks with Dokoupil.
DuBois has been at CBS for 21 years, having spend the majority of his career at WCBS New York. Dickerson spent 16 years at CBS News in various roles.
