Pelley out as ‘CBS Evening News’ anchor

NEW YORK (AP) Scott Pelley is out as “CBS Evening News” anchor, and he’ll be returning to full-time work at the network’s flagship newsmagazine “60 Minutes.”

CBS announced the move Wednesday. Anthony Mason, co-anchor of CBS This Morning: Saturday will serve as interim anchor.

“Scott brought the best values of 60 Minutes to the CBS Evening News, and we thank him for his commitment to the journalism of this broadcast every night these past six years,” CBS News president David Rhodes said. “The milestone 50th season of 60 Minutes requires Scott’s full contribution, and we look forward to important reporting from him for many years to come.”

The CBS show is a distant third to ABC and NBC in the evening news rankings, and despite some critical success, has not been able to close the gap.

Reports of Pelley’s departure first surfaced in the New York Post, which said Pelley’s office at the evening news was being cleaned out on Tuesday. Pelley did not anchor the broadcast Tuesday, as it was announced he was on assignment for “60 Minutes.”

Pelley began working at the “CBS Evening News” almost exactly six years ago, succeeding Katie Couric. It was a meat-and-potatoes newscast aligned with the traditions of CBS News, and lately has been produced by a former NBC News president, Steve Capus.

Evening news shows don’t have the influence they once had when the likes of Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw had the jobs. But collectively, they still reach more than 20 million viewers each night for half-hour summaries of the day’s news.

They haven’t necessarily been suited to the rush of news in the Trump era. Evening news ratings have been down while news junkies turn to prime-time cable newscasts.