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By Benjamin Mullin 

CBS News is changing the lineup of anchors at its flagship shows as its recently appointed president, Susan Zirinsky, puts her stamp on the news division.

The plan announced Monday has named "CBS This Morning" co-anchor Norah O'Donnell as the anchor of "CBS Evening News," succeeding Jeff Glor. The Wall Street Journal reported the planned changes on Sunday.

Mr. Glor was expected to be offered another spot at CBS News, people familiar with the matter said, but details about that position couldn't be learned. The company said Monday it was discussing opportunities for Mr. Glor to remain with CBS News.

"CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell" would debut in the summer in New York. It would eventually move permanently to Washington, D.C., in the fall, CBS said.

The reorganization comes as Ms. Zirinsky seeks to turn the page on a chaotic period for the network, which has been riven by accusations of sexual harassment and dogged by lackluster ratings.

Morning show star Charlie Rose and "60 Minutes" executive producer Jeff Fager departed the network amid allegations they sexually harassed women. Mr. Fager was fired after he sent texts the network deemed inappropriate to a CBS News reporter investigating the allegations.

Leslie Moonves also was ousted last fall as chief executive of the network's parent, CBS Corp., as the company investigated allegations he sexually harassed multiple women during his career.

Messrs. Moonves and Fager denied the allegations. Mr. Rose apologized, adding that he didn't think all the allegations against him were accurate.

Ms. Zirinsky, who inspired Holly Hunter's über-capable producer character from the movie "Broadcast News," succeeded David Rhodes as president of the news division in March as CBS Corp. looked to move past the network's turmoil.

Appointing Ms. O'Donnell as the second woman in the network's history to anchor its evening news program would be a prominent marker of that change. Katie Couric, a former anchor of "CBS Evening News," became the first solo woman to anchor that program in 2006.

The New York Post earlier reported on CBS News's shake-up plans.

Ms. O'Donnell's co-anchor, Gayle King, would continue in her current role on "CBS This Morning," along with Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil, CBS said. The new team will appear on the show on May 20.

Ms. King, a veteran broadcast journalist who in recent months won acclaim for trenchant interviews of R&B singer R. Kelly and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, had leverage going into negotiations for her new contract at CBS News, according to one of the people.

Ms. Zirinsky is also planning to make additional changes to "60 Minutes, " the marquee news magazine that was recently shaken by the departure of Mr. Fager. John Dickerson, a keen interviewer whose profile dipped when he went from anchor of politics-focused "Face the Nation" to co-anchor of "CBS This Morning," would join the staff of "60 Minutes," one of the people said.

Ratings for "CBS Evening News" and "CBS This Morning" have lagged behind rival programs at other networks, with "60 Minutes" continuing to outperform its competition.

Since her appointment as head of the news division, Ms. Zirinsky has been charged with the dual mandate of lifting ratings and helping repair CBS News's culture, one of the people said. She replaced Mr. Fager with "60 Minutes" executive editor Bill Owens, and created two new human-resource positions to focus on professional development.

The reorganization comes amid speculation on Wall Street about a long-anticipated merger between CBS Corp. and its sister company, Viacom. The company recently extended the contract of acting CBS Chief Executive Joe Ianniello, a move that could position Mr. Ianniello to help steer the integration of the two companies should they merge.

--Kimberly Chin contributed to this article.

Write to Benjamin Mullin at Benjamin.Mullin@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 06, 2019 08:29 ET (12:29 GMT)

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