EXCLUSIVE: Dead Man Talking! How CBS' Newbie Anchor Tony Dokoupil's Poor Performance and Tumbling Ratings Have Him on Network's Chopping Block
CBS anchor Tony Dokoupil faces the chopping block as poor performance and ratings slide fuel concern.
March 4 2026, Published 7:30 a.m. ET
CBS Evening News newbie anchor Tony Dokoupil's disastrous debut has execs already greasing the skids for his exit, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The blunt assessment from inside the building? – "It's not working."
Ratings Crash Sparks Panic
CBS insiders said Tony Dokoupil's 'CBS Evening News' debut is 'not working' as January ratings hit a 25-year low.
The once-venerated newscast is on pace for the lowest January ratings in more than 25 years, with a crushing 6 percent drop in viewers from the previous year.
Behind the scenes, patience is wearing thin as the broadcast continues to lose momentum in a fiercely competitive time slot.
For the week of Jan. 26, the newscast drew 4.538million total viewers and just 623,000 in the key 25-to-54-year-old demographic – down a whopping million viewers from a year ago.
The steep drop raised eyebrows at the network's headquarters inside Black Rock – with sources claiming the end of the Dokoupil era is in sight.
"That's not noise – that's a trend," one CBS insider says flatly. "And trends get people replaced."
Despite a debut laced with on-air flubs and negative reviews, Dokoupil's show actually saw a ratings spike of 6 percent on his first night in early January.
But it still fell short of numbers posted a year earlier – tumbling by double-digit percentages in both total viewers and the key demo.
Third Place Spells Trouble
ABC's 'World News Tonight' and NBC's 'Nightly News' continued to outpace 'CBS Evening News' in total viewers and the key demo.
Even more damning, the show still ranked in a disappointing third place – far behind the numbers charted by ABC World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News.
Just as troubling, 11 Evening News staffers recently took buyouts as newly anointed editorial boss Bari Weiss desperately tries to right the ship in the network's sinking news division.
"Bari charted a course for CBS News that's very different from the one we're on now," according to an internal email to the news team.
"The Evening News has a new host and a new directive and there will be more change coming."
Weiss Faces Internal Revolt
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Bari Weiss faced backlash over her leadership after reports she turned to Dokoupil following rejections from Bret Baier and Anderson Cooper.
Weiss has been blasted for taking a hard right in the network's political coverage and some staffers say they fear it's her way or the highway.
"It feels right now like if we offer feedback, alternatives, or constructive criticism that we are asking for targets on our backs," said a source.
The beleaguered news chief was also blasted for settling on Dokoupil – after reportedly being rebuffed by Fox's Bret Baier and CNN's Anderson Cooper.
As one insider said: "Looks like Bari is now rummaging through the bargain bin of personalities in tapping Dokoupil as the new face of the Evening News."
