PELLEY OUT AS CBS ANCHOR – AT 10:33 A.M. ET:   We started hearing the reports last night that Scott Pelley was being shelved as CBS Evening News anchor, and would work full time at "Sixty Minutes."

It's not surprising.  Pelley has lagged in the ratings, and is known to have a difficult relationship with some of the suits at CBS.   He has also perhaps been President Trump's harshest critic among the TV anchors.  One can only speculate that some of his ratings problems might have originated with that harshness. 

There have been no formal announcements yet.  Nor has there been any definitive word on a replacement.  The most intense speculation centers on Anthony Mason, an old CBS hand, seen frequently on the network.

The power of the news divisions of the "big three" TV networks has diminished over the years, in direct proportion to the rise of cable outlets like CNN and Fox.  One of television's greatest advantages is its immediacy, and there's nothing more immediate than a 24-hour news service that can go directly to the scene of breaking news.  But, even with the rise of cable, the audience for the major networks' news programs remains much larger than that of the cable offerings. 

There is other speculation in TV news.  Megyn Kelly debuts on NBC this weekend with "Sunday Night."  She will have Vladimir Putin on her first show.  How will she do on NBC?  I have no idea.  I'm not sure she's as loved as NBC might think, and she won't be surrounded by an all-news network.  The numbers will tell.

There is also speculation that a new conservative network might rise, especially if Fox drifts to the left under the management of the younger members of the Rupert Murdoch family.  Fox has been struggling recently, and has been losing some ground, especially to MSNBC.  I have no specific information on a new network, but money should be no problem.  Conservative broadcasting is profitable.

May 31, 2017