‘CBS Evening News’ Ratings Sink Below 4 Million as Top Producer’s Future in Question

CBS Evening News has hit a troubling milestone, with viewership falling below 4 million — a daunting new low for the network’s top program, according to a new report.

A new report from The New York Post claims Executive Producer Kim Harvey could be at risk of losing her role if she’s unable to turn things around. Harvey stepped into the position last August.

As Globe readers know, CBS veteran Tony Dokoupil was tapped to anchor the network’s flagship broadcast during the first week in January — a move reportedly made by CBS News Editor in Chief Bari Weiss.

Dokoupil’s debut drew 4.4 million viewers, with the broadcast climbing to a high of 4.6 million by the end of January. Since then, however, ratings have steadily declined. According to The Post, last week’s ratings dipped to 3.8 million, citing data from Nielsen.

One CBS insider described the drop as “pretty terrible.”

“Once you’re under 4 million, you’ve got to be worried that you’re in a death spiral,” the insider continued. “If they can’t retain an audience in the middle of a war, God help you when the war ends.”

The insider also criticized what they described as “soft” editorial choices under Harvey, including frequent animal-focused segments used to close the show.

“It’s animal story overload,” the source added. “Kim’s thing is animals. She’s turning Tony into the animal anchor.”

According to the report, there are internal calls for more “enterprise” reporting, with one recent segment on hospice fraud — reportedly pushed by Weiss — cited as a stronger direction.

“The show has lost over a half a million viewers in three months. You’ve got to sacrifice somebody to the ratings gods,” a second insider told the outlet.

Meanwhile, the competition continues to dominate. ABC World News Tonight drew 8.5 million viewers, while NBC Nightly News followed with 6.5 million.

The report noted that before making staffing changes, network executives often experiment with cosmetic tweaks. This week, The Post claimed CBS Evening News adjusted its presentation,  before chopping employees, the head honchos usually tweak the set or graphics first. Those little details were changed this week. CBS Evening News flipped the camera in order to show Dokoupil presenting the news in front of a blue world map as opposed to its former tight shot of the host with the newsroom in the background.

Meanwhile, CBS News has reportedly denied that Harvey is at risk of losing her job. “It is ludicrous to suggest that a show’s executive producer could be replaced because we changed a camera angle,” a spokesperson for the network told The Post.

“We’re excited about the new version of the CBS Evening News, and thrilled that our viewers are, too,” the person added.

Still, behind the scenes, tensions appear to be mounting. A second source claimed the broadcast “feels like a hot mess every night,” particularly after six producers accepted buyouts last month.