May 4, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — By replacing the current anchor of its evening news broadcast, Katie Couric, with 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley, "CBS is positioning itself for the long term, suggests Jeff McCall,
media professor at DePauw University," reports the Christian Science Monitor's Gloria Goodale. "The CBS Evening News has a long
road back to respectability and ratings success, after being mired in
third place for so long behind both NBC and ABC, he says."
Dr. McCall, professor of communication at DePauw and author of the book Viewer Discretion Advised: Taking Control of Mass Media Influences, tells the publication, "Brian Williams at NBC has a solid lead. Diane Sawyer at ABC has not been spectacular, but has held up OK."
The professor says, if CBS is patient with Pelley, its ratings will improve over time. "CBS
will have a great opportunity for a ratings jump when Sawyer retires.
Sawyer is already well into her sixties. Pelley 
can get himself
established at the anchor desk now while expectations are low. He can
then grow his audience over time, particularly when Sawyer steps down
and her audience goes browsing," McCall says.
The anchor switch, which is effective June 6, was announced yesterday. Pelley (pictured at right), a 21-year CBS veteran, will also serve as managing editor of the broadcast.
You'll find the complete article at the Monitor's website.
A 1976 graduate of DePauw, Jeffrey M. McCall is frequently called upon by major media outlets to discuss media matters, McCall has been cited in articles published by more than 100 newspapers. He recently talked with the Los Angeles Times about the decision by Fox News Channel to discontinue Glenn Beck's daily program and has appeared nine times on cable TV's O'Reilly Factor.