Tony Dokoupil Michele Crowe/CBS News Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text The ratings for Tony Dokoupil's debut as anchor of the CBS Evening News are ... fine. The Jan. 5 edition of CBS' nightly newscast improved some on the show's season averages, but it did not meaningfully close the gap between CBS and network rivals ABC and NBC. CBS has for years ranked a distant third in the 6:30 p.m. newscast ratings. Dokoupil's first weeknight turn in the Evening News anchor chair drew 4.37 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings, and 596,000 adults 25-54, considered the key demographic for newscasts. (He actually made his debut a little ahead of schedule on Saturday, Jan. 3, following the U.S. military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.) Related Stories TV TV Ratings: NFL Regular Season Grows Across the Board TV 'Stranger Things 5' Reaches Netflix's All-Time Top 10 With Series Finale The 4.37 million viewers for Monday's CBS Evening News is up about 9 percent from its season average of 4.02 million. The 596,000 adults 25-54 who watched Monday's show improved by 20 percent vs. a season average of about 498,500. Both figures, however, trail ABC and NBC by a considerable amount. ABC's World News Tonight, per usual, led the 6:30 p.m. network rankings Monday with 8.24 million viewers, and the NBC Nightly News had 7.21 million. NBC led the 25-54 demographic with just under 1.1 million viewers in that age range, while ABC drew 1.02 million. One night of a newscast that runs about 250 days each year is not predictive of much, obviously: Dokoupil's tenure as Evening News anchor will presumably be measured in months and years, and longer-term numbers will tell a more complete story. Dokoupil was named the anchor of the CBS Evening News in December, with CBS News editor-in-chief saying at the time that the former CBS Mornings co-host would help win back viewers' trust. "Americans hungry for fairness will see that on display night after night," Weiss said in a statement. He replaced John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois in the anchor chair. Both Dokoupil and Weiss have drawn some criticism for the anchor's video, released a few days before he took over as anchor, in which he said news media has "put too much weight on the analysis of academics or elites and not enough on [everyday viewers]." He also pledged that the viewers would come first for him. "Not advertisers. Not politicians. Not corporate interests. And, yes, that does include the corporate owners of CBS. I report for you." THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Live Feed CBS Quietly Renames 'Yellowstone' Sequel 'Y: Marshals' to Just 'Marshals' Hudson Williams 'Heated Rivalry' Star Hudson Williams Says Closeted Professional Athletes Have Reached Out Live Feed 'Saturday Night Live': Finn Wolfhard, Teyana Taylor, Alexander Skarsgard Debut as Hosts in January Tyler Perry Tyler Perry's 'Sistas' Returns for Season 10: When and Where to Stream It Online Live Feed Martin Clunes to Play Disgraced BBC News Anchor Huw Edwards in Two-Part Drama About Scandal That Rocked Britain Real Time with Bill Maher 'Real Time With Bill Maher' Renewed for Two More Seasons at HBO Live Feed CBS Quietly Renames 'Yellowstone' Sequel 'Y: Marshals' to Just 'Marshals' Hudson Williams 'Heated Rivalry' Star Hudson Williams Says Closeted Professional Athletes Have Reached Out Live Feed 'Saturday Night Live': Finn Wolfhard, Teyana Taylor, Alexander Skarsgard Debut as Hosts in January Tyler Perry Tyler Perry's 'Sistas' Returns for Season 10: When and Where to Stream It Online Live Feed Martin Clunes to Play Disgraced BBC News Anchor Huw Edwards in Two-Part Drama About Scandal That Rocked Britain Real Time with Bill Maher 'Real Time With Bill Maher' Renewed for Two More Seasons at HBO