Steven Baker joins CBS News as consultant to help improve ‘CBS Mornings’ and ‘CBS Evening News’

CBS News Turns to Steven Baker for New Momentum in Key Daily Broadcasts

Theindiapostdaily.com – CBS News has enlisted veteran television producer Steven Baker as a consultant and adviser as it seeks to sharpen two of its most prominent programmes: CBS Mornings and CBS Evening News.

Baker, formerly the executive producer of ABC News’ Nightline, joined CBS News earlier this week. His work will place him alongside CBS News President Tom Cibrowski and the leadership teams responsible for the network’s morning and evening broadcasts.

The assignment arrives at an important moment for CBS News, which is looking to build greater audience traction in highly competitive US television-news time slots. Morning shows compete for viewers beginning their day, while evening newscasts remain a central daily showcase for national reporting and network identity.

Focus on CBS Mornings and CBS Evening News

Baker will work with Jon Tower, who leads CBS Mornings, and Kim Harvey, who oversees CBS Evening News. His role is intended to bring additional creative thinking and energy to the broadcasts as CBS evaluates how they can better connect with audiences.

Cibrowski presented Baker to staff as a producer with experience developing new approaches for established news brands. That background could be especially relevant for programmes attempting to retain traditional television viewers while finding formats and stories that appeal beyond a conventional broadcast schedule.

The challenge is clear. CBS Mornings drew an average audience of roughly 1.6 million viewers in the third quarter of 2026. Its audience in the key 25-to-54 age group was about 256,000. The programme remains behind its principal rivals on ABC and NBC.

CBS Evening News has posted a small increase in viewers from the previous year, but its total audience has not returned to the levels seen before Norah O’Donnell stepped away from the anchor desk in early 2025. The evening programme also continues to rank behind the leading network newscasts.

A Producer Known for Expanding Nightline’s Reach

Baker became executive producer of Nightline in 2017 and built a reputation for testing ways to extend the programme beyond its familiar late-night setting. His work reflected a broader television-news question: how can an established broadcast franchise reach viewers who may not watch at its scheduled time?

During his tenure, Nightline expanded into programming outside its regular slot. One example was an hour-long special created for Freeform and aimed at younger audiences. The experiment demonstrated how a network news programme could adapt its reporting and presentation for a different platform and viewing demographic.

In 2020, Baker also supervised a month-long Turning Point takeover of the Nightline time period. The programming examined race relations in the United States during a period of intense national discussion. The project underscored Baker’s experience with thematic coverage that extends beyond the structure of a typical nightly broadcast.

“Baker would work with programme leaders Jon Tower and Kim Harvey.”

For CBS, that experience may be useful not simply because of individual specials, but because it suggests a willingness to rethink how a daily news product is packaged. Viewers now encounter news through live broadcasts, clips, social platforms, streaming services and on-demand video. A programme’s reach can depend on more than its place in the television schedule.

CBS Adds Another Executive With ABC News Experience

Baker’s move also continues a notable pattern at CBS News. Cibrowski held senior roles at ABC News before taking the CBS News presidency. Matt Gutman and Wendy Fisher are among other former ABC News figures who joined CBS News in 2026.

Before arriving at CBS, Baker had been working with former ABC News president James Goldston on a nonfiction division at Candle Media. His new position brings him into the centre of CBS News’ effort to reconsider how its two most visible daily programmes can evolve.

The appointment does not signal an immediate change to the on-air structure of either broadcast. Instead, it gives the network an experienced editorial and production adviser whose past work has included format experimentation, special programming and efforts to broaden a news brand’s audience.

For viewers, the eventual impact may emerge through changes in storytelling, guest selection, programme pacing, special coverage or the way segments are adapted for audiences outside the live television window. CBS News is seeking stronger performance in both the morning and evening arenas, and Baker’s task will be to help its flagship broadcasts find a more distinctive and competitive path forward.