CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil has been compelled to broadcast from Taiwan this week after failing to secure a visa to cover President Donald Trump's trip to China. Broadcasters from around the world have gathered in Beijing for Trump's brief visit, which commences on Wednesday.
However, CBS, now under the leadership of new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, encountered an obstacle in their coverage plans when Dokoupil was unable to obtain a Chinese visa, as reported by Semafor. A source told the outlet that during a planning call on Wednesday, discussions arose about Dokoupil broadcasting from Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, instead.
Another insider informed Semafor that CBS had two correspondents traveling with Trump to China. They noted that Dokoupil's presence in Taiwan underscored the island's significance to the summit. Initiating his coverage, Dokoupil stated that his broadcast from Taiwan marked the first time CBS had ever reported from the island, located just 100 miles off the coast of China.
He also highlighted that White House Correspondent Weijia Jiang and Anna Coren, the broadcaster's Hong Kong correspondent, were both in Beijing. In contrast, NBC News' Tom Llamas is anchoring their coverage from Beijing, while ABC's David Muir is also stationed in the Chinese capital.
This setback for CBS comes as the Evening News has hit a new low, one month after suffering its worst viewing figures in a century. Last month, Dokoupil's evening show recorded the lowest engagement statistics since he took over the broadcast, averaging just 3.7 million views per night, according to Nielsen data obtained by Status.
In the coveted 25-54 age demographic, which Weiss has been keen to attract, the show averaged only 467,000 viewers. Dokoupil's broadcast has now posted 12 consecutive weeks below 600,000 viewers in this demographic, indicating that millennials and Generation X alike are tuning out. Through 2026 as a whole, CBS Evening News has been averaging 4.3 million viewers per night, down seven percent from last year and marking the lowest ratings this century.
Weiss elevated CBS Mornings host Dokoupil, 54, to the Evening News anchor chair in early January, around the time the ratings decline began. One television executive told Status that CBS News is a 'sinking ship.' 'It's clear they have no idea what they are doing - and one has to wonder what will be left of CBS News once the merger goes through and the Ellisons are done having to placate [Donald] Trump,' they added.
By contrast, major competitors such as ABC's David Muir and NBC Nightly News' Tom Llamas are commanding nearly double the viewership. Muir is currently drawing 8.7 million total viewers, including 1.1 million in the 25-54 age bracket, making his evening show the most popular. 'CBS has now become a NASCAR event with people just watching to see the cars crash - Bari Weiss has effectively removed all value from the once-enviable brand,' one industry insider told the Daily Mail in March. 'Given CBS Sports is seeing record highs – there’s no question the ratings problem at CBS is entirely Bari’s making.'
Weiss, a former New York Times writer and Free Press founder who is a fierce critic of modern legacy media, has never headed a major newsroom before.
