Today in Television History (September 2nd, 1963): "CBS Evening News" Becomes U.S. Network Television's First Half-Hour Weeknight News Broadcast!

On September 2nd, 1963, "CBS Evening News'" 15-minute weeknight broadcast was lengthened to 30 minutes, making the program the nation's first half-hour weeknight news broadcast. The program was started on July 1st, 1941 under the name "CBS Television News", but the name was changed in 1948 to "CBS Evening News" with the original anchor being Douglas Edwards. Walter Cronkite is perhaps the most iconic news anchor for CBS, having started in 1962 and earning himself the nickname "the most trusted man in America". A weekend broadcast of "CBS Evening News" began in February 1966. As of April 2024, "CBS Evening News" is in third place of the three major television news programs, with around 4.97 million total viewers.