Tony Dokoupil is giving “CBS Evening News” a ratings boost — despite his bumpy start this week as the new anchor of the nightly broadcast, The Post has learned.
Dokoupil, who was promoted from the role of “CBS Mornings” co-anchor, reeled in 4.5 million total viewers as he made his “Evening News” debut on Monday, according to Nielsen figures.
That’s half-a-million more sets of eyeballs on average than what the broadcast had been getting under previous co-anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois, who helmed the ratings-challenged show for roughly one year.
Dokoupil drew 609,000 viewers in the advertiser-coveted 25 to 54-year old demographic. A source close to the situation attributed the improved numbers to big bookings like Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Machado and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The source noted that Monday’s ratings were up 11% in viewers and 9% in the demo versus the season’s average to date.
That’s after “CBS Evening News” lost over 1 million viewers as the audience was turned off by Dickerson and DuBois, who had been criticized as “stodgy” and “lacking chemistry” by insiders.
It’s also despite Dokoupil’s headline-grabbing gaffes during his inaugural broadcast on Monday, where he tripped over a telepromopter pivot editorialized the news coverage of Venezuela.
The high-pressure 30-minute broadcast was Dokoupil’s first scheduled turn in the chair following the appointment by Bari Weiss, the CBS News editor-in-chief, who tapped the anchor for the job last month.
A source close to the situation cautioned that Dokoupil and his boss Weiss should not be popping the champagne yet, noting that most new shows get a “bump” in the first few days.
“People tune in to a new show out of curiosity, but they usually change the channel and go back to what they were watching,” the person said.
When CBS tapped Katie Couric as anchor of the “Evening News” anchor, the show saw got a massive ratings spike of 14 million for her debut on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2006. By Friday of that week, her numbers cratered to 8 million.
Of course, TV viewership habits were healthier then and the era of the big evening news network anchor was still flourishing. But with the rise of streaming and digital, the importance of the nightly newscast has shriveled.
More recently, Dickerson and DuBois pulled in an average of 5.2 million total viewers when they debuted last January, but those numbers quickly evaporated and they ended the year with an average of 4 million viewers.
What’s more, Dokoupil’s Monday debut was still far behind top-ranked “ABC World News Tonight with David Muir,” which pulled 8.1 million viewers and 1 million viewers in the demo, and “NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas,” which reeled in 7.2 million total viewers and 1.1 million demo viewers.
“I bet ratings will go below 4 million by the end of the week,” said a second CBS insider. “Tony isn’t seasoned.”
CBS News declined to comment.
The source pointed to the on-air gaffe, which took place midway during Monday’s broadcast, in which Dokoupil had been prepared to read a report on Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz but an image of Sen. Mark Kelly flashed on the screen.
A stammering Dokoupil said: “As you just heard from Jill, well, to other news now. Uh, to Governor Walz. No, we’re gonna do Mark Kelly. First day, first day, big problems here. Uh, are we going to Kelly here or are we gonna go to Jonah Kaplan?”
The confusion was followed by roughly four seconds of silence as the broadcast stalled on live television.
“We’re doing Mark Kelly,” Dokoupil continued after the pause.
Dokoupil’s awkward moment, in which he “narrated” the problem, rubbed CBS sources the wrong way.
Although the anchor had fewer mishaps on Tuesday, critics slammed Dokoupil’s light-hearted segment on Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom he saluted and dubbed as the “ultimate Florida man.”
Dokoupil, who was broadcasting from Miami as part of a multi-city tour to kick off the show, surprisingly wiped back tears as he told viewers about his childhood memories of growing up in the Sunshine State, before launching into Rubio’s career and his role in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
“He’s now the face of US foreign policy and President Trump’s point man on Venezuela,” the anchor said of Rubio. “Whatever you think of his politics, you’ve got to admit, it’s an impressive resume.”
The program then flashed bizarre, AI-generated images of Rubio posted by social media users, depicting him as the new governor of Minnesota, the new shah of Iran, the prime minister of Greenland and even “the new Michelin Man,” Dokoupil said.
“Marco Rubio, we salute you. You’re the ultimate Florida man. And that’s another day in America and in Miami,” the anchor said before signing off.
Ratings for Tuesday night’s show were not available.
