Scott Pelley Replacing Katie Couric at “Evening News”

Katie Couric has officially stepped down, and now CBS has officially named her successor.

Veteran "60 Minutes" reporter Scott Pelley - who was an early favorite to snag the gig the minute rumors of Couric's possible departure started to gain steam -  will take over the "CBS Evening News" anchor desk. The 53 year-old has worked for CBS for over two decades.

In an official statement, CBS News chairman Jeff Fager sang Pelley's praises.

"Scott has it all," Fager said. "He has the experience, the credibility and he is among the very best reporters ever to work at CBS News. We like to think of CBS News as the 'reporter's network,' and I can't think of anybody in this business better suited for the anchor chair than Scott."

Couric announced that she was leaving "CBS Evening News" after five years last week. She has plans to pursue a syndicated show, but details have not been finalized. All Couric has said is that she is interested in pursuing "multi-dimensional storytelling."

CBS has also not set a firm end date for Couric, although her contract is set to expire on June 4th. It is believed that Pelley will take over on June 6th.

Selected Reading: MSNBC, Us Magazine, E! Online

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