Scott Pelley’s CBS exit leak apparently caught the network off guard this week when the New York Post broke the news.
Page Six reported that Pelley was out as "CBS Evening News" anchor on Tuesday night after someone reportedly saw his office being emptied and told the tabloid, TheWrap.com reported. The network didn't issue a release until the next afternoon, as it was not planning to make the announcement that soon, according to network sources who told TheWrap that executives are fuming over the way the whole situation was handled.
The official release praised Pelley and detailed his full-time move to "60 Minutes."
“Scott brought the best values of ’60 Minutes’ to the ‘CBS Evening News,’ and we thank him for his commitment to the journalism of this broadcast every night these past six years,” CBS News president David Rhodes said in the statement. “The milestone 50th season of ’60 Minutes’ requires Scott’s full contribution, and we look forward to important reporting from him for many years to come.”
Pelley was actually out of the office on assignment for "60 Minutes" as his office was being cleared out, according to the Post.
Sources told TheWrap.com, though, said that Pelley "personally had movers clean out his office on Tuesday."
“I find my heart filled with gratitude for the opportunity to know you, humility in light of your sacrifices, and hope for the future of journalism because of the standards you live by,” Pelley said as he thanked his colleagues in a statement. “CBS has been great to me for nearly 30 years. I’m glad to accept this assignment with continuing gratitude.”
Despite these remarks by both Rhodes and Pelley, an insider said there was “friction" between the two, which played a role in the change, the Post noted.
“[Pelley] was pushed out of the ‘Evening News.’ It’s been coming for a long time,” another source said. “This could have been handled better — [Pelley] is away on a story, and they’re cleaning out his office. It’s not the correct way to treat the face of CBS News.”
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