December 7, 2024

Byron Pitts Moves to ABC News From CBS

Byron Pitts, a 15-year veteran of CBS News, is moving to ABC News, where he will be the network’s chief national correspondent and a substitute anchor.

ABC announced the move on Monday. Politico reported a month ago that Mr. Pitts was in talks to join ABC.

Mr. Pitts has been the chief national correspondent for “CBS Evening News” for the last four years. He joined the network in 1997, initially as a correspondent for its affiliate news service. He has been a contributor to the acclaimed Sunday night news show “60 Minutes,” filing 23 reports in the last seven years.

After word spread about his move to ABC last month, “60 Minutes” showed his two final reports: one about a military veteran who committed suicide and a second about a former mobster.

In an internal memorandum on Monday, the president of ABC News, Ben Sherwood, praised Mr. Pitts’s storytelling skills.

“Byron has a unique talent for stories about people and communities facing the longest odds,” Mr. Sherwood wrote. “In his new role, he will file for all platforms, bringing his signature thoughtfulness, seriousness of purpose, and flair.”

Mr. Pitts will start at ABC in a few weeks. A spokesman for the network said he might fill in for “any and all broadcasts” in his anchor capacity.

Several prominent anchors and correspondents have left ABC recently, including Jake Tapper and Chris Cuomo, both of whom joined CNN. ABC has subsequently hired a number of new correspondents, including two from The New York Times, Jeff Zeleny and Susan Saulny.

TVNewser reported over the weekend that the network might also hire Rebecca Jarvis, who signed off the Saturday edition of “CBS This Morning” on Saturday without specifying her next step.

Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/business/media/byron-pitts-moves-to-abc-news-from-cbs.html?partner=rss&emc=rss