Anthony Mason, host on CBS This Morning, will step away from the anchor desk when Nate Burleson moves in in September. Mason will report on culture for CBS This Morning and other CBS News programs.
Neeraj Khemlani, president and co-head, CBS News and Stations, spoke of Mason and his changing role in a memo to staff. “He has shared his passion for the kind of storytelling we are looking to increase across the news division and he will take on a new role that is tailor-made for him,” he said. “After 40 years as one of the great talents, writing and crafting impeccable pieces that are thought provoking and memorable, later this summer Anthony will step away from the anchor desk to do what he loves most--reporting stories about culture.”
Khemlani said Mason’s coverage focuses both on “how [culture] defines the atmosphere of the country and how culture changes it. He believes fiercely that art and music are integral to our culture, not merely odd indulgences. They frequently define our time in very real ways.”
Before becoming co-host of CBS This Morning, Mason was co-host of CBS’s Saturday morning show. He has been a frequent contributor to CBS Sunday Morning. He started at CBS News in 1986 and was its business correspondent from 1998 to 2016.
Mason was named CBS This Morning co-host when Norah O’Donnell shifted to CBS Evening News in 2019.
“Anthony has had one of the most impressive, varied careers in broadcast television and it should be no surprise to any of us that he is leading the charge into another frontier that is bold and exciting, particularly at this time of transformation for our company,” said Khemlani.
Burleson joins Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil at CBS This Morning. The program gets a new Times Square studio in September.
Khemlani said CBS This Morning has a bright future. “We’re excited to take mornings on CBS in a direction that allows the journalism and storytelling we do so well to continue to lead the conversation and define the culture of our times,” he said.
