Scott Pelley replaces Katie Couric: What will it mean?

As expected, CBS News has officially announced that Scott Pelley will take over for Katie Couric as anchor of the legendary CBS Evening News. What will Pelley, a 60 Minutes veteran, mean for the once-proud news show that has been mired for years in a ratings slump?

He'll bring the focus back to the news: Pelley "likely won't drum up much provocation on or off the job," says Jon Friedman at MarketWatch. That will be a marked change from the media "feeding frenzy" that surrounded Couric. With Pelley, viewers will get an "old-fashioned news anchor" who will likely "be better at telling the news than making it." His hire isn't going to change the media landscape, but maybe it will help the show's ratings.

"Scott Pelley is no Katie Couric"

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Pelley gives CBS a much-needed clean slate: "A new anchor represents a fresh start for the broadcast and, indirectly, for the entire news organization," says Brian Stelter in The New York Times. CBS was once thought of as the "Tiffany Network," and its landmark evening news show has a storied history. Is Pelley the one who can turn around a "decades-long decline" and return some of the glory to Walter Cronkite's old job? We'll find out.

"Pelley to replace Couric on Evening News, and stay on 60 Minutes"

Don't expect a revolution from Pelley: With Pelley's hire, it's clear that CBS is betting "that the evening news is not in the innovation business anymore," says James Poniewozik in TIME. That's not meant as a criticism. Pelley is a "a competent, well-known CBS fixture," and he "falls into a reliable category for CBS, the white guy with a drawl." He's certainly not "risky or surprising," but he'll likely stay the course at the network.

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