CT Native Starts National Network News Anchor Job In January

Tony Dokoupil, a Connecticut native, takes over as anchor of the CBS Evening News on Jan. 5, less than a month after signing off from his co-anchor role on CBS Mornings, CT Insider reported.

Dokoupil was on CBS Mornings for six years, co-anchoring the program with Gayle King and Nate Burleson, and will now lead one of the nation's premier television news broadcasts, following the likes of Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather.

This month, John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois signed off as co-anchors of CBS Evening News, clearing the way Dokoupil. Both Dickerson and DeBois reportedly announced they are leaving the network.

"After 20 years in journalism, traveling through all 50 states and talking with people in hundreds of far-flung American places, I realize why a country this big needs a show this ambitious," Dokoupil said in a statement. "The strength of our nation is that we benefit from fair reporting and the open discussion of all ideas. For more than 60 years, the EVENING NEWS has been a bedrock of that process. I’m honored to join a fearless team at this important moment, and with what I can promise is a commitment to trust and the plain truth."

Dokoupil, who is married to MS Now anchor Katy Tur, was born in Farmington in 1980, and turns 45 on Christmas Eve.

"Tony is what everyone wants in an evening-news anchor – authentic, compassionate, unafraid," said Tom Cibrowski, president of CBS News. "He connects instantly, whether he’s talking with world leaders or with families navigating difficult news in their own backyards."

CBS Evening News airs at 6:30 p.m. weekdays on CBS stations.

Read the CT Insider story.