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Scott Pelley of Darien will replace Katie Couric as the anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News," the network announced Monday. The "60 Minutes" correspondent will take over on June 6.
Pelley, 53, has been with CBS since 1989 and has covered such major events as the Gulf War, the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the Oklahoma City bombing. From 1997 to 1999, he served as the chief White House correspondent for CBS News.
"Scott has it all. He has the experience, the credibility and he is among the very best reporters ever to work at CBS News," CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager said in a statement.
Since joining "60 Minutes" in 2004, Pelley has reported more than half of the stories that have won major awards for the program. He has interviewed such prominent people as President George W. Bush, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke. His interview with Bernanke was the first time a sitting Federal Reserve chairman has allowed an interview in decades.
Pelley moved to Darien from Virginia three years ago with his wife and two children. Originally from Texas, he attended the journalism school at Texas Tech University. He worked as a broadcast journalist for a number of Texas stations before a 1985 report on Guatemalan refugees living in the jungles of Mexico caught the eye of CBS executives.
"I am delighted to join the terrific team at the 'CBS Evening News,' " Pelley said in a statement. "It's a privilege to work alongside the most gifted and talented journalists in the industry."
Pelley and his team have won multiple awards, including two George Foster Peabody Awards, five Edward R. Murrow Awards and 14 Emmys.
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