Margaret Brennan has been named the new moderator of CBS News’ ‘Face the Nation’, making her the only solo female host of a Sunday morning show.
Brennan, who will take over as permanent host on Sunday, February 25, replaces John Dickerson, who has led the program since 2015.
‘Face the Nation is one of the longest-running traditions in television,’ said CBS News president David Rhodes.
‘Margaret’s coverage of the White House and the world make her the ideal moderator for this legendary CBS News franchise at this moment in time.’
Margaret Brennan (left) has been named the new moderator of CBS News’ ‘Face the Nation’, making her the only solo female host of a Sunday morning show as she takes over from John Dickerson (right)
Dickerson (pictured),Dickerson, 49, was named ‘Face the Nation’ anchor in April 2015 following veteran Bob Schieffer’s retirement. Schieffer had anchored the program since 1991
Brennan, 37 (pictured), joined CBS News in 2012 and was elevated to White House and senior foreign affairs correspondent in 2017 – a position she will continue to maintain
‘Face the Nation’ features interviews with Washington lawmakers and officials and give the public a sense of the political agenda for the week similar to other programs such as NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ and ABC’s ‘This Week’.
For decades, the hosts of these shows have primarily been men.
‘Meet the Press’ has only had one female host since its creation in 1947, its founding moderator Martha Rountree.
Lesley Stahl, who currently hosts CBS’s ’60 Minutes’, moderated ‘Face the Nation’ from 1983 to 1991. And Christiane Amanpour, now CNN’s Chief International Correspondent, moderated ‘This Week’ from 2010 to 2011.
Currently, the other major news shows are hosted or co-hosted by men. ‘Meet the Press’ is hosted by Chuck Todd, ‘This Week’ by George Stephanapolous and Martha Raddatz, ‘Fox News Sunday’ by Chris Wallace and CNN’s ‘State of the Union ‘by Jake Tapper.
Brennan, 37, has reported on politics, international affairs and global markets for more than 15 years at Bloomberg, CNBC and NBC. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 2002.
Brennan (pictured, with Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif) will be the first solo female host of a Sunday morning show since Christiane Amanpour left ABC’s ‘This Week’ in 2011
Brennan (pictured, right, with then-US Secretary of State John Kerry, March 2013) has reported on politics, international affairs and global markets for more than 15 years at Bloomberg, CNBC and NBC
Dickerson replaced Charlie Rose (pictured, left, with Brennan) on ‘CBS This Morning’ in January after Rose was ousted following accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct by eight different women
In 2012, she joined CBS News and was elevated to White House and senior foreign affairs correspondent in 2017 – a position she will continue to maintain.
‘Both domestically and globally, news is breaking at an unrelenting pace,’ said Brennan.
‘Face the Nation has long been the place that viewers across the country rely on to make sense of it all by cutting through the noise to break down what matters and how it affects our daily lives.
‘I am deeply honored and excited to carry on Face the Nation’s tradition of helping provide this crucial context to our viewers.’
Dickerson replaced Charlie Rose on ‘CBS This Morning’ in January after Rose was ousted from the network following accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct by eight different women.
Dickerson, 49, was named ‘Face the Nation’ anchor in April 2015 following veteran Bob Schieffer’s retirement. Schieffer had anchored the program since 1991.