“I’ve never had a problem getting along with anybody I’ve worked with at CBS. I really haven’t,” said King. “But I think when you know that somebody always has your back. I know that some people’s skill sets are stronger than others, and I know that when I’m sitting at the table, no one’s going to leave me hanging in whatever it is. And I feel the same about them.”
She added, “Sometimes, you may work with a person that, and I’m not talking about myself, but sometimes you may work with a person who is only there for themselves, isn’t very collaborative, wants to hog the spotlight. And that’s when you know it’s not working. So far, knock on wood for me. I haven’t had that problem.”
CBS This Morning rebranded to CBS Mornings in September 2021, and with Dokoupil and Burleson by her side, the female audience has grown. Part of that can be attributed to story selection. Women are the primary consumers for daytime news and talk programming, and you’re seeing more stories with a female focus. This wasn’t always the case.
“Just this week, we did a story about infertility and IVF. That’s a very female-focused issue, and I think we told those stories very well,” said King. “This morning, we did something about menopause and perimenopause. It is something that’s necessary, and it is something that we’re trying to take the stigma out of.”
She added, “We are tackling those kinds of issues in a very smart and authentic way. I think that resonates, and I think we make a concerted effort to let women know we are here and are interested.”
King also notes the addition of Burleson, a former NFL player, as a reason the program is also keeping male viewers, despite the increase in female-focused stories.
“Nate adds another layer to the equation in terms of sports,” said King. “His background is sports, and while he’s very good at reporting sports, he’s also so well-rounded. So, I do find that we’re spending time on that as well.”
Asking the tough questions
King has interviewed countless luminaries over her lengthy career in TV journalism, but her most talked-about sit-down in recent years was her March 2019 interview with R. Kelly that immediately went viral.