Longtime CBS News veteran Al Ortiz is taking over the helm of CBS Evening News as its new interim executive producer.
The move marks Ortiz’s return to the role after 20 years. He was previously executive producer of CBS Evening News with Dan Rather from 1998 to 2001.
For the past seven years, Ortiz has been VP of standards and practices. He also worked with Norah O’Donnell on Election Night in 2016 and 2020, before the program moved to Washington, D.C.
Before that, Ortiz spent 12 years as executive producer of special events. He began his career with CBS News in 1977 at CBS News Radio.
In a memo to staffers, Neeraj Khemlani, president and co-head of CBS News and Stations called Ortiz “the consummate team player” said he was chosen to lead the team because “it was critical to find a steady hand who could uphold the standards that have been set for this broadcast over many generations.”