**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
**Gayle King Announces Major Career Transition; Joins New National Morning Broadcast**
**WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 26, 2023)** – Award-winning broadcast journalist Gayle King has formally announced her departure from her long-standing role at CBS News, effective at the conclusion of her current contract in January 2024.
**WHAT:** In a formal statement released this morning, Ms. King confirmed she will join a newly formed, independent media venture as the co-host and executive producer of a prime-time national news program. The program, tentatively titled "The Confluence," will focus on in-depth, cross-generational dialogue and feature a rotating panel of expert contributors.
**WHO:** The announcement was made by Ms. King, 68, a 12-time Emmy Award winner and former co-host of "CBS Mornings." The new venture is being backed by a consortium of private investors, led by media executive Sarah Fischer.
**WHERE:** Ms. King will continue to operate from her primary residence in New York City, with the new program to be broadcast live from a newly constructed studio in Manhattan's Hudson Yards district.
**WHEN:** The transition is scheduled to take place in February 2024, with the first broadcast of "The Confluence" set for late March 2024.
**WHY:** Citing a desire to "return to the core principles of long-form journalism" and "create a platform for substantive, uninterrupted conversation," Ms. King stated that the move was driven by a need for creative freedom and a departure from traditional broadcast network constraints. "The current media landscape demands a new approach to how we inform and connect," Ms. King wrote in the statement. "This is a necessary evolution, not a farewell."
Representatives for CBS News declined to comment on the departure, but confirmed that a formal succession plan for the "CBS Mornings" anchor desk is in development. Industry analysts predict