Norah O'Donnell considered 'obvious choice' to anchor CBS 'Evening News': 'With Glor struggling, it makes that even worse'

Jeff Glor's struggling "Evening News" ratings has Norah O'Donnell supporters at CBS saying "we told you so."

Insiders tell Page Six that O'Donnell was the "popular pick" to fill the "Evening News" anchor role that Scott Pelley left vacant last summer after his sudden exit, but CBS executives didn't want to take O'Donnell off of its successful morning show, "CBS This Morning," so that she could follow in the footsteps of Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather.

Instead, they surprised many by moving Glor from its streaming service, CBS Interactive, to fill the coveted spot in December. In the six months since becoming anchor of "Evening News," Glor has lost nearly 1.5 million viewers, Page Six notes.

"Norah’s well-respected and she seemed like the obvious choice, and there’s a faction inside the network that continues to be disappointed," an insider told the outlet. "With Glor struggling, it makes that even worse."

When the decision was made, O'Donnell took to Facebook to share a post that many read as a cryptic expression of frustration that she didn't land the job.

"Reposted this running photo as a reminder to myself that life is a lot like training for a road race," the post reportedly said. "Sometimes no matter how much effort you put into the goal, you fall short. There’s always another race."

Sources close to the "CBS This Morning" co-anchor insist it was a coincidence.

Meanwhile, CBS executives are standing firmly behind Glor and the "Evening News" team, while denying that his ratings are down.

"We have full confidence in Jeff Glor," CBS News president David Rhodes said in a memo to staffers after Page Six reported that they were considering axing him from the gig.

"We’re extremely confident in the journalism and the momentum of the broadcast," a spokesperson for the network said. "We’re just getting started."

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