American media giant CBS News is set to cut 6% of its workforce on 20 March, to “remain competitive”, Bloomberg reported citing an internal memo. The Paramount Skydance Corporation owned news network said that impacted staff would be notified by end of day, it added.
The job cuts were first reported by US publication Variety.
The internal memo was sent to employee from CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss and President Tom Cibrowski stated: “New audiences are burgeoning in new places, and we are pressing forward with ambitious plans to grow and invest so that we can be there for them. That means some parts of our newsroom must get smaller to make room for the things we must build to remain competitive.”
According to a report by The New York Post (NYP), as many as 60 employees could be given pink slips today. It was unclear which departments or units were impacted.
Weiss is looking to catch CBS’ rating up with rivals ABC and NBC and bring a “streaming mentality” to the news network, as per a Reuters report.
Variety first reported the news on the workforce reduction.
Controversy over Bari Weiss takeover
Notably, Weiss took the reins at CBS News in October last year after David Ellison-controlled Paramount acquired her media startup The Free Press. Since taking over, she has made a number of changes to the media company, including replacing the nightly news anchor, as per the Bloomberg report.
In January, she unveiled her strategy to add 19 new contributors to the network, and restructuring operations to include news coverage on digital platforms, the Reuters report added. Famed anchor Anderson Cooper departed from CBS News after Weiss’ takeover.
He recent decision to delay a ‘60 Minutes’ segment on deportation of immigrants to a foreign prison raised controversy as promos for the episode had already aired. The channel eventually broadcast the episode after a few edits, as per Bloomberg.
CBS News shutters nearly 100-year-old radio service
According to an AP report, CBS News is also shutting down its storied radio news service. The service has lasted for close to a century, it added.
As per the report, the cut is part of planned layoffs and comes amid a shift in radio station programming strategies and challenging economic times.
CBS News Radio had its first programme go on air in September 1927, ahead of the entire network’s existence. It was the debut of William S. Paley who transformed the small radio channel into the sprawling network it became, the AP report said.
Pioneer broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow was on the roster delivering reports from London during World War II as part of the radio service, it added.
In 2026, CBS News Radio provides material to an estimated 700 stations across the United States and is known best for its top-of-the-hour news roundups. The service will end on May 22, the network said Friday.
“While this was a necessary decision, it was not an easy one,” the memo from Weiss and Cibrowski added, as per AP.
(With inputs from Bloomberg, Reuters, and AP)
