CBS News cut 6% of its staff, including ending its CBS News Radio division, network leaders Bari Weiss and Tom Cibrowski told staffers in a memo on Friday.
The team and its 700 affiliate stations were informed on Friday. The network will end on May 22 after nearly 100 years of operation, and all CBS News Radio positions will be cut.
“We understand how difficult this news is for our staff and their colleagues, who have worked side by side with us to cover some of the most significant stories of our time,” Weiss and Cibrowski — the network’s editor in chief and president, respectively — told staffers in a memo obtained by TheWrap, attributing the “necessary” cuts to shifting radio programming strategies and “challenging economic realities.”
The radio network began in 1927 and was the last of the original three radio networks to remain in operation after NBC Radio Network and the Mutual Broadcasting System ended in 1999. Its newscast, “World News Roundup,” is the longest-running radio newscast in the U.S., and the radio network is where CBS staple Edward R. Murrow delivered his reports on World War II.
The cuts came as CBS News began its latest round of layoffs on Friday, cuts Weiss and Cibrowski called “very hard choices.”
“These aren’t just names on a list,” Weiss and Cibrowski wrote in a memo earlier on Friday. “They are talented, committed colleagues who have been critical to our success. We’ll treat them all with care and respect.”
Those employees affected will be notified by the end of the day on Friday. Reports had indicated CBS News might cut up to 15% of its staff of around 1,100 people, so Friday’s layoffs, while impactful, are smaller than some expected. The network previously laid off roughly 100 staffers in October, and staffers on Thursday had braced for another slashing on Friday after reports indicated they were imminent.
Weiss and Cibrowski said the network layoffs were necessary to address the rapid changes affecting the media industry, which has led to cuts across broadcast, cable, print and digital publications as audiences become more fragmented, streaming platforms rise and AI platforms impact search traffic.
“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,” the two wrote. “That means some parts of our newsroom must get smaller to make room for the things we must build to remain competitive.”
“This organization is working its heart out to deliver for our audience,“ they added. “We’re so grateful to all of you, and we thank you for handling this difficult news with compassion.”
It was immediately unclear which CBS News divisions were hit hardest by the cuts, decisions that will speak to Weiss’ priorities as she reshapes the network. Weiss joined as the network’s editor in chief in October after David Ellison, the CEO of parent company Paramount, purchased her right-leaning news and culture site, The Free Press, for $150 million.
Earlier this year, Weiss told staff she wanted to make the network “fit for purpose in the 21st century” as audiences spend more time on streaming platforms. Some staffers who’ve left CBS News have complained that her vision has included a more politicized editorial turn. Ellison has said he wants the network to appeal to an audience that would “define themselves at center-left to center-right.”
Since her appointment, some top CBS News executives, correspondents and producers have jumped ship. “60 Minutes” correspondent Anderson Cooper decided not to renew his contract, while justice correspondent Scott MacFarlane and “CBS Mornings” executive producer Shawna Thomas both revealed plans to leave this month.
At least 11 “CBS Evening News” staffers took voluntary buyouts since anchor Tony Dokoupil took over the newscast in January. The much-hyped Dokoupil relaunch got off to a rocky start and has yet to produce any meaningful shift in ratings.
Still, Weiss has said she did not want to focus solely on ratings in her quest to restructure the network for a digital-first future, seeking to reimagine divisions like the streaming service CBS News 24/7. (Staffers in that division are currently negotiating a new union contract after staging a 24-hour walkout this week.)
“We are competing for the attention of anyone in front of a screen,” she told staffers during the January town hall. “So winning isn’t about ratings. It’s about making things that people can’t live without.”