Bari Weiss, the editor-in-chief at the now Trump-friendly CBS News, has killed the network’s storied radio division.
CBS News Radio will be shuttered entirely, effective May 22. The service provided radio coverage to 700 local affiliates across the country, and went back nearly 100 years.
The network’s signature broadcast World News Roundup was the longest-running newscast in the U.S. For many years, CBS Evening News, including Norah O’Donnell and Jeff Glor, would deliver afternoon news updates on the radio show.
Edward Murrow is perhaps the most well-known CBS Radio figure, having been on the air with the network for over two decades.
He rose to global prominence as a radio reporter in Europe during World War II, providing acclaimed coverage of the Battle of Britain and shaping the U.S. public opinion of the war in doing so.
Weiss and CBS President Tom Cibrowski called the decision to shutter the radio division “necessary.”
“A shift in radio station programming strategies, coupled with challenging economic realities, has made it impossible to continue the service. We are sharing this announcement now to fulfill our commitments to our radio partners and affiliates, which require advance notice of the service’s conclusion,” they wrote in a memo to CBS Radio staff.
“The coming weeks will be difficult for the team members who have worked tirelessly at CBS News Radio,” they added.
Weiss’s axing of the radio program comes as she announced six percent of the company would be laid off on Friday.
In a memo to staff, seen by the Daily Beast, Weiss said those affected by the cuts will be notified by the end of the “difficult day.”
“It’s no secret that the news business is changing radically, and that we need to change along with it,” Weiss and Cibrowski wrote.
“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.”
About 60 to 70 roles are being impacted by the layoffs at CBS News. The network has seen dwindling viewership and constant controversies since Weiss took charge.
“This is a tough message to receive at any time, and especially in the middle of an exceptionally intense news cycle,” Weiss and Cibrowski added.
“This organization is working its heart out to deliver for our audience. We’re so grateful to all of you, and we thank you for handling this difficult news with compassion.”
Weiss, who had no prior experience in TV news before she started her role at CBS News, has already seen top talent leave the network, including Anderson Cooper, who cited discontent with the MAGA-fied direction she is taking.
Her disastrous first few months at CBS News include the controversial pulling of a 60 Minutes segment critical of Donald Trump’s hardline deportation policies, as well as a broader, friendlier shift towards the Trump administration.
After Weiss promoted Tony Dokoupil to the esteemed CBS Evening News slot, ratings have fallen below 4 million following numerous high-profile gaffes and cringe-inducing moments by the MAGA-curious anchor.
It was reported this week that CBS Evening News executive producer Kim Harvey may lose her job as a “sacrifice...to the ratings gods.”
“It’s pretty terrible. Once you’re under 4 million, you’ve got to be worried that you’re in a death spiral,” a CBS insider told the New York Post. “If they can’t retain an audience in the middle of a war, God help you when the war ends.”
Status reported earlier this month that CBS News staff were concerned that Weiss, a fierce critic of progressive “woke” ideologies, was trying to steer the network toward the same editorial stance as The Free Press, the media company she founded.
During an all-hands meeting to address her difficult start at CBS News in January, Weiss even suggested disgruntled staff should quit if they were unhappy with the network becoming more Trump-friendly under her leadership.
“If that’s not your bag, that’s ok,” she said. “It’s a free country and I completely respect if you decide this is just not the right place at the right time for you.”
