The ax is still being swung over CBS News.
Paramount’s Skydance division is considering new layoffs that could amount to at least 15% of its current staff, according to three people familiar with the matter, the latest move by Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss to focus the news division on streaming video and providing more perspectives for viewers.
CBS News declined to request comment from executives. Discussions over layoffs and layoffs remain in flux, two of the people said, and the timeline for implementing them could begin as early as March or as late as May if decisions are final. One of the people said that while discussions regarding personnel matters have not yet been finalized, they are being taken seriously.
Some staff have already chosen to head for the exit. About 11 producers associated with “CBS Evening News” opted into the buyout package, which was first offered last month.
At a recent town hall meeting, Weiss told staff that CBS News needs to reduce the kind of so-called “commodity” news people get from other stations and instead pursue “something that’s antimemetic, non-copycat, differentiated and not available anywhere else.” She announced a series of new podcasters who focused on niche areas like politics and medical health rather than straight journalism. “Right now in America, people are skeptical of institutions, but they trust individuals,” Weiss said.
One of them, a longevity guru named Peter Attia, has come under intense scrutiny following revelations of his attempts to shame investor Jeffrey Epstein. Weiss, the conservative opinion writer who sold the Free Press to Paramount for $150 million, is resisting demands to remove Attia from CBS’ new roster of contributors.
CBS News, like other parts of Paramount Skydance, has already experienced several rounds of layoffs. Long-time Paramount supporters and newcomers alike, the Redstones and the new company formed after the sale, led by David Ellison, are reducing the number of employees across the conglomerate. Like many of its competitors, Paramount Skydance is hobbled by a series of declining cable networks that are less relevant to video viewers who have grown accustomed to creating their own viewing schedules on various streaming hubs.
While there are reasons to revamp parts of CBS News, whose evening and morning shows have long held the No. 3 spot, Weiss appears focused on making news programming more relevant to people who might watch news programming on Paramount+ than on CBS. Still, CBS news programs such as “60 Minutes” and “CBS Sunday Morning” remain highly influential, attracting sizable television audiences and subsequent advertising dollars. If CBS News loses its headcount, will the remaining staff be large enough to create new content for the streamer while retaining a TV audience?
