CBS News ends radio division after 100 years in operation, lays off 6% of staff

CBS News’ radio service is being shut down in May after nearly 100 years in operation, and around 6 percent of the outlet’s entire workforce is being laid off. Per Variety, the layoffs will affect between 60 to 70 people at CBS News. 

CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and CBS News President Tom Cibrowski informed employees of the move in a memo on Friday. The memo stated, "It’s no secret that the news business is changing radically, and that we need to change along with it. 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. But these are very hard choices and today is a difficult day."

The executives stated in a separate memo that the nearly one-century-old radio service also needed to be terminated, citing the changing ways consumers get their news. "While this was a necessary decision, it was not an easy one. A shift in radio station programming strategies, coupled with challenging economic realities, has made it impossible to continue the service," they said. "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."

Per CNN, the radio unit will go off air on May 22. 700 radio stations are currently affiliated with the radio unit. 

This comes as Paramount, the parent company of CBS, is awaiting regulatory approval for its deal to buy Warner Bros Discovery, the parent company of CNN, which could potentially result in a merger between the two outlets. Sources at CBS said this possibility did not factor into the current layoffs. regulatory approval for the deal is expected to take six months.