CBS News has initiated its latest round of layoffs Friday as editor-in-chief Bari Weiss moves to reshape the network under owner David Ellison.
The Tiffany Network’s news division is cutting 6% of its workforce, a source close to the company told The Post.
A CBS source told The Post that the layoffs are likely to impact close to 60 people. Previous reporting indicated that the network could be laying off as much as 15% of its workforce. According to an insider, numerous staffers have taken buyouts in the weeks leading up to Friday’s cuts.
CBS News is slated to lay off up to 6% of the staff as early as Friday. Getty Images
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss took helm of the newsroom late last year. CBS via Getty ImagesWeiss and CBS News president Tom Cibrowski told staffers that layoffs were underway, writing in a memo on Friday: “Today we are reducing the size of our workforce, and employees who are affected will be notified by the end of the day.”
They acknowledged the toll of the cuts, telling employees: “Because these aren’t just names on a list. They are talented, committed colleagues who have been critical to our success.”
Weiss and Cibrowski wrote that departing staff would be treated “with care and respect.”
David Ellison acquired CBS News. Getty ImagesWeiss and Cibrowski framed the layoffs as part of a broader industry shift, writing, “It’s no secret that the news business is changing radically, and that we need to change along with it,” as they pointed to “new audiences are burgeoning in new places.”
The pair said the restructuring would require trade-offs inside the newsroom, noting: “Some parts of our newsroom must get smaller to make room for the things we must build to remain competitive.”
They closed by acknowledging the timing and impact on staff, writing that “today is a difficult day” and thanking employees for “handling this difficult news with compassion” amid “an exceptionally intense news cycle.”
Earlier this year, The Post reported that network executives were giving staffers the “extraordinary chance” to take a one-time voluntary buyout ahead of Friday’s layoffs.
Weiss is expected to play a central role in orchestrating the cuts, marking the clearest test yet of her leadership as she tightens her grip on CBS News and begins reshaping the newsroom in line with her vision.
While earlier layoffs were largely overseen by Cibrowski, this round is widely seen inside the network as being driven by Weiss herself.
CBS News is slated to lay off 6% of the staff as soon as today, sources say. Christopher Sadowski for NY PostLast month, 11 “CBS Evening News” staffers — around a quarter of the show’s workforce — opted to accept buyouts from the network.
In January, CBS management said it would offer employees what it described as an “extraordinary chance” to take a one-time voluntary buyout ahead of company-wide layoffs.
The Post reported earlier this week that Kim Harvey, the executive producer of “Evening News,” could be on the chopping block as the Tony Dokoupil-anchored broadcast has seen its Nielsen ratings sink below 4 million total viewers.
Weiss tapped Dokoupil to anchor the nightly broadcast in January — replacing co-anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois, who also failed to crack the 4 million-viewer threshold during their brief tenure in the anchor chairs.
