CBS News Layoffs: Network Weighs Cutting 15% of Staff in Paramount-Skydance Restructuring

Dozens of employees at CBS News are facing redundancy as the network prepares for a fresh round of job cuts this week.

These layoffs come as parent company Paramount Global moves forward with its merger with Skydance Media, forcing the news division to scale back. Staff members were alerted to the plans as leadership looks to trim the workforce ahead of the major corporate transition.

An insider with firsthand knowledge told Business Insider that the broadcaster is on the verge of confirming these redundancies, which top editor Bari Weiss actually hinted at during a staff meeting in late January by warning that a 'tsunami of technological change' would likely lead to a shake-up of the workforce.

A 'Tsunami' of Change in the Newsroom

During the town hall meeting, Weiss admitted to employees that she simply could not claim such a massive period of upheaval wouldn't lead to changes for the staff, stating, 'I can't stand up here and tell you that in a moment of incredible transformation that that's not going to mean transformation of our workforce.'

Speaking at the meeting about potential job cuts, Weiss explained that CBS News must move past basic 'commodity news' and focus instead on unique reporting that audiences 'can't get anywhere else,' pointedly remarking, 'If you can get what we're selling in five other places, in 10 other places, in 100 other places — that's probably not a thing we need to double down on.'

Anchors Shift and Buyouts Begin

Various news outlets have noted that 11 members of the 'CBS Evening News' team accepted buyout offers last month following Tony Dokoupil's transition from 'CBS This Morning' to the anchor chair.

While some areas are shrinking, CBS News is actually expanding elsewhere, having added more than 12 new contributors in January as Weiss seeks fresh talent to help the broadcaster pivot towards a digital-first future.

Weiss offered a blunt assessment of the network's future in late January, telling employees that CBS News would be 'toast' if it continued to simply chase the dwindling broadcast television audience, noting, 'Our strategy until now has been to cling to the audience that remains on broadcast television. I'm here to tell you that if we stick to that strategy, we're toast.'

A Divided Leadership and Political Scrutiny

Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison brought Weiss in to revitalise CBS News after years of falling behind competitors like ABC and NBC, though the appointment of the former New York Times editor and Free Press founder certainly divided opinion across the industry.

Weiss faced criticism both internally and from the wider public after she held back a report on President Donald Trump's deportation policies while Paramount was in the middle of acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, though she later told a concerned employee that she is not 'a mouthpiece for anybody' when challenged on the network's potential political leanings.

The Digital Pivot Faces Its Ultimate Test

The future of CBS News now rests on a high-stakes gamble to trade traditional broadcast stability for digital relevance. As the Paramount-Skydance merger forces a leaner operation, the network must navigate a 15% reduction in its workforce alongside the pressure of a 24-hour union walkout.

With flagship ratings for 'CBS Evening News' dipping below the four-million-viewer mark, Weiss's strategy to pivot away from 'commodity news' faces its ultimate test. Whether this 'tsunami of change' will successfully modernise the storied broadcaster or further alienate its remaining audience remains the defining question for the network's new leadership.