❓WHAT HAPPENED: CBS News is shutting down its radio service in May after nearly 100 years in operation, and laying off approximately six percent of its workforce.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: CBS News employees, including those affected by the layoffs, CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, and CBS News President Tom Cibrowski.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The radio unit will officially go off air on May 22, 2026, with the announcement made on Friday in a memo to staff.
💬KEY QUOTE: “A shift in radio station programming strategies, coupled with challenging economic realities, has made it impossible to continue the service.” – CBS News executives
🎯IMPACT: The decision affects 60-70 employees and ends nearly a century of CBS News radio broadcasting, impacting 700 affiliated radio stations.
CBS News has announced the closure of its radio service after nearly 100 years in operation. In addition, approximately six percent of the network’s workforce will be laid off, affecting 60 to 70 employees. The announcement was made through a memo issued Friday from CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss and President Tom Cibrowski.
The memo acknowledged the challenges of the modern news business, stating, “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.”
Executives also addressed the closure of the radio service, citing shifts in radio programming strategies and economic realities as primary factors. “While this was a necessary decision, it was not an easy one,” the memo noted. The radio unit, which serves 700 affiliated stations, will officially go off air on May 22, 2026.
The closure comes as CBS’s parent company, Paramount, awaits regulatory approval for a merger with Warner Bros Discovery, the parent company of CNN. CBS sources have stated that this merger did not influence the decision to shut down the radio service. Regulatory approval for the deal is expected to take six months.
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