EXCLUSIVE DETAILS: Bari Weiss Lays Off Dozens of CBS Staffers in Major Overhaul at Network in 'Sad Day for Journalism'
Bari Weiss has unveiled another round of sweeping cuts at CBS, including the elimination of its radio division.
March 20 2026, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
CBS News has announced it is laying off nearly 70 employees and dissolving its legendary radio news division entirely, RadarOnline.com has learned, as the network continues to feel the backlash from crumbling ratings after the hiring of "anti-woke" editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.
The conservative activist was charged with bringing viewers back to the fledgling network, but a series of fumbles since her hiring have had the adverse effect.
'A Sad Day for Radio'
Weiss announced the termination of nearly 70 employees.
CBS News Radio will cease broadcasts to its 700 affiliate stations on May 22. The one-time home of celebrated journalists like Edward R. Murrow had been around for nearly a century, but falling ad revenue amid the decline in popularity of radio, coupled with the rise of podcasts and other audio innovations, has made the radio division obsolete.
As many as 70 employees, or roughly 6 percent of the overall CBS staff, are being released or reassigned as part of Friday's internal bloodbath.
"It's a sad day for radio and journalism," one former CBS Radio staffer told Radar. "The move by CBS leaves one fewer competitor in the radio news business.
"And listeners are the ultimate losers, left with fewer choices where they get their news."
CBS News' 'Shift in Focus'
CBS News Radio has been broadcasting moments, like an iconic Franklin D. Roosevelt speech, for nearly 100 years
In a memo to her soon-to-be-former employees, Weiss and CBS President/Executive Editor Tom Cibrowski confirmed that "all positions within the CBS News Radio team are being eliminated."
"We understand how difficult this news is for our staff and their colleagues, who have worked side by side with us to cover some of the most significant stories of our time. While this was a necessary decision, it was not an easy one," the memo reads.
"A shift in radio station programming strategies, coupled with challenging economic realities, has made it impossible to continue the service."
Ratings Woes Continue
Tony Dokoupil's ratings have never recovered.
The layoffs come after CBS News previously let go of about 100 employees in October as part of a massive round of "restructuring" cuts following the acquisition of parent company Paramount by Skydance Media.
The network has been in a free fall since Weiss was brought on to "righten" the perceived left-leaning news division. However, since her hire and subsequent revamp of the flagship CBS Evening News broadcast, viewership has reached new lows.
As Radar reported, ratings have dropped to under 4 million since Weiss took over and appointed Tony Dokoupil as the new anchor.
According to data from Nielsen, the overall audience for the news program for the five weekdays that ended March 13 stood at about 3.83 million, and only at 468,000 among viewers between 25 and 54, a demographic which is coveted by advertisers.
The show's rival, ABC's World News Tonight, saw almost 8.48 million, and did better than CBS in the same age demo, with 1.03 million. NBC Nightly News also hit about 6.51 million overall in the same period.
Employees Jumping Ship
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Veterans like Anderson Cooper are leaving.
Meanwhile, veteran journalists like Anderson Cooper and Scott MacFarlane are jumping ship like the Titanic, while job security amid the turmoil is nonexistent.
Almost immediately after she entered, Weiss and Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison cleaned house of left-leaning employees, in a frantic bid to bring back centrist values and viewers to the once Tiffany network.
Last month, 60 Minutes contributing correspondent Norah O'Donnell told podcaster Jamie Kern Lima the upheaval has left employees wondering who is next.
"We have had a lot of leadership changes at CBS, and that has been challenging, not only for me, but I know, for my colleagues," she said. "And I think with so many leadership changes, people are fearful about what the future means."
