In a memo to staff, editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and President Tom Cibrowski acknowledged the impact of the decision, calling it a difficult moment for the organization, News.Az reports, citing The Hill.
“We recognize that this is a difficult time for those who will be leaving CBS News,” the memo said, adding that affected employees would be treated with “care and respect.”
The move marks the end of CBS News Radio, which has operated for almost 100 years.
“It’s no secret that the news business is changing radically, and that we need to change along with it,” they said, later adding that this “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 layoffs will cut between 60-70 employees, Variety reported. It also extends to CBS News Radio, where William S. Paley started the entire company in 1927. The radio station allowed broadcaster Edward R. Murrow to report from London in World War II and later challenge former Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-Wis.) over his persecution of American communists.
CBS News Radio, which provides material for around 700 stations across the country, will end its service on May 22. Weiss and Cibrowski said the decision to end the radio division “was a necessary decision, [but] it was not an easy one,” according to a second memo obtained by CNN.
“The coming weeks will be difficult for the team members who have worked tirelessly at CBS News Radio,” they said. “We are committed to supporting these valued colleagues with care and respect as we wind down operations. They have been critical to our success and remain treasured friends and professionals. We thank them deeply for their contributions.”
Friday’s announcement comes not long after CBS News cut its staff in October. It also comes amid questions over its editorial direction under Weiss, a conservative writer who previously wrote for The New York Times before she founded The Free Press.
