CBS News Faces Uncertainty Amid Potential Layoffs and Format Changes
Journalists at CBS News are closely monitoring developments that could significantly impact their workplace. Employees at the network, now part of Paramount Skydance, are expressing concerns over possible layoffs and are curious about the future direction of the “CBS Evening News,” which has experienced a notable decline in ratings since adopting a new and unconventional format.
According to three sources familiar with the situation, the fear of layoffs is palpable. Recent discussions among Skydance executives hinted at a commitment to cut $2 billion in costs, a response to the long-term decline in traditional advertising and distribution revenue as audiences shift towards streaming platforms. Jeff Shell, the new president of Skydance, indicated that further details regarding these cuts will be revealed in the company’s upcoming quarterly report to investors in November.
As for the “CBS Evening News,” there are plans to experiment with the show’s format. Currently, the program features two anchors delivering news side by side, but insiders suggest that viewers may soon see a shift towards a more flexible approach. Anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois are expected to spend more time on the ground at significant breaking news events. For example, Dickerson recently reported live from Alaska during a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This strategy aims to provide viewers with authoritative coverage from both the field and the studio, allowing the broadcast to deliver breaking news more effectively.
The initial vision for the current iteration of “Evening News” involved a focus on feature stories and in-depth reporting. In its early weeks, CBS News’ Washington bureau even explored the implications of Trump-era policies on communities across the U.S. and Canada. However, critics argued that the show often neglected immediate news headlines. The proposed format adjustments could help balance the delivery of breaking news with the show’s unique storytelling elements.
Speculation surrounding the future of “Evening News” has intensified following the announcement that executive producer Guy Campanile will depart the show to return to “60 Minutes,” where he has long been a producer. The new “Evening News” format was designed to capture the essence of “60 Minutes,” which is known for generating headlines through both timely and timeless stories. However, traditional evening news audiences, accustomed to classic formats, have not embraced these changes. According to Nielsen ratings, “CBS Evening News” attracted approximately 3.74 million viewers during the week ending August 4, significantly trailing behind ABC’s “World News Tonight,” which averaged nearly 6.89 million viewers, and NBC’s “NBC Nightly News,” with nearly 5.35 million viewers.
CBS News executives had hoped that the new format would attract viewers as Tom Llamas took over at NBC following Lester Holt’s decision to step back from his role. Instead, the CBS broadcast has lost hundreds of thousands of viewers since shifting away from the format previously anchored by Norah O’Donnell.
One potential candidate to take over the “Evening News” production is Kim Harvey, a seasoned producer with experience at CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, and CBS News. Harvey has a rich history of working on MSNBC town halls during the lead-up to the 2016 election and has collaborated with a variety of prominent anchors, including Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes, Bill O’Reilly, and Greta Van Susteren.
As CBS News navigates these challenges, the industry will be watching closely to see how these changes unfold and what they mean for the future of evening news programming.
