CBS News is reportedly axing dozens of staffers as Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss continues to revamp the broadcast network.
The Paramount Skydance network could cut around 15% of its current staff.
The plans to announce the layoffs are expected imminently, a source told Business Insider.
Ms. Weiss foreshadowed the cuts weeks ago, telling CBS News employees at a January meeting to expect a “tsunami of technological change.”
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“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,” she told employees.
Network executives were giving staffers the “extraordinary chance” to take a one-time voluntary buyout ahead of anticipated layoffs, the New York Post reported.
When former “CBS This Morning” cohost Tony Dokoupil became the anchor of “CBS Evening News,” 11 employees took buyouts, according to multiple reports.
Ms. Weiss is expected to drive many of the cuts as she reshapes the newsroom to match her vision, offering more perspectives and a larger digital role, as she has said she is looking to transform the outlet into a digital-focused company.
The former New York Times editor, who founded The Free Press, an outlet often seen as challenging mainstream media narratives, was hired by Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison to overhaul CBS News.
This initiative has grown CBS News in some ways, having brought on 19 new contributors in January.
“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,” Ms. Weiss said in January.
CBS News is one of a growing list of networks and outlets making sweeping layoffs.
In early February, The Washington Post announced massive layoffs to cut nearly 30% of its workforce following years of financial losses, shuttering the sports and books sections, reducing foreign bureaus and shrinking the Metro section.
CNN is anticipated to be affected by Paramount, CBS News’ owner, buying the cable channel’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.
