CBS News Confirms May 22 Shutdown of Nearly 100‑Year‑Old CBS News Radio Amid 6% Newsroom Layoffs
CBS News will shut down CBS News Radio on May 22, ending nearly a century of broadcasting, eliminating all radio‑team jobs and leaving about 700 affiliate stations without its programming; President Tom Cibrowski and Editor‑in‑Chief Bari Weiss said in an internal memo that "challenging economic realities" and a shift in radio strategy made the service unsustainable after prior cuts to shows such as Weekend Roundup and World News Roundup Late Edition. The closure coincides with roughly 6% of the CBS News newsroom—more than 60 people—being laid off the same day and has drawn industry reactions from figures like Dan Rather and Talkers publisher Michael Harrison, who called it a significant loss amid broader corporate turbulence at Paramount Global.
📌 Key Facts
- CBS News Radio will shut down after nearly a century on May 22, 2026; all radio‑team jobs will be eliminated.
- The service currently supplies material to about 700 affiliated stations nationwide, which will lose CBS News Radio content.
- CBS News leadership — President Tom Cibrowski and Editor‑in‑Chief Bari Weiss — blamed 'challenging economic realities' and a shift in radio programming strategy; Weiss said leadership 'did everything we could' but 'could not find a way to make that possible.'
- CBS News announced layoffs across other parts of the newsroom the same day; the company is cutting roughly 6% of its workforce — more than 60 people.
- Late last year CBS had already cut specific radio programs, including Weekend Roundup and World News Roundup Late Edition, in attempts to preserve the service.
- Industry and journalistic figures reacted to the closure: former CBS anchor Dan Rather called it 'another piece of America that is gone,' and Talkers publisher Michael Harrison called it 'a loss for the country and for the industry.'
- The shutdown ends a storied radio legacy — marked by moments like Edward R. Murrow’s rooftop reports during World War II — and comes amid broader corporate turbulence as parent Paramount Global is likely to absorb CNN in a planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2025, minority representation in the local radio news workforce dropped, losing the 5% gain made in 2024 and returning to 2023 levels.
After record high, minority representation in local radio news drops — RTDNA
The 1996 Telecommunications Act led to a significant drop in minority ownership levels in broadcast media since its implementation.
Disappearing Diversity? FCC Deregulation and the Effect on Minority Ownership — Indiana Journal of Law and Social Equality
The Skydance-Paramount merger, completed in 2025, includes plans to cut $2 billion in costs, likely contributing to layoffs across Paramount-owned entities including CBS News.
Analysis: Digging into Paramount Skydance deal's implications for media landscape — NewscastStudio
U.S. radio over-the-air revenue is projected to grow by 1.83% in 2026, with digital revenue up 5%, but overall local advertising market growth is forecasted at 3%, indicating relative underperformance for traditional radio.
In First 2026 Outlook, BIA Forecasts OTA and Digital Radio Growth — Radio Ink
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- NPR/AP piece emphasizes CBS News Radio’s historical role, including Edward R. Murrow’s rooftop reports during the Nazi bombing of London and coverage of Germany’s invasion of Austria in 1938, as key markers of its legacy.
- Includes on-the-record reaction from former CBS anchor Dan Rather, calling the closure “another piece of America that is gone,” and describing how radio was once considered an equal responsibility to television inside CBS.
- Confirms again that CBS News Radio will end service May 22, 2026, reiterates that it currently supplies material to about 700 stations nationwide, and notes that CBS News had already cut specific radio programs like “Weekend Roundup” and “World News Roundup Late Edition” late last year in an attempt to keep the operation alive.
- Adds context that parent company Paramount Global is likely to absorb CNN as part of its planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, signaling more corporate upheaval around CBS News.
- AP/PBS piece emphasizes that CBS News is cutting about 6% of its workforce—more than 60 people—on the same day as the radio shutdown announcement.
- Provides on‑the‑record internal quote from CBS News editor‑in‑chief Bari Weiss saying leadership 'did everything we could' to find a way to keep the radio service viable but 'could not find a way to make that possible.'
- Adds historical and industry‑context quotes from Dan Rather and Talkers publisher Michael Harrison characterizing the closure as 'another piece of America that is gone' and 'a loss for the country and for the industry.'
- Notes CBS had already cut shows like 'Weekend Roundup' and 'World News Roundup Late Edition' late last year in an unsuccessful attempt to preserve the service.
- Flags that parent company Paramount Global is likely to absorb CNN as part of its planned purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, signaling more turbulence ahead at CBS News.
- CBS News Radio programming will specifically end on May 22, with all radio‑team jobs eliminated.
- CBS News President Tom Cibrowski and Editor‑in‑Chief Bari Weiss issued a detailed internal statement citing 'challenging economic realities' and a shift in radio programming strategies as reasons for the shutdown.
- The piece emphasizes that approximately 700 affiliated stations nationwide currently carry CBS News Radio programming, all of which will lose that content.
- Trade‑press voice Michael Harrison of Talkers is quoted calling the closure 'a shame' and 'a loss for the country and for the industry.'
- CBS confirms that layoffs are also occurring across other parts of CBS News the same day, though total numbers are not disclosed.