CBS News ends radio program after nearly a century, citing changing times
After nearly a century of broadcasting, CBS News Radio announced Friday it will shut down and lay off all its staff. CBS leadership said it’s charting a new course for the newsroom in an always-changing news industry.
Deadline reports that CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss and CBS News President Tom Cibrowski told employees about the layoffs in a Friday morning memo.
“New audiences are burgeoning in new places, and we are pressing forward with ambitious plans to grow and invest so that we can be there for them,” Weiss and Cibrowski wrote. “That means some parts of our newsroom must get smaller to make room for the things we must build to remain competitive.”
The memo did not state how many cuts CBS News made, but Deadline reported that about 6% of the 1,100-employee company will be affected — roughly 60 to 70 people.
CBS News Radio will air its final broadcast on May 22.
How will this impact local radio?
The shutdown will leave about 700 affiliated stations without a source for news features, leaving a sizable programming hole for many stations. Axios reports that Chicago’s WBBM features CBS News Radio as an integral part of its format.
WCCO in Minnesota, a CBS affiliate, has declined to formally comment on the decision but WCCO Director of News Operations Lindsey Peterson discussed it on the “Adam and Jordana Show” Friday morning.
“We serve the community, and that is local news and national news,” he said. “It’ll be on in some form or fashion. There are other networks out there. ABC is the most prominent of those. I can’t tell you that we’re going to be an ABC affiliate, because it’s too early to say, but we’ll have national news on.”
What was CBS News Radio?
CBS News Radio launched in September 1927 and was the precursor to CBS News. During its first two years, it mostly played music. In 1929, CBS began airing radio news broadcasts.
During the lead-up to WWII, CBS News Radio built up its reputation with millions of listeners tuning in daily for news reports. Following the war, CBS News Radio continued to be a major part of American life, reporting on major events like the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
By the 2000s, CBS News Radio owned many of the nation’s largest radio stations. However, by the 2010s, fewer people listened to radio and CBS eventually sold all of its stations in 2017.
Why is news radio doing worse than radio?
Radio as a whole is doing much better than news radio, with 85% of adults aged 25 to 64 tuning in weekly. Only about 5% of Americans say they prefer to get their news from radio, according to a Pew Research survey.
Since 2019, news radio has lost 24% of its listeners. The COVID-19 pandemic was a major blow to the entire radio industry, as it disrupted commuting patterns and pushed people to streaming platforms. Competition from podcasts has dealt another blow.
As listeners continue to tune out, advertisers are doing the same. S&P Global projected a 6% decline in national spot ads in 2025 and a 5% drop in local revenue.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
