CBS News Ends Nearly Century-Old Radio Service Amid Major Staff Cuts
Finn's Take· TL;DR- CBS News ending radio service May 22 after nearly 100 years due to declining listenership and economic pressures.
- Closure includes 60+ layoffs (6% of workforce) as company shifts focus toward digital platforms for younger audiences.
- Industry-wide trend: CNN, NBC also cutting staff as traditional radio and linear TV lose relevance to podcasts and online news.
Historic End to Radio Legacy
CBS News is shuttering its radio division after nearly 100 years, ending a service that began in September 1927 as the precursor to the entire CBS network. The radio service will stop offering programming to its 700 affiliate stations on May 22. As longtime CBS News anchor Dan Rather put it: "It's another piece of America that is gone."
When CBS News Radio launched, it gave a youthful William S. Paley a start in the business and later featured famed broadcaster Edward R. Murrow delivering reports from London during World War II. The service's 1938 broadcast about Germany's invasion of Austria marked the first time Murrow was heard on the air, becoming a historic marker for CBS News Radio. Radio dominated how Americans received news from the 1920s through the 1940s, with listeners tuning in to President Franklin Roosevelt's "Fireside Chats" during the Depression.
Economic Reality Forces Difficult Decisions
The radio closure accompanies layoffs affecting about 6% of CBS News' workforce, eliminating more than 60 positions. This marks the second round of layoffs since David Ellison's Skydance Media acquired CBS parent company Paramount last summer. CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and president Tom Cibrowski explained that "a shift in radio station programming strategies, coupled with challenging economic realities, has made it impossible to continue the service."
Weiss acknowledged the painful nature of the decision, telling staff that "radio is woven into the fabric of CBS News" and that executives "did everything we could" to find a viable solution. The network had already attempted to save the service by cutting programming late last year, including the "Weekend Roundup" and "World News Roundup Late Edition."
Industry-Wide Transformation
Radio has become less influential in modern society as audiences increasingly turn online and to phones, with those seeking audio content often choosing podcasts over traditional radio. CBS isn't alone in making cuts—CNN and NBC News have also enacted layoffs in recent months as networks adapt to changing audience preferences and revenue challenges.
The staff reductions align with Weiss's plan to make CBS News more relevant to younger, digitally savvy generations, potentially shifting focus away from traditional linear TV programming. Notable departures include longtime correspondent Elaine Quijano, who moderated the 2016 vice presidential debate, along with several reporters and producers in the Washington bureau.
Looking Toward Digital Future
The changes come amid broader industry upheaval, with parent company Paramount Global likely to absorb CNN as part of its announced purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery. The union representing CBS journalists criticized the decision, calling it "indicative of Bari Weiss and David Ellison's inept leadership."
The end of CBS News Radio represents more than cost-cutting—it signals a fundamental shift in how Americans consume news. While the network's radio legacy helped establish journalism legends and informed generations through historic moments, today's media landscape demands different approaches. As CBS pivots toward digital platforms and younger audiences, the closure of this nearly century-old service marks both an ending and a beginning in the evolution of American news broadcasting.