CBS News announced on Friday that it will shut down CBS News Radio on May 22, 2026, and lay off approximately 60 employees, or about 6% of its 1,100-person newsroom. The decision eliminates all positions on the radio team and ends a broadcasting service that has been running continuously since September 1927, making it one of the longest-operating news operations in American media.
- CBS News Radio will go off the air on May 22, 2026, ending 99 years of continuous broadcasting and cutting service to approximately 700 affiliated stations.
- The layoffs affect about 60 people, roughly 6% of CBS News’s 1,100-person staff, with all radio team positions eliminated.
- The cuts are the second round of layoffs since David Ellison’s Skydance completed its acquisition of Paramount in August 2025, following an earlier round that cut about 100 CBS News positions.
CBS News Radio Shutdown Details
CBS News Radio currently supplies news content to approximately 700 radio stations nationwide, according to a report from CBS News itself. The service’s flagship program, “World News Roundup,” is the longest-running newscast in the United States. CBS News Radio served as the launchpad for some of journalism’s most iconic figures, including Edward R. Murrow, whose World War II broadcasts from London helped define modern war reporting.
Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss and CBS News President Tom Cibrowski announced the cuts in internal memos to staff on Friday morning. “While this was a necessary decision, it was not an easy one,” the memo stated, adding that the service “served as the foundation for everything we have built since 1927.”
Why CBS News Is Shutting Down Radio
Leadership pointed to declining demand for traditional radio news. “A shift in radio station programming strategies, coupled with challenging economic realities, has made it impossible to continue the service,” CBS News said in its announcement. The closure reflects a broader trend of audiences migrating from traditional radio to podcasts, streaming, and digital news platforms.
The decision is also part of a larger restructuring under Weiss, who was appointed editor-in-chief in October 2025 by David Ellison after his Skydance Media completed its acquisition of Paramount. Weiss, the founder of The Free Press, was brought in with a mandate to rebuild trust and grow audiences at CBS News despite having no prior television news experience.
Broader Context at Paramount
Friday’s layoffs are the second round of cuts at CBS News since the Skydance-Paramount deal closed. An earlier round in October 2025 eliminated about 100 positions at CBS News and roughly 1,000 jobs across Paramount as a whole. The Writers Guild of America has condemned the latest cuts.
In her January remarks to staff, Weiss referenced Walter Cronkite while making the case that CBS News must evolve beyond its legacy identity. She told employees the network must produce stories that “surprise and provoke, including inside our own newsroom.”
What This Means for the Media Industry
The shutdown of CBS News Radio removes one of the last major network radio news operations in the country. Michael Harrison, a radio industry observer, told CBS News that the closure represents “another part of the landscape that has fallen off into the sea. It’s a shame. It’s a loss for the country and for the industry.”
For media entrepreneurs and content creators, the move reinforces the accelerating shift away from traditional broadcast distribution. CBS News said it plans to redirect resources toward digital growth, with leadership noting that “new audiences are burgeoning in new places.” The 700 affiliated stations that currently carry CBS News Radio programming will need to find replacement content by May 22.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Will CBS News Radio Shut Down?
CBS News Radio will cease operations on May 22, 2026, ending nearly 99 years of continuous broadcasting that began in September 1927.
How Many People Were Laid Off at CBS News?
CBS News cut approximately 60 positions, roughly 6% of its 1,100-person newsroom. All jobs on the CBS News Radio team were eliminated.
Why Is CBS News Closing Its Radio Service?
CBS News leadership cited a shift in radio station programming strategies and challenging economic realities as the reasons for shutting down the service.
