With Paramount Skydance having reached a settlement in its antitrust suit initiated by state attorneys general, the company is now clear to finalize its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. That means Paramount will gain control of several major media entities, including CNN. It’s currently unclear how the politics-centric network will be handled by its prospective parent company, though rumors suggest much-discussed CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss may run it. And, per insiders, employees have concerns about Weiss taking over.
Installed as E-I-C by Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, Weiss has been making significant changes at CBS News, some of which have been heavily criticized. Those major alterations are allegedly on CNN staffers’ minds, as they ponder what will become of the brand with Ellison and Weiss moving into the fold. One insider for the Ted Turner-founded network pointed to some of the low points CBS has experienced lately as reason for people’s apprehension:
What’s been playing out at CBS News is fueling a deeper sense of dread and anxiety … not only how they’ve treated people and the editorial changes they’ve made, but that it’s also been a disaster. The ratings are at their lowest point. You can’t look at the ratings and say, it is working, Now they’re going to try this at scale? What the fuck?
Per The New York Post, CNN workers look to Bari Weiss’ methods of revamping 60 Minutes, which premiered to historically low ratings when it returned for Season 59 earlier this month. That debut episode came after a summer of staff changes for the long-running news magazine show, as Weiss oversaw the firings of several correspondents and producers and brought in new talent. Several sources who spoke to the Post opined that Weiss “blew up” the show, while a CBS insider said she “broke something that didn’t need fixing.”
CBS News has also taken ratings hits when it comes to CBS Mornings and, earlier this year, the Evening News also saw declines. Amid these developments, Weiss – who founded media company The Free Press – has been criticized for her lack of broadcast journalism experience up to this point. Additionally, Weiss has been accused of committing “journalistic interference” and exuding political partiality when making editorial decisions. The E-I-C has denied such claims.
Why One CBS News Alum Has An Issue With Bari Weiss: ‘It Doesn’t Make Sense’
When it comes to the prospect of Weiss possibly running operations at CNN post-merger, a number of pundits have spoken unfavorably about the possibility. Comedian W. Kamau Bell, who hosted United Shades of America for the network, conveyed his misgivings about Weiss. Meanwhile, ex-network host Jim Acosta expressed his hope that Weiss wouldn’t “murder” the company. On the other side of this, Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil said he hadn’t experienced media bias and praised his boss’ leadership. Likewise, new 60 Minutes contributor Trever Phillips also defended Weiss from backlash.
Even if Weiss doesn’t bring sweeping changes to CNN, current employees are still concerned about corporate restructuring as a result of consolidation. It’s widely expected that the merger will lead to a sizable amount of layoffs. A source even claimed to The New York Post that there was a “bloodbath coming” to the network and that “slashing and burning” will come.
There are still a lot of unknowns when it comes to CNN’s potential future under Paramount Skydance and, per an insider, “there’s been a complete absence of information about what’s going on and who is going to be in charge.” Whether or not Bari Weiss ends up being the person to sit in the big chair, it’s a foregone conclusion that the long-standing network is nearing the dawn of a new era.
