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CBS News Radio Closed
- Thread starter TheBigA
- Start date
- Status
The reason CBS is getting rid of its radio news network is NOT about cost. If it were about money, why are there eight radio news networks putting out top-of-the-hour newscasts around the clock? Despite its money problems, Salem still owns two distinct networks, one for religion stations, one for conservative talk. I assume both earn their keep. Nearly two decades ago, ABC sold off its chain of radio stations but still keeps its radio network, again because I assume it earns its keep.
Fox
CBS
ABC
iHeart's 24/7 News
Salem's SRN
Salem's Townhall
Associated Press (may not be full time)
NPR (non-commercial)
With its line up of affiliates, successful, high-billing former CBS News and Talk stations, CBS News Radio is likely the #2 healthiest network after Fox. It's simple. The current management of Paramount/CBS has their own agenda and radio doesn't fit in. They're cutting everything that isn't part of their "mandate" for changing America's news media. Many things and people they don't want anymore will go and the radio network is one of them.
CBS spends untold millions on its news gathering operation for the TV network and the streaming channel. It owns several big buildings in Manhattan. Radio is tucked in a few studios. When the radio network shuts down, that's where they'll keep the potted plants that are showing some brown spots on their leaves and store the extra paper towels for the rest rooms.
Will all these radio networks be around a couple of decades from now? No. But if there are eight networks currently, CBS would be one of the last to go.
It's about agenda, not cost.
.
It could be both. Sure CBS Radio has 700 stations, so on the surface, it looks healthy. But last year, their longtime distributor, SkyView dropped them. Two years earlier, SkyView dropped ABC Radio. The one thing missing from your post is: Demographics. Who actually listens to CBS News Radio? Old people. The same people who listen to all news radio. It's not where the money is.
How old is Bari Weiss? When was the last time you think she listened to broadcast radio? She made her money starting an internet news service. The space and budget that previously went to radio will be diverted to new media. That's her agenda. That's where the growth is for broadcasters. Some critics are focusing on her politics and saying this is political. But truthfully its all about changing demographics and the huge potential that exists for digital content. All of the big broadcasters know it too.
Just in case anyone's interested, "Jill on Money" on the weekends will end after 15 years with the shutdown of CBS News. However, her podcasts will continue. Confirmed directly from inside CBS.
When you compare CBS News Radio to ABC News Radio, ABC wins. Why? It has already transitioned to digital content. Affiliates get a lot more than top of the hour news. They get prep services for their music show. They get text content for their websites. They get a lot more than they get from CBS:
abcaudio.com
abcaudio.com
abcaudio.com
abcaudio.com
This is what CBS is competing against. Not simply top of the hour news.
ABC News Radio - ABC Audio
abcaudio.com
ABC Air Power - ABC Audio
abcaudio.com
ABC Digital - Music Formats - ABC Audio
abcaudio.com
ABC Digital - News/Talk Format - ABC Audio
abcaudio.com
This is what CBS is competing against. Not simply top of the hour news.
WBBM felt it necessary to clarify its status with listeners (all emphasis in the original):
www.audacy.com
CBS News Radio service leaving, but WBBM is here to stay | WBBM Newsradio 780 AM & 105.9 FM
CBS News on Friday announced a new round of layoffs and that includes the shutdown of CBS News Radio. So what does that mean for WBBM Newsradio 780 and 105.9 AM? Most importantly, WBBM Newsradio 780 AM and 105.9 FM are NOT going anywhere. | WBBM Newsradio 780 AM & 105.9 FM
www.audacy.com
From the New York Times:
"But the decline of radio news, coupled with the rise of podcasts and other online sources of information, significantly reduced the size of the division in recent years. CBS News Radio earned $67,000 in revenue in January, according to a person familiar with internal statistics."
$67,000 * 12 = $804,000, assuming a constant monthly rate.
Looks like the best case for the network would be to break even with stringent controls on cost.
Full article (gift link): https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/...e_code=1.U1A.MhI7.kR7Y7qGcqyw-&smid=url-share
Over at Audacy's WINS in NYC, there was no such post. Why? Because WINS doesn't carry CBS News Radio. WCBS-AM was the NY affiliate until 2 years ago when the station was LMA'd to Good Karma. The current CBS News affiliate in NYC is WBBR, the Bloomberg station.
Let's do the math. Divide $67,000 by 31 days: $2,161 a day. Divided by 24 hours: $90. That's how much they make an hour. They have to staff a 24/7 operation in NYC on $90 an hour. Where does that money come from? A 5 minute top of the hour newscast, that has one minute of national spots. They could make more if they had more spots, but where would they put them? That's the problem. The business model simply doesn't work.
$67k monthly revenue is not nearly enough for break even.
One minute and 10 seconds of national spots, and they haven't been selling the 10 second spot.
WINS has an affiliation and uses the CBS News Radio packages, but not the newscast.
The exact same relationship WINS has with ABC and AP.
WWJ(AM) Detroit is also mentioned for being one of the Audacy owned stations losing their affiliation with CBS Radio News.
However, if you go to the WINS website, the web content comes from AP. Same thing at WBBM. Same with KCBS. However, if you go to WBBM-TV, the web content is from CBS News. The fact that CBS News didn't make its web content available to radio affiliates is a huge mistake. ABC News Radio and AP affiliates get tons of digital content.
They didn't announce it, but CBS News could satisfy its radio affiliates simply by making its existing TV newsfeeds and digital content available to radio.
I'd argue that none of the Audacy all-newers have good websites. They should be maxxing their own audio content - packages, interviews, etc. They do some of this, but I'll hear a great story on KNX in the car but can't find a link to share it out across social media.
WWJ(AM) Detroit is also mentioned for being one of the Audacy owned stations losing their affiliation with CBS Radio News.
www.inforum.com
Here is one of the Non-Audacy owned stations affected by end of CBS affiliation.
KFGO suddenly loses national CBS Radio News service
Paul Jurgens, news director at Fargo's KFGO radio station, a long-time CBS Radio News affiliate, called the move a surprise.
www.inforum.com
Here is one of the Non-Audacy owned stations affected by end of CBS affiliation.
I agree, especially when you compare it to WTOP. I would bet the reason why WTOP beats WINS in revenue every year is because of digital.
Yes - they may be the only radio news station to successfully execute a multi-platform strategy.
I thought CBS Radio news was hurting for ad dollars when they started adding a sponsor to their TOH introductions. They have been doing that for a few years now. As far as I know, they are the only news organization that has done it.
Yes, this was clearly a path to increase revenue. But as I've mentioned a couple of times up thread, since Audacy took over ad sales, the sponsorship slots have been unsold.
In revenue management, any revenue is always better than zero revenue when the inventory expires.
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