A Monday Puck
report said members of Paramount’s “senior leadership team” have had conversations about bringing in another executive to oversee the linear television component of CBS News — and, perhaps, CNN, should the Warner Bros. Discovery merger obtain federal approval. This would reduce Weiss’ control over programs such as “CBS Evening News,” “60 Minutes” and “CBS Mornings,” per the report, reflecting the ratings woes each of those programs has endured since Weiss came aboard last year, despite not having any experience in television. (It is unclear who such a figure could be: Weiss reports to Ellison in her current role, while CBS News president Tom Cibrowski reports to Paramount TV chair George Cheeks.)
The move would instead have Weiss focus on the news side’s digital product while overseeing the larger editorial vision across CBS News, honing in on the opinion journalist’s expertise in the digital arena through her stints on the New York Times’ opinion desk and running the Free Press, the contrarian opinion site Paramount purchased for $150 million last year.