CBS boss Bari Weiss and community’s president slammed for scores woes

CBS Information’ viewership is at an all-time low as editor in chief Bari Weiss and the community’s president Tom Cibrowski have displayed jarringly completely different visions for easy methods to revamp the struggling outlet — main some staffers to tag the mismatched duo “the odd couple,” The Publish has discovered.

Weiss, the 42-year-old co-founder of scrappy information web site the Free Press, took the helm in October with a plan for an aggressive digital technique, a politically centrist editorial imaginative and prescient and a watch on restoring the house of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite with onerous information and enterprise reporting.

In the meantime, insiders say Cibrowski — a TV veteran from ABC Information who spent years producing the top-ranked “Good Morning America” and “World Information Tonight” — has tried to spice up scores with softer protection that’s extra squarely aimed toward Center America.

Sources mentioned Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, who took management of CBS’s dad or mum firm final fall, had been hoping that Weiss and Cibrowski — who had joined CBS Information early final 12 months underneath the community’s earlier proprietor, Shari Redstone — would complement one another’s expertise.

More and more, it’s trying like a flopped wager.

“They’re an odd couple to me,” mentioned a CBS insider. “There doesn’t appear to be a number of synergies between them.”

A supply near the community disregarded any suggestion that Weiss and Cibrowski are an “odd couple,” as a substitute calling their visions “complementary.” The particular person added that Cibrowski is taking “some components of ABC” and mixing them with Weiss’ “recent perspective,” noting that it’ll “take time” to see progress.

Nonetheless, in accordance with a supply, Weiss had tried to rent former NBC Information president Noah Oppenheim, when she joined the corporate in October, The Publish has discovered. Oppenheim, now a Hollywood screenwriter and producer, politely declined the supply, a supply mentioned.

Oppenheim didn’t return requests for remark.

In current months, sources famous that whereas Weiss and Cibrowski are working collectively, Weiss has her personal lieutenants — Adam Rubenstein and Charles Forelle — and that Cibrowski typically denotes his outsider place by referring to them as “Bari and her individuals.”

Weiss, who occupies the manager suite overlooking the newsroom that was as soon as the workplace of Scott Pelley when he anchored “Night Information,” has positioned her lieutenants only a stone’s throw away. Cibrowski’s workplace is on a special ground, in accordance with sources.

“Often the No. 2’s workplace is correct close to their boss’s workplace,” one supply mentioned, whereas including that Cibrowski is making an attempt to be “loyal” to Weiss as a result of he “desires to maintain his job.”

A CBS Information spokesperson pushed again on such criticism, telling The Publish: “Bari makes editorial selections, is standing up new tasks, and oversees the group’s transformation. Tom leads enterprise operations and is working carefully with the Morning Present.

“That’s not ‘odd.’ That’s how profitable leaders work collectively.”

A supply near the community insisted that Cibrowski is “not Weiss’ No. 2.” Whereas Weiss stories on to Ellison, Cibrowski stories on to CBS CEO George Cheeks.

“He’s making an attempt to repair the exhibits,” one other supply mentioned, including that the all main editorial and hiring selections nonetheless have to be rubber-stamped by Weiss, who has been described as on her “personal timeline” and is much less involved with the fast turnaround of TV information.

“Tom is profoundly annoyed,” a 3rd supply mentioned. “He has no energy.”

At “CBS Night Information” — the place Weiss put in “CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil as anchor in January — scores have slid to a median of 4.2 million viewers within the first quarter, down 7% from final 12 months, with viewership within the coveted 25-54 demographic down 18% to 535,000.

As beforehand reported by The Publish, “CBS Night Information” govt producer Kim Harvey, underneath Cibrowski’s route, has created a “smooth” program that begins off newsy however sometimes offers solution to lighter fare like cute pet segments and meteor sightings.

“CBS Information is changing into ABC Information lite,” a community supply mentioned.

One other added that Cibrowski has a “dim view of the American individuals” and thinks they need “zero substance” however in actuality, with such a busy information cycle, they’re “demanding info.”

Twice in March, this system’s scores sank under 4 million — a brand new low for “Night Information” — prompting hypothesis that Harvey might finally take the autumn if scores don’t rebound.

One former CBS exec mentioned Dokoupil can’t compete with “World Information Tonight” anchor David Muir or “NBC Nightly Information with Tom Llamas,” who’re supported by groups of seasoned, heavy-hitting correspondents. Following current layoffs, CBS Information lacks a Justice Division correspondent and its Pentagon correspondent is within the Center East masking the battle.

“You may’t do David Muir lite,” the supply mentioned. “When s–t hits the fan, CBS doesn’t have heavyweights like [ABC’s] Martha Raddatz, Pierre Thomas or Jonathan Karl.”

One other supply famous that Cibrowski and Weiss have been handed a “bag of doo-doo” from earlier CBS Information boss Wendy McMahon and former govt producer Invoice Owens, who reimagined the “Night Information” to be a “mini ’60 Minutes’” hosted by John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois. The duo tanked, with scores persistently hitting under 4 million.

“CBS Mornings” — whose co-host Gayle King simply re-upped her contract with a reportedly downsized pay bundle after months of hypothesis about her future — averaged slightly below 1.8 million viewers within the quarter ended March 31. That’s down 13% from a 12 months earlier. Viewers within the essential 25-54 demo plunged 27% to 270,000 — the present’s worst quarter ever.

“The issue is there’s no bench and there’s hardly any frontline expertise,” an insider mentioned.

Sources identified particularly how lengthy it’s taking to switch Dokoupil, who decamped for the anchor chair at “CBS Night Information” in January, to co-host alongside King and Nate Burleson.

The community had been anticipated to convey on Josh Elliott, a former CBS Information anchor who beforehand labored for “GMA,” for a trial run, however sources mentioned talks fell by way of as soon as particulars of Elliot’s messy divorce have been splashed throughout the pages of Web page Six.

One stumbling block has been a revolving door of latest bosses, which has led to a number of rounds of layoffs. Because of this, The Publish has discovered that Cibrowski has turned to former CBS Information expertise exec Alison Pepper to assist recruit new blood.

“If this can be a poker sport, Tom is being dealt deuces,” a former community exec mentioned, defending Cibrowski. “CBS didn’t develop a bench and everybody else is underneath contract at one other community. It’s important to go to unemployed individuals like Josh Elliott as a result of everybody else is underneath contract.”

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