Bari Weiss caught in ‘Cold War’ power struggle – Business News
CBS News boss Bari Weiss has been locked in a power struggle with the community’s president that critics declare is hamstringing the newsroom — and staffers are wagering that one of them will get ousted if scores proceed to flop this fall, The Post has discovered.
Weiss — a 42-year-old opinion author who was named editor-in-chief final October — has a mandate from her boss David Ellison, CEO of CBS guardian Paramount Skydance, to push the left-leaning community towards a common-sense center. Sources say Weiss has an eye on restoring the home of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite with onerous information and enterprise reporting.
She has been at odds with CBS News President Tom Cibrowski — a TV veteran from ABC News who spent years producing the top-ranked “Good Morning America” and “World News Tonight”. Sources mentioned the 58-year-old government favors softer protection that’s more squarely geared toward Middle America, together with climate stories and feel-good animal videos.
Sources mentioned there’s a “Cold War” brewing inside CBS between Tom Cibrowski and Bari Weiss. Michele Crowe/CBS
CBS News workers really feel like they’re “caught in the middle” of “two feuding parents” with conflicting editorial visions, in accordance with a CBS source. The end result, in accordance with sources, has been day-to-day confusion — with staffers usually freezing up and doing nothing.
“It’s a Cold War,” one distinguished community staffer advised The Post. “We just want one side to win so we can do our jobs.”
A quirk of the battle is that, as was the case in the Cold War, there’s no overt hostility between Weiss and Cibrowski in the newsroom, in accordance with sources. Indeed, an insider mentioned it’s not a persona conflict per se and that in some circumstances the pair “work together very well”.
“Tom likes Bari,” a community source close to Cibrowski mentioned. “He thinks she’s smart and has good ideas.”
At the top of the day, nonetheless, a number of sources speculated that this fall might descend into an episode of “Survivor,” the place Weiss is giving Cibrowski “enough rope to hang himself” so she will exchange him with a more like-minded exec. Meanwhile, the ABC contingent is “waiting” for Weiss to get the boot so Cibrowski can get her job.
The new season of “60 Minutes,” which debuts Sunday, might be a litmus check for Weiss’ future on the company, sources mentioned. CBS by way of Getty Images
For Weiss, the underside line could also be whether or not “60 Minutes” — whose season kickoff on Sunday included a Norah O’Donnell interview with a US Air Force officer whose aircraft was shot down over Iran — can keep its scores dominance.
That’s after headline-grabbing turnover this summer season that has included the exits of star correspondents Scott Pelley, Anderson Cooper, Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega.
Meanwhile, Cibrowski, who’s overseeing “CBS Mornings” and “CBS Evening News,” is beneath the gun as the 2 marquee exhibits proceed to slip deeper into final place. This month, he tapped O’Donnell to exchange Tony Dokoupil, who decamped for the “Evening News” in January — to hitch full-time co-hosts Gayle King and Nate Burleson.
Cibrowski is anticipated to roll out more modifications, together with a format tweak that may take cues from MS Now’s dwell “Morning Joe”.
Sources speculated that Cibrowski’s future at CBS might be tied to the ratings-challenged “CBS Mornings,” which simply introduced on Norah O’Donnel (left) to co-host with Gayle King and Nate Burleson. CBS
“It all comes down to the ratings,” a second CBS source mentioned. “Who’s going to get fired first, Bari for ’60’ or Tom for ‘CBS Mornings’ and ‘CBS Evening News’?’”
Indeed, sources advised The Post that Weiss and Cibrowski try to put low and never “become a problem” for Ellison, who’s heading off a lawsuit that seeks to dam Paramount’s $81 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, home of HBO and CNN.
A CBS spokesperson referred to as stories of issues between Weiss and Cibrowski “baseless gossip,” claiming that “none of it is true.”
“CBS News is firing on all cylinders and working more collaboratively than ever,” the spokesperson added. “We’re very excited about season 59 of 60 Minutes.”
Weiss has laid out a more news-centric, analytical imaginative and prescient for CBS News, however staffers mentioned it has clashed with Cibrowski’s imaginative and prescient, which takes cues from his earlier employer, ABC News. Bloomberg by way of Getty Images
Sources mentioned Team Cibrowski consists of high rating ex-ABCers Wendy Fisher, senior vice president of editorial; David Reiter, senior vice president of CBS News 24/7; Washington DC bureau chief Mark Lima and investigative chief Matt Mosk.
“There’s a mini ABC mafia who all have each other’s back,” mentioned a third CBS insider.
While some declare the ex-ABC group is making an attempt to “clean up” Weiss’ missteps, others griped that Cibrowski’s contingent is ignoring her agenda to give attention to lighter “news you can use” segments more related to Disney-owned ABC.
“The ABC people think the Bari people don’t understand TV,” the CBS insider advised The Post. “Bari has a more intellectual take on the news” and she or he “looks down at the ABC people for their stories on weather and things like that.”
Cibrowksi, a former “GMA” producer, is bringing a “news you can use” sensibility
to CBS. Getty Images
The battle is enjoying out beneath a lopsided management construction that has Weiss overseeing the editorial operations of the community and reporting on to Ellison. Meanwhile, Cibrowski runs TV operations and stories to CBS CEO George Cheeks, who in flip stories to Ellison.
As beforehand reported by The Post, the 2 executives have separate PR groups, occupy totally different flooring of CBS’ Midtown Broadcast Center and have constructed their own internal circles.
A chief criticism from staffers is that Weiss and her high lieutenant Charles Forelle lack managerial prowess to carry people accountable for not executing their orders. Weiss has urged staffers to delve into topics like Dr. Anthony Fauci’s controversial Senate hearings and whether or not Europe would lastly embrace air-con amid this summer season’s lethal heatwave.
Instead, “Evening News” government producer Kim Harvey has been greenlighting animal segments as a result of Cibrowski desires them and “she wants to keep her job,” in accordance with a source close to the community.
“CBS Evening News” anchored by Tony Dokoupil has leaned into Cibrowski’s imaginative and prescient, folding in viral animal segments on the finish of the printed. Mary Kouw/CBS
One particular person added that Weiss, who sources remarked is stretched skinny, doesn’t often comply with up and strikes on to the subsequent factor too rapidly – which has fostered a tradition of paying lip service however not executing.
A source with data of the matter advised The Post that Forelle has quietly put out feelers to switch Harvey in latest months, however he hasn’t adopted by way of.
While few disagree that the last-place CBS News and its marquee exhibits are in need of change, one former TV exec advised The Post that Weiss’ “fail fast” start-up strategy doesn’t jibe in the delicate world of tv, which is struggling to keep up viewers.
“The changes she has made normally take place over the course of several seasons and they’re done seamlessly,” the particular person mentioned, noting that viewership is well misplaced and almost unimaginable to rebuild. “This is too much, too soon.”
