Fears mount at CBS News and CNN over merger, consolidation

by

Paramount is buying Warner Bros. Discovery for $111 billion, which will bring together two major news organizations: CNN and CBS News.

Someone has suggested combining these organizations before to save money on news gathering. However, those plans failed, mainly because of disagreements about who would be in charge.

If regulators approve the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN and CBS News will likely be combined, creating challenges as they figure out who will lead the combined news organization, how staffing will work, and what their overall editorial approach will be.

It’s still too early to determine what those moves will be and how widely they will be felt.

Hollywood Inc.

What the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery deal means for the cable network CNN.

CNN CEO Mark Thompson recently advised his staff not to speculate about what might happen next.

However, it’s clear that any changes to the current setup will be carefully examined, given the difficult relationship CNN and CBS News both have with the Trump administration.

As a long-time follower of the news business, I’ve heard whispers for years about a possible merger between CBS News and CNN. Jon Klein, who used to be a leader at both places, recently pointed out that those talks are different now. He explained that while it always made sense financially, the current political climate is adding a whole new layer of complexity to the situation.

Before Paramount successfully acquired CNN’s parent company, David Ellison, Paramount’s CEO, reportedly had a conversation with Trump about potential changes to the network. Trump has long criticized CNN, labeling it as “fake news” and frequently attacking its reporters.

A former CNN executive asked what commitments David and Larry Ellison made to Donald Trump regarding the future of CNN. The main concern is whether the Ellisons will dismiss news anchors who are disliked by Trump, even before addressing the many challenges of acquiring the network.

CBS News is also facing concerns. In October, David Ellison appointed Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief, tasking her with shifting the network’s reporting to appeal to more moderate political views.

Bari Weiss, who started the independent media company The Free Press, didn’t have any prior experience leading a TV news organization. She became known as a writer who challenged conventional thinking and openly criticized what she saw as excessive progressive activism.

A former New York Times opinion writer, known for strongly supporting Israel, faced backlash over the weekend. They reacted to a comment criticizing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s statement about U.S. military action in Iran by posting a fire emoji – a surprising public response from someone in a leadership position at a major news outlet.

New CBS News leader Amy Weiss quickly clashed with the established “60 Minutes” program, known for its independence. She put a hold on a report about a tough El Salvador prison where the U.S. sends migrants, requesting further investigation. Sharyn Alfonsi, the reporter working on the story, publicly claimed CBS management was trying to appease the White House, which created a major public relations problem for the network.

Hollywood Inc.

The editor-in-chief held her first division-wide meeting to discuss the road ahead.

“60 Minutes” is facing some big changes this spring, and sources say one or more of the show’s reporters might be replaced. CBS News President David Weiss is also reportedly looking to hire commentators with conservative viewpoints.

Weiss joined the case shortly after Paramount resolved a lawsuit brought by Donald Trump. Trump had alleged that a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris was unfairly edited to help her potential 2024 presidential run against him.

Most observers believed Paramount agreed to settle the lawsuit because they were giving in to Trump to secure government approval for their merger with Skydance Media. The close connection between the Ellisons and Trump was also considered a key factor in their successful acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

The many problems with the potential sale of Warner Bros. Discovery led most CNN employees to hope Netflix would win the bidding. Netflix’s offer didn’t include CNN or other cable channels, and according to one source, that would have at least temporarily saved the network from further issues.

Hollywood Inc.

Following Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros., the Ellisons and their colleagues immediately started planning their return to the industry in December.

CNN employees, who asked to remain anonymous, are preparing for significant changes. They’re looking at how CBS News is handling adjustments under its new leadership and are reminded of the difficulties they faced when Warner Bros. Discovery took control of their network and attempted to shift the focus of their reporting.

Following comments from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav about wanting to include more conservative viewpoints on CNN, and after a lively town hall event featuring Donald Trump, the network saw a significant drop in viewership.

The main concern with this merger is that it will lead to job losses as the combined company tries to cut costs. CNN has 3,400 employees, and CBS News has about 1,000, so there’s likely to be overlap. The new Paramount-WBD company will also have a lot of debt to pay off, meaning they’ll likely make significant cuts to expenses.

For decades, the companies behind CBS News and CNN have explored combining their news operations or sharing resources like reporters and on-air personalities. Back in 2019, Viacom, which then owned CBS News, even had an agreement to pay CNN a yearly fee for access to their international news coverage.

The original idea was for CBS to keep a small number of its well-known international reporters, but close most of its foreign offices. However, Viacom decided not to go through with the agreement.

CNN is well-known for its global news coverage, and it’s expected to continue providing that coverage for CBS News after Paramount completes its acquisition.

Merging the news operations within the U.S. will be complicated because CBS News has staff and contractors covered by union agreements with groups like the Writers Guild of America East and SAG-AFTRA. CNN, however, doesn’t have any unions.

Past attempts to merge CBS News and CNN have always stalled because of disagreements with the unions, say several former leaders from both organizations.

It’s also interesting to see what Anderson Cooper’s role will be after the merger. He recently renewed his contract with CNN, but chose not to continue his position as a correspondent for “60 Minutes,” a job he’d held since 2007.

For years, CBS News has tried to recruit Anderson Cooper as the anchor for its evening news program. In 2018, they even suggested he take the job while continuing his CNN show. However, CNN executives rejected the proposal, believing Cooper was essential to their network’s identity.

Cooper explained he wanted to focus more on his family with his two children as his reason for not renewing his contract with “60 Minutes.” However, people close to the situation say his concerns about the changes happening at CBS News under the leadership of Weiss also played a role in his decision.

It seems Cooper is about to join CNN and CBS News again, which he might feel is like being unexpectedly pulled back into a situation he thought he’d left behind – a bit like Michael Corleone’s famous line from “The Godfather Part III.”

Read More

2026-03-05 14:32