CBS News Bombshell Report Blames Bari Weiss for Tony Dokoupil’s Ratings Woe
What To Know
- CBS News insiders say totally different views between editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and community president Tom Cibrowski could also be responsible for poor scores.
- CBS Evening News and CBS Mornings are each down in scores from final yr’s first quarter.
- Weiss and Cibrowski are being labeled an “odd couple” by some insiders, whereas others declare they “complement” one another.
As CBS News continues to struggle in the ratingsa bombshell report within the New York Post cites editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and community president Tom Cibrowski’s totally different visions for programming as partly responsible.
“They are an odd couple to me,” one CBS insider informed the outlet. “There doesn’t seem to be a lot of synergies between them.”
While Weiss is working to implement an aggressive digital technique with a deal with onerous information, Cibrowski, who got here from ABC News, is hoping to take a softer strategy. David Ellisonthe CEO of Paramount Skydance, reportedly thought the 2 would “complement each other’s skills,” in keeping with The Post, however that has apparently not been the case.
However, one other supply disagreed, insisting that the pair’s work types are mixing nicely collectively and that progress shall be seen over time. A spokesperson for CBS News additionally informed the New York Post, “Bari makes editorial choices, is standing up new tasks, and oversees the group’s transformation. Tom leads enterprise operations and is working carefully with the Morning Show. That’s not ‘odd.’ “That’s how successful leaders work together.”
One of Weiss’ first strikes after taking up as EIC in October 2025 was to make Tony Dokoupil the anchor of CBS Evening News. His tenure started in January, however viewership is down 7% from final yr in complete viewers and 18% in the important thing 25-54 demographic, per the Post.
“You can’t do David Muir lite,” a source told the outlet. “When s**t hits the fan, CBS doesn’t have heavyweights like [ABC’s] Martha RaddatzPierre Thomas, or Jonathan Karl.”
Meanwhile, the primary quarter of 2026 for CBS Mornings has additionally not proven enchancment, with complete viewers down 13% from final yr and viewers in the important thing demo down 27% from final yr, in keeping with the New York Post.
“The problem is there’s no bench and there’s hardly any frontline talent,” a supply mentioned, noting that Dokoupil nonetheless has not been changed on the morning present after leaving to anchor CBS Evening News. Meanwhile, Gayle King not too long ago re-upped her contract to proceed internet hosting CBS Mornings alongside Nate Burleson.
