In an all-hands town hall meeting on Tuesday, CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss delivered a blunt assessment of the network's future, warning staff that clinging to traditional broadcast television would lead to failure and insisting on an immediate shift to a streaming-focused, audience-driven approach.
Weiss, who was handpicked for the role by Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison following the company's acquisition of her media outlet The Free Press in late 2025, told employees the network faces an existential challenge.
"Our strategy until now has been to cling to the audience that remains on broadcast television," she said. "I'm here to tell you that if we stick to that strategy, we're toast."
She described CBS News as trapped in a "linear mentality" and urged an urgent pivot: "We need to shift to a streaming mentality immediately."
Walter Cronkite “had two competitors,” she told staffers gathered an “all-hands” meeting either in person or via digital connection. “We have two billion, give or take.”
Weiss was direct about the core issue: "The honest truth is, right now, we are not producing product that enough people want." Her comments underscore the broader decline in traditional TV viewership and the need to rebuild trust and relevance with audiences who increasingly consume news digitally.
To address these challenges, Weiss announced plans to expand the network's contributor roster significantly. She said she would add "many more" voices, specifically including writers, podcasters, and other commentators, to diversify content and better align with modern media consumption habits.
The town hall comes amid a turbulent period for CBS News under Weiss's leadership, which began in October 2025. Her tenure has involved staff departures, programming changes, and controversy over editorial decisions, but Tuesday's remarks focused squarely on strategic transformation to survive in a streaming-dominated landscape.