CBS News Pivots From Radio Newscasts to Audio

CBS News Radio aired the final edition of its iconic “World News Roundup” Thursday nighty, closing a program that began in 1938 as a victim of budget cuts at parent company Paramount.

Anchor Steve Kathan delivered the sign-off from a dimly lit studio at the CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan, noting the program’s historic debut on March 13, 1938. He played a recording of Edward R. Murrow’s closing words from that first broadcast: “the best in radio reporting is yet to be — good night and good luck.”

The shutdown affects all 26 employees of CBS News Radio. Paramount announced the cuts in March, citing a shift in radio programming strategies and challenging economic conditions.

“A shift in radio station programming strategies, coupled with challenging economic realities, has made it impossible to continue the service,” the company said.

The radio unit had been operating at a loss, with monthly revenues recently as low as $67,000, according to a network executive. Though it reached 20 million listeners weekly and helped promote CBS News, leadership had long delayed closing it due to its storied legacy. CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss was also reluctant to make the cuts, sources said. However, Paramount’s substantial debt from its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery has intensified pressure to reduce costs.

The end reflects broader industry challenges. Radio ad revenue fell about 2% to $14.37 billion, while digital audio advertising grew to more than $1.75 billion as advertisers favored targeted digital platforms, said Dustin Gervais, technical operations manager for the network.

CBS plans to stay in audio journalism through podcasts rather than traditional newscasts. Managing editor Charles Forelle told The LA Times the company is developing “a whole bunch of different things that are less news reading and more other things.”

CBS News Radio traces its roots to the company’s radio division, launched in 1927. After television rose to dominance, the radio arm focused on news. In 1967, CBS converted its owned AM stations, including KNX in Los Angeles, to all-news formats. The company sold its radio stations in 2017 but continued producing network content amid rising competition from digital media.

Experts point to the 1996 Telecommunications Act as a key turning point. The deregulation allowed companies to own more stations, leading to leveraged buyouts, reduced investment in programming, and pressure on network suppliers like CBS News Radio, said Michael Socolow, a journalism professor at the University of Maine.

Some previous CBS News Radio staffers have joined Worldwide News Network, a new hard-news service launched Saturday by John Catsimatidis, owner of New York’s WABC.