Report: CBS News Staffers Not Happy With New Boss

Neeraj Khemlani

A new boss at CBS News is slashing costs in a bid to revamp the struggling network — and he’s also provoking complaints from employees, with some grumbling that he is “rude” and “micromanaging.”

The NY Post reports staffers at the third-place network gripe that co-president Neeraj Khemlani — a former Hearst executive who along with ex-ABC executive Wendy McMahon took the reins in May — is demanding more work even as he axes resources, with some raising concerns that ruthless bean counting at CBS News is “cutting it to the bone.”

The network is reportedly reassessing budgets amid concerns that it may no longer be able to afford big-name anchors such as Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell, who are currently renegotiating their contracts.

Behind the scenes, ticked-off employees grumble that Khemlani cultivates a “Shark Tank”-like investor’s persona that’s focused on “poking holes” in business plans and demanding to know the “return on investment” for new projects. Some have complained of “micro aggressions” that include calling staffers late and on weekends and leveling tough questions in meetings about to-do lists even as many departments are understaffed.

“There has never been a more unpopular news division president,” said one CBS veteran. “I don’t think people would be surprised if he’s not here in a couple months.”

Some employees speculated that Cheeks tapped Khemlani at the behest of ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish and chair Shari Redstone to chop overhead at CBS and merge it with Comcast, which already has a news division. Others believe that the steep cuts are related to Viacom’s 2019 merger with CBS, which promised cost synergies of $300 million in 2020 and a three-year target of $800 million.