Report: Morale Low Among CBS News Staffers

CBS CEO George Cheeks

CBS CEO George Cheeks is scrambling to shore up morale at CBS News, dialing back demands that staffers work nights and weekends as they lament conditions under the struggling network’s hard-driving boss, The NY Post has learned.

Results from an annual “well-being survey” about employee satisfaction at Paramount Global — home to CBS, Showtime, MTV and Comedy Central — revealed particularly bad scores from CBS News employees, according to one source close to the company.

That’s on the heels of The Post’s reports of rank-and-file complaints about CBS News co-president Neeraj Khemlani, who was hired last year with orders to slash costs and who has since clashed with high-paid newsroom stars including Norah O’Donnell.

Insiders said newsroom morale has plunged as Khemlani — who some sources have branded as “micromanaging” and “rude” — barrages employees with around-the-clock questions and criticism over their performance.

Neeraj Khemlani

“Neeraj schedules meetings at 7 at night and doesn’t care about people’s lives,” said one source.

The survey yielded similar complaints, sources said, prompting Cheeks to take the rare step of sending out an email and video message to staffers last Thursday about improving the work-life balance at the division, according to insiders.

“We need to set a goal avoid sending emails, texts or otherwise engaging on routine matters after hours or over the weekend,” Cheeks said in the video, which was reviewed by The Post.

He added that he’s encouraging managers to implement “no-meeting days” or “no-meeting blocks” within a day. He also encouraged employees to take “real time off” to “recharge,” after workers griped in the survey about not getting the chance to fully unplug.

A CBS spokesman noted that Cheeks’ written memo and video message weren’t specifically addressed to the CBS News division. The spokesman declined to comment on whether complaints at CBS News were especially high versus other divisions.

Khemlani has also caught flack for his dealings with former London bureau chief Andy Clarke, who left amid multiple disagreements over budget cuts, as well as a flap over his brother’s consulting firm FTI overseeing plans for CBS News’ corporate reorganization.