CBS News’ Bari Weiss unveils new strategy amid backlash, viewership lags

The network is set lean into podcasters bringing on more controversial conservative leaning voices.Published On 27 Jan 2026CBS News Editor-In-Chief Bari Weiss has unveiled the network’s new plan to grow the audience amid efforts to broaden the network’s political appeal after a set of blunders.Among the changes that were announced in an all-hands meeting on Tuesday, the network will bring on 18 new commentators akin to US cable news powerhouses, CNN, MS Now and Fox, as well as steep staffing cuts to those who don’t align with Weiss’s vision for the network, as first reported by NPR which sourced the information from a set of journalists within the network who spoke under condition of anonymity.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Why Japan’s economic plans are sending jitters through global marketslist 2 of 4TikTok settles addiction lawsuit before trial against Meta, YouTubelist 3 of 4‘Mother of all deals’: How India-EU trade deal creates $27 trillion marketlist 4 of 4Trump’s JPMorgan Chase lawsuit revives debanking concerns in USend of listIn an all-hands call with staffers, the network said that it will need to expand its reach beyond typical broadcasting and lean more into podcasting, according to audio first obtained by the outlet Business Insider.“I’m here to tell you that if we stick to that [focusing on broadcast] strategy, we’re toast,” Weiss said.The new hires include conservative podcasters Niall Ferguson and Patrick McGee and others like physician Mark Hyman, who has close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr who has been controversial for scaling back vaccines.Weiss, who despite not having any previous television experience, was tapped in October to lead the storied news organisation after Paramount Skydance acquired the conservative opinion writer’s publication, The Free Press, for $150m amid efforts to reach a more politically diverse audience.The hiring of Weiss was among several key moves the network made in recent months to appease the White House, including settling a lawsuit alleging that 60 Minutes doctored an interview with then–presidential hopeful Kamala Harris for $16m, and appointing Kenneth Weinstein, a former Trump administration official, as ombudsman to investigate allegations of bias.