It’s the end of an era in American radio, as CBS News goes live on Friday after nearly a century on the air — and the union that has long represented its journalists won’t go quietly.
CBS News Editor-in-Chief Barry Weiss and President Tom Cebrowski announced in March that the home that was once home to Edward R. Murrow, Dan Rather and Robert Trout will close its doors due to “a shift in radio stations’ programming strategies, coupled with difficult economic realities.”
This does not sit well with the Writers Guild of America East, which negotiates on behalf of 26 news writers, office assistants and assignment editors. The union has represented CBS News employees since 1954.
“David Ellison and Barry Weiss have broken the trust of their employees and their public in one reckless and short-sighted decision,” the union said in a statement on Friday. “This closure erodes a vital news source for listeners of more than 700 affiliate stations across the country and 26 WGAE members with decades of experience and dedication to journalism will be out of work.”
CBS News was restructured after Skydance Media closed a merger with Paramount Global, which owned the division, in the summer of 2025. Paramount Skydance’s new CEO was handpicked by David Ellison Weiss, the former CEO of Paramount Skydance. New York Times An opinion writer who later launched The Free Press to lead CBS News.
Weiss has shaken up the news department, overseeing layoffs and reshaping it CBS Evening News About new broadcaster Tony Dokoupil and reworking its digital strategy. And now, with Paramount Skydance trying to close another merger, this time with Warner Bros. Discovery, WBD-owned CNN is also in the company’s sights.
WGA East linked the closure of CBS News Radio to its opposition to Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, which is still awaiting regulatory approval.
“Ellison and Weiss at the helm of CBS News have further eroded the integrity of the free press. We are concerned that this trend will continue if Paramount-Skydance is able to merge with Warner Bros.,” WGA East said. Discovery and the acquisition of CNN.” “We encourage members to sign the #BlockTheMerger petition, which has over 5,000 signatures.”
The union said it will also hold CBS accountable for adhering to the collective bargaining agreement and will call on the company to provide “fair dismissal to all affected employees.”
The fiery message concluded with a reference to Murrow’s famous signature that later became the title of a 2005 George Clooney-directed film (later made into a Broadway play) about the journalist. “We honor and celebrate the amazing journalists and media workers who have made CBS News a pillar of journalism,” the union said. “Good night, and good luck.”
