CBS News Carries Out New Round of Staff Cuts

Another round of staff cuts is underway at CBS News as the news division of the third place television network seeks to reduce its operating budget still further.  Alongside redundancies, it is understood that some staff have also been reassigned or demoted in the shakeup.  CBS also found itself denying media claims that CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric was facing changes to her contract including a pay cut.

The New York Times' Brian Stelter writes;

Speaking on condition of anonymity because they feared further layoffs, CBS employees said the cuts affected network programs like “The Early Show” and “60 Minutes,” and its news-gathering bureaus. Only a handful of on-camera employees were affected.

CBS executives said reports that roughly 100 people were dismissed were inflated, but declined to say how many employees were affected. The news division, which loses money for its parent, the CBS Corporation, says it employs about 1,400 people.

Sean McManus, the president of CBS News and Sports, said of the cutbacks, “We’re doing what every other media company in the world has done.”

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