CBS News Radio Closes May 22 After 100 Years, Affecting 700 Stations

After nearly 100 years, CBS News Radio is closing its doors on May 22. This means 700 stations will lose their news source, and all jobs are gone.
By Newsroom | Media, Business |

CBS News Radio will cease broadcasting this spring, ending an almost 100-year run. This closure, set for May 22, impacts roughly 700 affiliated stations nationwide that relied on the service for their news programming. The company cites challenging economic times and a significant shift towards digital platforms and podcasts as the primary drivers for this decision.

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The shutdown signifies the elimination of all jobs within the CBS News Radio team. The news was announced Friday by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and CBS News president Tom Cibrowski, who acknowledged the service's historic role in covering major global events since the dawn of the broadcasting era.

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"The world moves on to digital sources and podcasts," stated a CBS News announcement, framing the closure as a consequence of evolving media consumption habits.

The decision comes amidst a broader shake-up at CBS News, marked by a recent round of layoffs affecting about 6% of its staff. These changes are occurring under the leadership of Bari Weiss, who took the helm with a stated intention to alter editorial decision-making, and follow David Ellison's acquisition of Paramount. Further shifts within CBS News are anticipated in the coming months, especially as existing talent contracts expire.

Read More: CBS News cuts staff and closes radio division on March 20, 2026

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CBS News Radio, known for its top-of-the-hour news roundups, provided material to stations across the country. Figures like Walter Cronkite, Douglas Edwards, Dallas Townsend, and Christopher Glenn were among the voices that shaped its nearly century-long broadcast history. Its historical contributions included covering significant periods like the civil rights era, with reporters filing as many as a dozen reports a day.

The closure leaves a notable void for the hundreds of radio stations that have depended on CBS News Radio for national news content. This move underscores a wider strategic prioritization within CBS News towards 'digital growth' and 'new content formats', a direction that has been met with some resistance within the organization according to reports. The demise of the radio service, while attributed to economic factors and technological shifts, also occurs in a period of intense transition for the news division.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is CBS News Radio closing on May 22?
CBS News Radio is closing because of hard economic times and because people are using digital news and podcasts more. The company announced the closure on Friday, May 22.
Q: How many radio stations will be affected by the CBS News Radio closure?
About 700 radio stations across the country that used CBS News Radio for their news reports will be affected by this closure.
Q: What does the closure of CBS News Radio mean for its employees?
All jobs at CBS News Radio will be eliminated. The company has not said how many people this affects, but it is all the staff working for the radio news team.
Q: When did CBS News Radio start, and what was its role?
CBS News Radio began almost 100 years ago. It provided news updates to stations across the country and covered many important events throughout history.
Q: Are there other changes happening at CBS News?
Yes, CBS News is making other changes. There have been recent job cuts, and more changes are expected as the company focuses more on digital news and new types of content.