In an announcement that sent shockwaves through the broadcasting industry Friday morning, CBS News confirmed that it will permanently shut down CBS News Radio on May 22, 2026 — bringing the curtain down on one of the most storied institutions in the history of American journalism according to a report from Radio Ink.
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and CBS News president and executive editor Tom Cibrowski announced the closure in a memo to staff, informing the CBS News Radio team and approximately 700 affiliated stations that the service would be ending after nearly 100 years.
The decision marks the end of an institution that has been woven into the fabric of American life since the earliest days of broadcast media. Among the programs being discontinued is “World News Roundup,” which has been on the air since 1938 and through which legendary CBS News journalist Edward R. Murrow delivered his first radio report.
“For nearly 100 years, CBS News Radio has delivered original reporting to the nation — from Edward R. Murrow’s World War II reports in London to today’s daily White House updates,” Weiss and Cibrowski wrote in the memo. “Our signature broadcast, ‘World News Roundup,’ remains the longest-running newscast in the country.”
Economic Realities Force the Decision
In the memo, CBS leadership cited a shift “in radio station programming strategies, coupled with challenging economic realities” as making it impossible to continue the service. The shutdown is part of a broader wave of cuts across the news division.
The layoffs represent the second round of reductions in six months, but the first tied directly to a new strategic vision aimed at repositioning the organization for a rapidly evolving media landscape. The new round of layoffs is expected to affect approximately 6% of the workforce — roughly 60 to 70 employees out of around 1,100.
For the hundreds of radio stations that have long depended on CBS News Radio for their national news content, the closure leaves a significant void. Major stations across the country — including WCCO in Minnesota, WBBM in Chicago, KCBS in San Francisco, and 1010 WINS in New York — have been CBS affiliates going back to 1929.
A Legacy Nearly a Century in the Making
CBS News Radio launched 99 years ago and rose to particular prominence during World War II, with Edward R. Murrow providing updates on the war effort from London. From Pearl Harbor to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, from September 11 to countless elections and crises, the network served as a trusted voice for tens of millions of Americans.
CBS sold its own radio stations in 2017 but continued to offer hourly network newscasts to affiliate stations, maintaining its role as a national audio news provider even as the media landscape around it transformed dramatically.
A Struggling News Division Looks to the Future
The closure of CBS News Radio is not occurring in isolation. CBS News has been dealing with a decline in revenue for its television programs as viewers have gravitated toward streaming platforms and social media. Its daily programs “CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil” and “CBS Mornings” both run well behind their competition in the ratings.
CBS News is also expected to come under the same corporate ownership as CNN once parent company Paramount closes its deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. The two divisions are likely to share news-gathering costs, which could lead to the closure of bureaus and a further reduction of personnel.
The shutdown underscores broader shifts within CBS News as executives prioritize digital growth and new content formats. Weiss and Cibrowski emphasized the need to reach audiences “in new places,” pointing to increased investment in streaming and digital products, as well as efforts to develop talent and programming aligned with the video podcast ecosystem.
For the hundreds of journalists, producers, and technicians who dedicated their careers to CBS News Radio, those words offer little comfort as they face an uncertain future in an industry already under extreme financial pressure.
When May 22 arrives, the airwaves will fall silent where CBS News Radio once broadcast — and with it, nearly a century of history will come to a close.
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