CBS News CEO Wendy MaMahon announced Monday that she will be stepping down from her position as the news organization’s parent company, Paramount, is in the middle of a lawsuit with President Donald Trump over a segment that aired on 60 Minutes. Paramount is also in talks to be acquired by Skydance Media.
In a letter to CBS News staff, McMahon wrote: “It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward. It’s time for me to move on and for this organization to move forward with new leadership.”
Paramount removed Bob Bakish from his position as CEO last month and was replaced by co-CEOs Brian Robbins, Chris McCarthy and George Cheeks. Following McMahon’s announcement about leaving the company Monday, Cheeks released a memo, saying: “On a personal note, I want to thank Wendy for her partnership over the past four years,” Cheeks wrote. “Under her leadership, the competitive position and culture at our television stations have improved dramatically, and we’ve expanded local news significantly. Our streaming news platforms — national and local — are stronger and growing, with digital extensions now in place for several of our flagship CBS News broadcasts.”
There is no immediate plan to replace McMahon with new executives, according to the memo from Cheeks. Instead, CBS News president Tom Cibrowski and CBS Stations president Jennifer Mitchell will each report directly to Cheeks. Scott Trupchak, who heads advertising sales, and John Budkins, who oversees programming and production, will report to Bryon Rubin, CBS’ chief operating officer and CFO. McMahon will stay with the company for a period of time “to support the transition.”
The New York Times first shared the news of McMahon’s departure.