CBS News’ latest round of cuts under editor-in-chief Bari Weiss claimed a handful of anchors and correspondents — with more top talent to come in later weeks.
Sources told The Post that some of the network’s Friday casualties include correspondent Elaine Quijano, who was also weekend morning anchor for New York; Dallas-based correspondent Omar Villafranca; Los Angeles-based correspondent Nidia Cavazos; Las Vegas-based correspondent Andres Gutierrez; national correspondent Dave Malkoff; and Karen Hua, a national reporter in Houston.
They join Washington, DC-based reporter Nick Kurtz and political reporter Hunter Woodall, who announced that they were let go on X. The DC bureau lost above five staff total, said a source with knowledge of the matter.
CBS News also cut environmental correspondent David Schechter, the Los Angeles Times reported.
CBS News did not comment.
The network said Friday that it was laying of 6% of its workforce and completely shuttering CBS Radio, ending the storied division’s 100-year run. A source estimated that the layoffs translated into about 60 to 70 job cuts.
Sources expect more layoffs to come as contracts for top talent lapse. Names that could be shown the door include “60 Minutes” correspondents Scott Pelley, Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. Bill Whitaker is expected to retire at the end of the season.
“Today we are reducing the size of our workforce, and employees who are affected will be notified by the end of the day,” Weiss and CBS News president Tom Cibrowski informed staff in a Friday memo.
They acknowledged the toll of the cuts, telling employees: “Because these aren’t just names on a list. They are talented, committed colleagues who have been critical to our success.”
Weiss and Cibrowski wrote that departing staff would be treated “with care and respect.”
The duo framed the layoffs as part of a broader industry shift, writing, “It’s no secret that the news business is changing radically, and that we need to change along with it,” as they pointed to “new audiences … burgeoning in new places.”
The pair said the restructuring would require trade-offs inside the newsroom, noting: “Some parts of our newsroom must get smaller to make room for the things we must build to remain competitive.”
