CBS News Bombshell Report Blames Bari Weiss for Tony Dokoupil’s Ratings Woe
What To Know
- CBS News insiders say different visions between editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and network president Tom Cibrowski may be to blame for poor ratings.
- CBS Evening News and CBS Mornings are both down in ratings from last year’s first quarter.
- Weiss and Cibrowski are being labeled an “odd couple” by some insiders, while others claim they “complement” each other.
As CBS News continues to struggle in the ratings, a bombshell report in the New York Post cites editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and network president Tom Cibrowski’s different visions for programming as partly to blame.
“They are an odd couple to me,” one CBS insider told the outlet. “There doesn’t seem to be a lot of synergies between them.”
While Weiss is working to implement an aggressive digital strategy with a focus on hard news, Cibrowski, who came from ABC News, is hoping to take a softer approach. David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount Skydance, reportedly thought the two would “complement each other’s skills,” according to The Post, but that has seemingly not been the case.
However, another source disagreed, insisting that the pair’s work styles are blending well together and that progress will be seen over time. A spokesperson for CBS News also told the New York Post, “Bari makes editorial decisions, is standing up new projects, and oversees the organization’s transformation. Tom leads business operations and is working closely with the Morning Show. That’s not ‘odd.’ That’s how successful leaders work together.”
One of Weiss’ first moves after taking over as EIC in October 2025 was to make Tony Dokoupil the anchor of CBS Evening News. His tenure began in January, but viewership is down 7% from last year in total viewers and 18% in the key 25-54 demographic, per the Post.
“You can’t do David Muir lite,” a source told the outlet. “When s**t hits the fan, CBS doesn’t have heavyweights like [ABC’s] Martha Raddatz, Pierre Thomas, or Jonathan Karl.”
Meanwhile, the first quarter of 2026 for CBS Mornings has also not shown improvement, with total viewers down 13% from last year and viewers in the key demo down 27% from last year, according to the New York Post.
“The problem is there’s no bench and there’s hardly any frontline talent,” a source said, noting that Dokoupil still has not been replaced on the morning show after leaving to anchor CBS Evening News. Meanwhile, Gayle King recently re-upped her contract to continue hosting CBS Mornings alongside Nate Burleson.
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