Paramount Global/Skydance merger - Deadline; Wendy McMahon Resigns As CEO Of CBS News And Stations: “It’s Become Clear That The Company And I Do Not Agree On The Path Forward”

Story from Deadline:

Wendy McMahon has announced her resignation as the president and CEO of CBS News and Stations, the latest departure from the network amid the pending acquisition by Skydance.

McMahon wrote to staffers, “Championing and supporting the journalism produced by the most amazing stations and bureaus in the world, celebrating the successes of our shows and our brands, elevating our stories and our people … It has been a privilege and joy.

“At the same time, the past few months have been challenging. 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.”

Her exit comes as the network has been in negotiations with Donald Trump’s team over a settlement of a $20 billion lawsuit he filed over the way that 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris. Many legal experts see the lawsuit as without merit, but Paramount Global is seeking the administration’s approval over the Skydance merger.

McMahon was seen as a defender of the news division — and 60 Minutes — amid the corporate tumult and Trump’s attacks. Last month, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, Bill Owens, exited his role, citing corporate interference.

60 Minutes has continued to produce hard hitting segments on the Trump administration. That included a segment earlier this month on Trump’s targeting of law firms. Amid settlement talks, Trump’s legal team has threatened additional litigation, this time alleging defamation. Trump’s attorney, Ed Paltzik, said in a statement, “CBS and Paramount’s attempts to subvert the legal process with lies and smears may necessitate additional corrective action, which President Trump reserves the right to pursue.” The New York Times first reported on the new legal threat.

Even in the wake of Owens’ exit and concerns over corporate interference on the show, CBS News staffers had been bracing for more shoes to drop amid the expectation that Paramount Global and Skydance would settle.

One senior staffer, who declined to be identified, said that McMahon’s exit was not much of a surprise given Owens’ exit. “It indicates that they are probably closer to a settlement,” the staffer said, while noting that 60 Minutes finished its most recent season on Sunday, meaning that McMahon had seen the show through further Trump attacks over its content.

George Cheeks, the co-CEO of Paramount Global and president and CEO of CBS, wrote in a memo to staffers that CBS News president Tom Cibrowski and CBS Stations president Jennifer Mitchell would now report to him. He said that McMahon would be with the network for a few more weeks “to support the transition.”

McMahon also oversaw CBS Media Ventures. Cheeks wrote that Scott Trupchak, head of advertising sales, and John Budkins, who oversees programming and production, will now report to Bryon Rubin, the network’s chief operating officer and CFO.

Cheeks wrote, “In a rapidly changing world, Wendy and her teams have worked diligently to articulate a vision and lay a foundation that adapts our news operations for the future. This includes advancements in data journalism, community journalism, technology and centralizing editorial decisions to help teams move faster.”

McMahon was named president and co-head of a combined CBS News and Stations in 2021, along with Neeraj Khemlani. When Khemlani departed in 2023, she became sole leader of the divisions, combining that with oversight of domestic syndication.

Last year, McMahon and then-CBS News President Adrienne Roark rebuked CBS Mornings anchor Tony Dokoupil over the way that he handled an interview with author Ta-Nehisi Coates, on the show to promote a book that was critical of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. But Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global, called out the CBS News leadership for their handling of the incident, saying that Dokoupil “did a great job with that interview.”

McMahon also is exiting amid concerns over the change in format for CBS Evening News. After Norah O’Donnell stepped down as anchor, the nightly broadcast switched to dual anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois, while emphasizing correspondents and their longer-form pieces. But the audience has dropped versus a year ago, and the newscast remains in third place.

The 60 Minutes interview with Harris also is the subject of a conservative group’s complaint at the FCC, which is considering the Skydance-Paramount Global transaction. The complaint was initially dismissed by the agency under Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, but it was revived by her successor, Brendan Carr, appointed by Trump.

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, a Democrat, wrote on X that McMahon’s departure was “beyond alarming.”

“Independent journalists are being silenced simply because their reporting may threaten the ambitions of their corporate owners,” she wrote. “It will only embolden an Administration hell-bent on censoring speech and controlling content.”

The consternation over a potential settlement of the Trump lawsuit has spread beyond the news division. Last week, as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) guested on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Colbert asked him about a letter he and other senators sent to Redstone about the dangers of settling the Trump lawsuit.

“What effect would settling something like that have?” Colbert asked.

“To give in to Trump is to allow him to say, ‘I gotcha. Anybody who speaks up against me, you’re in trouble,'” Sanders said.