Amid a torrent of negative headlines that began before even her first day on the job, CBS News topper Bari Weiss enlisted the expertise of a seasoned executive to help her navigate the transition f…
Amid a torrent of negative headlines that began before even her first day on the job, CBS News topper enlisted the expertise of a seasoned executive to help her navigate the transition from digital doyenne to network news chief.
Weiss and Zucker have been longtime friends, and the former CNN Worldwide president was one of the first people to call to congratulate her when she sold her independent news outlet The Free Press to Paramount Skydance for $150 million in October and took the reins of the Tiffany Network’s news division.“He wanted to find a way to get in, and she definitely had conversations with him, asking advice,” says a source with knowledge of the talks. Writers Guild union makes ‘strike-ending’ offer as labor fight drags on Ironically, the legion of media reporters most gunning for Weiss have been some of the most vocal Zucker fans over the years. Having Zucker in a formal position likely would have buffered Weiss from the relentless barrage of media critiques, but the executive with single-name recognition also would pose a third rail for Paramount Skydance CEO Zucker, who also was the former CEO of NBCUniversal as well as the executive producer of “Today,” helped pave the way for the presidency by platforming the real estate mogul to the masses as the centerpiece of “The Apprentice.” But Zucker eventually became one of Trump’s biggest nemeses while running CNN. “David doesn’t want big personalities that are ego driven, that have their own agendas,” says another source about the Zucker prospect. “Look at the team he has built. There’s none of that. He wants to bring people together who blend well. Bari blends well.” That may come as a disappointment to those on the media beat, who have been merciless in their coverage of the Weiss reign. They have pointed to her alleged ideological bias, framed viewership as falling precipitously and derided her management style. in the morning lineup and got the star anchor to “buy in” for the future direction and vision for the network, says a Weiss supporter inside CBS. Among other wins, she poached journo and author from ABC News, and he has secured exclusive interviews, including a sitdown with Renee Good’s family after the protestor was killed by an ICE agent. right after the Iran military conflict broke out. His “School of War” podcast under CBS News has seen strong subscriber growth as a result. Other notable contributors added in recent months include CBS News was the only network to interview defense secretary Pete Hegseth — both after U.S. forces captured President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela and post-Iran war . While the Weiss haters broke into collective eyerolls over the Hegseth gets because of the Pentagon’s new, draconian press policy, every network continues to cover the Hegseth’s briefings on Iran live. But a CBS News insider contends Weiss won’t listen to anyone but her most loyal lieutenants. “She’s surrounded herself with sycophants, and it’s not helping her cause,” says the insider. As for “CBS Evening News” ratings, they’ve declined year over year. And maybe Zucker could have helped reverse the downturn with some of his noted P.T. Barnum sensibility. Regardless, “CBS Evening News” was already heading south well before Weiss tapped Tony Dokoupil to replace John Dickerson and Marcus DuBois — and he has delivered exclusive interviews with President Trump, Hegseth and Tom Homan after the latter took over DHS/ICE operations in Minneapolis. Ultimately, Weiss is playing to an audience of one, and that’s Ellison. Sources familiar with their dynamic say he’s thrilled with the job she’s doing. “He has no issues with Bari. He thinks you’ve got to break glass and that the news media coming after her is crazy,” says the source.
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