Wendy Macmahon: Last News

Layoffs have hit the ad sales ranks in the CBS owned-and-operated TV station portfolio as a long-term restructuring effort takes effect.

CBS News is rebooting its streaming efforts, expanding live coverage, lengthening shows like The Daily Report with John Dickerson and rebranding its flagship service.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor CBS News is ready to launch a new salvo in TV’s streaming wars. With many of its rivals bolstering their streaming offerings in recent months, CBS News plans to broaden its efforts by debuting a new signature “whip-around” live-streamed program, “CBS News 24/7” that will rely on journalists both from the national news outlet as well as from CBS local stations — and serve as the new name of the broadband outlet.

CBS Media Ventures has struck a deal with Game Show Enterprises Studios to produce previously announced Flip Side, a new syndicated game show hosted by Jaleel White that will launch in Fall 2024.

CBS Media Ventures’ syndicated game show The Flip Side, hosted by Jaleel White, is set to launch this fall on CBS Stations. It is the first official syndicated greenlight for next season. Debmar-Mercury had previously announced a Ken Jeong talk show targeting next fall.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Christa Robinson and Lance Frank will take on expanded roles for CBS‘ division built around CBS News, local stations and syndicated programming, all put under the aegis of executive Wendy McMahon in August of last year. Frank, who has been with CBS News since 2011, has been elevated to executive vice president, communications for CBS News & Stations and CBS Media Ventures, a new position. Frank will oversee projects tied to McMahon’s central team, including talent relations and events across the division.

CBS News is launching a new venture designed to identify IA generated deepfakes and misinformation.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor CBS’ news-and-stations division will launch a new unit to examine misinformation and so-called “deepfakes,” or false videos that can often be generated via artificial intelligence. The new unit, called “CBS News Confirmed,” will be led by Claudia Milne, senior vice president for CBS News and Stations and head of standards and practices, along with Ross Dagan, executive vice president and head of news operations and Ttransformation for CBS News and Stations.

President Joe Biden plans to sit down with 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley for an interview to air Sunday, with the war in Israel expected to be the main topic.

The WICT Network, an association serving women in media, is honoring four execs at the upcoming Leadership Excellent Awards (LEA).

Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes.The “Blended” actress, 48, took to Instagram Sunday to make it clear to viewers that she “owns this choice” to premiere Season 4 of “The Drew Barrymore Show” on Sept. 18.She began the statement by explaining more about her decision to walk away as host of the MTV Movie & TV Awards in May, days after the WGA strike began, as it was in “direct conflict with what the strike was dealing with which was studios, streamers, film, and television.”“I am also making the choice to come back for the first time in this strike for our show, that may have my name on it but this is bigger than just me,” she wrote.

EXCLUSIVE: The Drew Barrymore Show, syndication’s fastest-growing strip, is set to kick off its fourth season on Monday, September 18.

EXCLUSIVE: Elaine Bauer Brooks will be leaving her post as EVP, Development and MultiPlatform Content at CBS Media Ventures after nine years at the company.

The changes in CBS News leadership also include the return of a sole figure with the title of news division president.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews will take direct oversight of CBS News, the latest move in a broader restructure of operations at Paramount Global’s CBS business. Matthews, a CBS News veteran who once supervised the Washington bureau and had been put in charge of overall newsgathering, will now have top editorial oversight for CBS News across all platforms. She will oversee all CBS News programs, bureaus, global newsgathering, streaming and digital editorial, as well as standards and practices, special events, politics, elections and surveys, social, the race and culture unit and CBS News Radio.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Wendy McMahon has been elevated at CBS, placed in charge of the company’s CBS News, local stations and syndicated production, now all combined under her aegis. McMahon takes sole oversight of programs ranging from “CBS Evening News” and “60 Minutes” to “Wheel of Fortune” and “The Drew Barrymore Show,” suggesting CBS and its parent Paramount Global see new opportunities to wring synergy from programming that has typically been managed separately.

CBS Media Ventures President Steve LoCascio is retiring after 34 years at the company and its previous iterations as the division will become part of the portfolio of Wendy McMahon, named this morning as President and CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures.

Neeraj Khemlani is stepping down as the president and co-head of CBS News and Stations.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The headlines coming out of CBS News will soon be guided by a new executive. Neeraj Khemlani, who arrived at the Paramount Global unit in 2021 to oversee CBS News and local stations along with Wendy McMahon, is leaving his role running the unit that produces “60 Minutes,” “CBS Evening News” and “Face The Nation,” among other programs.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Eight CBS-owned TV stations will be dropping their affiliation with The CW and becoming independent stations as of September. The stations are: WPSG Philadelphia (DMA #4), WUPA Atlanta (DMA #6), KBCW San Francisco (DMA #10), KSTW Seattle (DMA #12), WTOG Tampa-St. Petersburg (DMA #13), WKBD Detroit (DMA #14), KMAX Sacramento (DMA #20), and WPCW Pittsburgh (DMA #26). This will give the CBS Stations group a total of 14 CBS Television Network stations and 13 independent stations. “We look forward to reimagining these stations as independents while leveraging the considerable value of their prime-time real estate in each of the markets,” said Wendy McMahon, president and co-head of CBS News and Stations. “It’s an exciting time to look at new opportunities to add local programming, including live sports, and shows from across the Paramount Global brands. We are also grateful to have been part of The CW for 17 memorable years and wish our partners at Nexstar continued success.”

The CW is about to lose eight important affiliates: the CBS owned and operated stations that are currently affiliated with the Nexstar-owned network will become independent in September.