They just can’t keep senior executives at the top of CBS News.
Adrienne Roark, who was named president of the Paramount Global news division in August of last year, revealed Thursday morning to staffers that she plans to leave the company at the end of February to take a role at Tegna, the TV-station group that was once part of Gannett. A CBS News spokesperson confirmed Roark’s announcement, but declined to offer additional comment.
Roark’s exit was previously reported by Breaker, a newsletter focused on New York media, politics and culture.
Her departure is just the latest in a parade of executives assigned to lead the home of “60 Minutes” and “CBS Evening News” in recent years. Roark was named to a role previously inhabited by Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, who left the role after a pressing need for cost cuts was revealed. Neeraj Khemlani, who had the role before her, stayed in the position for two years alongside Wendy McMahon, who has since been elevated to CEO of CBS’ news and stations operations. They replaced Susan Zirinsky, the veteran producer whose presence at the helm served to calm troops after a series of claims about the behavior of former morning anchor Charlie Rose, which he has denied.
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CBS News is under an array of pressures. The news division is at the center of of a case levied against Paramount Global by now-President Donald Trump, who claims editing of a “60 Minutes” interview of former Vice President Kamala Harris had an influence on the 2024 election. Executives at Paramount Global have mulled settling the case, because they fear the White House could slow down its deal to be acquired by David Ellison’s Skydance Media. The FCC recently asked for transcripts and video tied to the Harris interview. Meanwhile, Paramount, which has already made massive cost cuts, is expected to make more once the Skydance deal is consummated.
During Thursday’s meeting, McMahon declined to name a new executive to lead the national newsgathering division, according to a person familiar with the matter, telling staffers that the company would “sit with this news” for some time. Roark is believed to have been in talks with Tegna for several weeks, this person said.
Roark, who came up through the ranks of local-station management, had little experience tried to running national TV news programs. She and McMahon sparked a round of public recriminations by scolding “CBS Mornings” anchor Tony Dokoupil in a meeting with staff, calling into question a hard interview he did with author Ta-Nehisis Coates last year, and saying that it did not meet the division’s editorial standards. The interview, which focused on attitudes toward Israel, sparked controversy, and even Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global, rebuked CBS News executives for slamming the correspondent.
Roark’s announcement comes as McMahon continues to revamp operations, pressing CBS News and the stations to share more resources. CBS late late month unveiled a new format for the venerable “CBS Evening News” that relies on the anchor duo of Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson and hinges on enterprise reporting and features rather than summing up daily headline in short segments.