CBS News boss preps ‘Evening News' shakeup — even as his own job may be at risk: sources
Tom Cibrowski — a former top executive at ABC who was lured to CBS in March — is poised as soon as this week to eliminate one of the nightly broadcast's two anchors, either John Dickerson or Maurice DuBois, sources said.
At the same time, insiders said Cibrowski looks ready to oust 'Evening News' executive producer Guy Campanile — a gruff Yonkers native and veteran of '60 Minutes' who lately has locked horns with his new boss, according to sources.
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5 Tom Cibrowski — a former top executive at ABC who was lured to CBS in March — is poised as soon as this week to eliminate one of the nightly broadcast's two anchors
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'Guy thinks he knows better than Tom' — and may soon get kicked back to '60 Minutes' under the show's newly installed executive producer, Tanya Simon, one source said.
Insiders said Cibrowski appears to making a play to keep his job with a series of bold, 11th-hour moves as CBS parent Paramount closes its merger with the Hollywood studio Skydance. They added, however, that Cibrowski may simply end up as a hatchet man for incoming bosses — before he ends up a casualty himself.
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As previously reported by The Post, Cibrowski has also gotten static from 'CBS Mornings' executive producer Shawna Thomas — a close ally of network star Gayle King — and her job could be on the line, too, insiders told The Post.
CBS News declined to comment.
As reported by The Post, Jeff Shell, the new president of the merged Skydance-Paramount, said last week that he was interviewing news executives for Cibrowski's job. That comes after rumors that Skydance CEO David Ellison is in talks with journalist Bari Weiss, as well as former CBS News president David Rhodes, to join the network.
At the 'Evening News,' insiders said DuBois looked poised to land the sole anchor spot. A former WCBS New York local anchor, sources said Dubois has appeared better-suited for the job than Dickerson, who is better known for his political reporting chops.
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5 John Dickerson or Maurice DuBois could be on the chopping block, according to sources.
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The co-hosts have 'lacked chemistry' and seemed out of their depth covering international news such as the death of Pope Francis. But one high-level exec blamed poor ratings on a leadership vacuum.
'There's a lack of support, a lack of focus and differing perspectives on what the show should be,' the person said, adding that the 'insecurity and lack of confidence shows up on the screen.'
A key issue has been the April exit of longtime '60 Minutes' executive producer Bill Owens — who on his way out aired gripes about the show's editorial independence as Paramount faced a lawsuit from President Trump over the show's editing of an interview with Kamala Harris.
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5 Maurice DuBois with Norah O'Donnell.
CBS
Before his exit, Owens had been tapped by then-CBS News President Wendy McMahon to revamp the 'Evening News'. He assigned Campanile to emphasize longer, '60 Minutes'-style features. The strategy flopped amid the rapid-fire news cycles of the early Trump administration.
Nevertheless, Campanile — who insiders said is expected to be replaced by 'Evening News' senior producer Kim Harvey — has continued to crank out the features despite Cibrowski's demands for more straight news, sources said.
'Now, the show and the team feel rudderless. If you're going to do something different, you need to do it with confidence and assurance and this team has none of that,' the source said. 'They are alone. They feel it and the viewers feel it.'
5 Rumors are swirling that Skydance CEO David Ellison is in talks with journalist Bari Weiss, as well as former CBS News president David Rhodes, to join the network.
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The source pointed to 'an idiotic' July 31 piece on the rise in popularity of astrology – a segment that took up a precious 3 minutes – on a newsy day filled with headlines on President Trump's trade tariffs and deadly flash floods in Texas.
'That was Guy's arrogance,' a CBS insider said of the astrology report. 'The only people who think the show is journalistically great is Guy and the senior producers.'
Feathers likewise got ruffled by an 'insulting gift' that Owens and Campanile had given Cibrowski upon his spring arrival — a 'Bible of Broadcasting' that was a primer on CBS storytelling and what makes it unique versus the competition.
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5 Inside the halls of Tiffany Network, the 'Evening News' has been ripped for 'how unwatchable it is,' a CBS source said.
Christopher Sadowski
Cibrowski — who spent 30 years at top-ranked ABC News where he oversaw shows including 'Good Morning America,' 'World News Tonight,' 'Nightline' and '20/20' — found the gift 'ridiculous,' a third source said.
Inside the halls of Tiffany Network, the 'Evening News' has been ripped for 'how unwatchable it is,' a CBS source said. One former exec was flummoxed by McMahon and Owens' decision to use two anchors, calling it a 'two-headed monstrosity.'
Relaunched under McMahon, who ousted then-anchor Norah O'Donnell, the 'Evening News' ratings last year had hovered between 4.5 million and 5 million viewers. After DuBois and Dickerson took over in January, ratings have regularly slumped below 4 million total viewers.
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