CBS News President Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews announced her intention to step down in a memo to staffers Wednesday morning, according to Variety.
Ciprian-Matthews made her decision following Paramount’s upcoming merger with Hollywood production studio Skydance Media, leading to a wave of future cost cuts, Variety reported.
“Some may be asking why I’m announcing this now. We all know our industry and company are going through a transformation and a number of short- and long-term decisions need to be made,” she wrote in a staff memo, according to Variety. “I do not want to be disingenuous with any of you about who should drive these decisions. I’ve always leaned into my integrity and my values, and I felt it was important to be transparent at this juncture about my plans.”
News: CBS News president Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews has informed staff she is stepping down… more details to come
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) July 10, 2024
She is the third CBS News executive to cause a major newsroom shakeup since 2021, according to Variety. A new president has not been named since her announcement as of Wednesday morning, leaving the position vacant in the middle of an election year. (RELATED: CNN Execs Depart Network Just Hours After CEO Chris Licht Is Fired)
Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS’s news, station and syndication operations, said Ciprian-Matthews will “transition” into her new role in the upcoming weeks, Variety reported.
She assumed her role as president following the departure of Neeraj Khemlani in 2023, who served in his role with McMahon after Susan Zirinsky left in 2021, Variety reported.
Ciperian-Matthews stepping down is the latest in the shakeups at major news outlets in general. ABC News’s Kim Godwin departed the network in May following an investigation into her management of the network. The overseer of the network, Debra O’Connell, found she had left many key positions vacant while ratings of the network’s prominent program, “Good Morning America,” dropped.
