Journalism

CNN staffers are concerned about an impending reorganization or round of involuntary cost-cutting after more than 100 of their colleagues raised their hands to take a voluntary buyout that was described as a “separation program.” “Everybody is bracing for a reorganization,” a senior producer said. “There are all kinds of rumors about impending layoffs.”

CBS Interactive’s Ashutosh Nayak, CNN’s Rajin Persaud, CBC’s Roma Kojima and Local Now’s Jeremy Jones will make up a panel examine the pros and cons of building streaming technology in house or working with outside vendors at TVNewsCheck’s OTT News Summit on June 11. Frost & Sullivan’s Dan Rayburn will moderate.

Susan Zirinsky has overhauled the news division’s programming slate and is shipping Cronkite and Rather’s show to D.C. Some staffers wonder if it’s “a move that’s being made out of convenience for the anchor.” But Zirinsky counters, “There’s a huge opportunity right now. I can’t let it go.”

The former HBO exec, who departed the premium cable network in 2018 after a 38-year run, will develop new projects for third-party outlets and the Viacom-owned cabler via the MTV Studios division.

The NBC-Fox affiliate in Wilmington, N.C., promotes him from dayside executive producer to succeed Scott Saxton as news chief.

He moves to Memphis from West Palm Beach, Fla., where he oversaw news operations for WPEC since 2016.

CBS News president and senior executive producer Susan Zirinsky on Monday unveiled a new weekday anchor lineup, naming Norah O’Donnell anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News and Gayle King, Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil co-hosts of CBS This Morning.

TVNewsCheck’s MediaJobCenter was busy last week. Jobs were posted by 5 different broadcast companies, some well-known like Cox and Meredith, and some by lesser known media companies like Lockwood, Waypoint and Morgan Murphy.

Norah O’Donnell is officially out as co-host of CBS’s struggling morning show. Sources close to CBS say that the new anchor lineup for CBS This Morning has been set and it doesn’t include O’Donnell because co-anchor Gayle King — riding high off her big interview R. Kelly — has demanded she be sent elsewhere. CBS News President Susan Zirinsky denied that King had anything to do with O’Donnell leaving the morning show.

After Tom Cibrowski started his new job as general manager of KGO-TV, ABC’s San Francisco O&O, a year ago, he wanted a new approach to local news. News Director Tracey Watkowski pitched an initiative, originally called Saving San Francisco, that quickly morphed into Building a Better Bay Area, a seemingly simple but powerful idea that is transforming how the station covers news and connects with its community.