Spokespeople for McMahon, Paramount Global and CBS News declined to comment.
Veteran “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens resigned last month, citing Paramount Global’s increased scrutiny on his journalistic independence.
Paramount Global is trying to get government approval to merge with Skydance Media, run by David Ellison.
That merger is being held up by the Federal Communications Commission as negotiations between Paramount Global and the government continue over the “60 Minutes” interview.
“I think Tony did a great job with that interview,” Redstone said in October during a panel at Advertising Week New York.
Wendy McMahon, the chief executive officer of CBS News, announced her resignation on Monday. This is the most recent development in the ongoing conflict between Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global, and the news division of the company.
According to people familiar with the situation, McMahon had a conversation with George Cheeks, co-CEO of Paramount Global, on Saturday, and Cheeks requested her resignation. According to those who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, McMahon agreed to resign, and the Paramount Global board met on Sunday to inform members of the decision.
Representatives for CBS News, Paramount Global, and McMahon chose not to comment.
“The last few months have not been easy. It’s now evident that I disagree with the company’s direction. McMahon wrote in her letter of resignation to staff, “It’s time for me to move on and for this organization to move forward with new leadership.”.
According to people familiar with the situation, the board of Paramount Global has been putting more and more pressure on Cheeks and McMahon in recent weeks to know specifics about “60 Minutes” programming before it airs, which is different from how the show used to function. Last month, seasoned “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens resigned, citing growing criticism of his journalistic independence from Paramount Global.
“Our parent company Paramount is trying to complete a merger,” Scott Pelley, a “60 Minutes” correspondent, stated on-air at the conclusion of an episode last month following Owens’ resignation. “It needs the Trump administration’s approval. Paramount started using new techniques to monitor our material. Although none of our stories have been blocked, Bill believed he had lost the objectivity necessary for truthful reporting. “,”.
The season-ending episode of “60 Minutes” aired on Sunday. September will mark the return of live episodes. According to those familiar with McMahon’s thinking, she felt she had to fight to get “60 Minutes” to air at all in recent weeks because the board preferred that some stories not air.
The CEO position was given to McMahon in August 2023.
In recent months, McMahon and Redstone have also clashed over a number of issues, such as CBS’s coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a possible “60 Minutes” settlement with the Trump administration regarding the editing of an October interview with the former U.S. president and then-candidate. S. Kamala Harris, vice president. According to those who are familiar with Redstone’s philosophy, Redstone has privately chastised McMahon for “fairness and balance” problems.
Additionally, those familiar with Redstone’s thinking say that Redstone has been dissatisfied with McMahon’s leadership and CBS News’s business performance.
In order to merge with David Ellison’s Skydance Media, Paramount Global is attempting to obtain government approval. For her controlling stake in the business, Redstone would receive more than $12.5 billion in the deal. She would no longer play a part in the combined organization.
The Federal Communications Commission is delaying that merger while Paramount Global and the government continue their negotiations over the “60 Minutes” interview.
The Wall Street Journal said last month that corporate diversity initiatives are another area of disagreement between the company and the federal agency. Media companies have been publicly urged by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to reduce their diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Citing a presidential executive order outlawing the practices, Paramount announced in February that it would discontinue its DEI policies.
The decision by McMahon to chastise CBS News morning anchor Tony Dokoupil for an interview with author Ta-Nehisi Coates was openly criticized by her in October. Dokoupil was accused by CBS News of breaking editorial guidelines when the host pressed Coates about why he didn’t discuss more of Israel’s viewpoint on Palestine in the interview. According to Redstone, CBS News made a “bad mistake.”. “.”.
During a panel at Advertising Week New York in October, Redstone stated, “I think Tony did a great job with that interview.”.
