CBS News President Wendy McMahon on Monday appointed a loyal lieutenant to replace controversial executive Ingrid Cyprian Matthews in an effort to boost morale and turn around the struggling network.
As part of a broader leadership shakeup, Adrienne Roark will become president of editorial and reporting for CBS News & Stations, according to McMahon, who is president and CEO of CBS News & Stations and CBS Media Ventures.
The Washington Post reported that Roark will assume many of the responsibilities formerly held by Cyprien Matthews, who was ousted as CBS News president last month for resisting McMahon’s cost-cutting measures.
The promotion follows last week’s announcement that “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell will leave the show after the election, ushering in a major overhaul of the bottom-ranked news program.
Roark, former president of content development and integration, will continue to oversee WCBS and WLNY in New York, and WBZ and WSBK in Boston, among other duties.
McMahon also promoted Jennifer Mitchell to president, stations and digital, for CBS News and Stations.
Cyprian Matthews, who was accused of obstructing senior investigative reporter Catherine Herridge from aggressively covering the Hunter Biden scandal before the award-winning journalist was fired in May, will remain with the network as a senior editorial adviser for the duration of the election.
But the departure of the Dominican-born executive will allow McMahon to implement his vision for improving the network, the people said.
CBS News and Broadcast Newsgathering. Michelle Crowe/CBS News
“These are interesting changes that we hope will make CBS more competitive and improve morale during a tough time,” a CBS official told The Post.
“This will consolidate the news division,” the second CBS source added. “It’s her team and her vision, so it’s a good thing there won’t be any division.”
Roark and Mitchell will continue to report to McMahon, who will oversee all CBS News Network broadcasts and work with the show’s executive producers “to continue to maximize the potential of our brand on the air and beyond.”
The Washington Post has reached out to CBS News and McMahon for comment.
Roark also announced changes within his team, including promoting Wendy Fisher, a well-respected former ABC News executive, to senior vice president of editorial, where she will work closely with Teri Stewart, senior vice president of reporting, both of whom will report to Roark.
Meanwhile, Alvin Patrick, executive producer of race and culture at CBS News, will take on expanded responsibilities to produce specials and documentaries for CBS News, stations and media ventures platforms. He will report to McMahon.
The personnel changes come on the heels of the shock announcement that O’Donnell would step down as anchor after five years and be replaced by two little-discussed names: veteran CBS News reporter John Dickerson and WCBS-TV anchorman Maurice Dubois.
The show will move back to New York from its current location in Washington, D.C., and will air with a new format steered by “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens, who hopes to weave in deeper storytelling.
All of this comes as CBS parent Paramount Global is expected to cut $500 million ahead of its merger with Skydance Media.
The deal, expected to close by September 2025, gives McMahon a chance to boost viewership in the short term. CBS News’ popular shows, “CBS Evening News” and “CBS Mornings,” are bottom-ranked and the company is cutting costs.
“She doesn’t have much time on her hands, given the looming merger with Skydance,” a second CBS source said. “She has to make the case that she has the power to change things.”
