CBS News Shakeup: New Co-Hosts for “CBS Saturday Morning”
Adriana Diaz and Kelly O’Grady are set to take on co-hosting duties for “CBS Saturday Morning” as part of a broader shakeup at the network, according to reports. This move follows the departure of former co-anchors Dana Jacobson and Michelle Miller, who wrapped up their final shows late last month and are currently in contract negotiations.
In late October, it was revealed that both Jacobson and Miller were potential candidates for replacement, but there hasn’t been any official announcement regarding their successors yet.
Bari Weiss, the CBS News Editor-in-Chief, is expected to discuss these changes during a staff town hall scheduled for December 15. This meeting will also cover her vision for the network moving forward.
O’Grady, who joined CBS after serving as a correspondent at Fox, has made a favorable impression on Weiss and CBS News President Tom Cybrowski, as indicated by insiders. Meanwhile, Diaz has been with CBS since 2016, starting in the Beijing bureau, and later advancing to anchor positions with CBS Weekend News and CBS Morning Plus.
A CBS representative declined to comment on the changes. One insider described the decision to promote the two women as wise, noting that both are developing skills that could lead to larger anchor roles in the future. “CBS needs to build a bench,” the source stated, pointing out that the current roster is quite thin.
This transition occurs against the backdrop of significant cost-cutting mandates from CBS’s parent company, Paramount Skydance, which has requested around $3 billion in cuts across its operations.
The initial changes began in late October, resulting in the firing of Jacobson and Miller, along with executive producer Brian Applegate and several staff members. The show, which has been on air for 28 years, now runs nationally from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET on Saturdays and shares its production team with “CBS Mornings” to reduce expenses.
Sources indicated that the program has been deemed “expensive,” and that the former anchors may have earned over $1 million combined, while Diaz and O’Grady are likely to make considerably less.
As previously reported, the network is anticipated to announce further layoffs and changes soon, including the possible promotion of “CBS Mornings” co-anchor Tony Dokoupil to the role of anchoring “CBS Evening News.”
