Amid a torrent of negative headlines that began before even her first day on the job, CBS News topper Bari Weiss enlisted the expertise of a seasoned executive to help her navigate the transition from digital doyenne to network news chief.
Sources tell Page Six Hollywood that Weiss sought advice from none other than Jeff Zucker.
Weiss and Zucker have been longtime friends, and the former CNN Worldwide president was one of the first people to call to congratulate her when she sold her independent news outlet The Free Press to Paramount Skydance for $150 million in October and took the reins of the Tiffany Network’s news division.
Jeff Zucker at opening night of “Harmony: A New Musical.” Getty Images
“He wanted to find a way to get in, and she definitely had conversations with him, asking advice,” says a source with knowledge of the talks.
(The ties are deep. Zucker’s son has written as a freelancer for The Free Press.)
Paramount Skydance and CBS News declined comment. A rep for Zucker did not respond to a request for comment.
Ironically, the legion of media reporters most gunning for Weiss have been some of the most vocal Zucker fans over the years. Having Zucker in a formal position likely would have buffered Weiss from the relentless barrage of media critiques, but the executive with single-name recognition also would pose a third rail for Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison as he seeks government approval for his acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Weiss took the reins at CBS News in October. CBS via Getty Images
Zucker, who also was the former CEO of NBCUniversal as well as the executive producer of “Today,” helped pave the way for the Donald Trump presidency by platforming the real estate mogul to the masses as the centerpiece of “The Apprentice.” But Zucker eventually became one of Trump’s biggest nemeses while running CNN.
“David doesn’t want big personalities that are ego driven, that have their own agendas,” says another source about the Zucker prospect. “Look at the team he has built. There’s none of that. He wants to bring people together who blend well. Bari blends well.”
That may come as a disappointment to those on the media beat, who have been merciless in their coverage of the Weiss reign. They have pointed to her alleged ideological bias, framed viewership as falling precipitously and derided her management style. (Page Six Hollywood, admittedly, has gotten in on the act briefly by poking fun at a CBS News chyron mishap and posting audio of Weiss addressing laid-off staffers, many who found her words less than comforting.)
But Weiss also has done some things right that are rarely highlighted in the press.
She kept Oprah Winfrey‘s BFF Gayle King in the morning lineup and got the star anchor to “buy in” for the future direction and vision for the network, says a Weiss supporter inside CBS. Among other wins, she poached journo and author Matt Gutman from ABC News, and he has secured exclusive interviews, including a sitdown with Renee Good’s family after the protestor was killed by an ICE agent.
David Ellison is hoping to close a deal to acquire Paramount Skydance. Getty Images
Weiss also brought on national security analyst Aaron MacLean right after the Iran military conflict broke out. His “School of War” podcast under CBS News has seen strong subscriber growth as a result. Other notable contributors added in recent months include Arthur Brooks, Roger Carstens and former U.S. National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster.
CBS News was the only network to interview defense secretary Pete Hegseth — both after U.S. forces captured President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela (“Evening News”) and post-Iran war (“60 Minutes”). While the Weiss haters broke into collective eyerolls over the Hegseth gets because of the Pentagon’s new, draconian press policy, every network continues to cover the Hegseth’s briefings on Iran live.
But a CBS News insider contends Weiss won’t listen to anyone but her most loyal lieutenants. “She’s surrounded herself with sycophants, and it’s not helping her cause,” says the insider.
As for “CBS Evening News” ratings, they’ve declined year over year. And maybe Zucker could have helped reverse the downturn with some of his noted P.T. Barnum sensibility. (Remember Zucker’s obsession at CNN with Carnival’s 2013 “Poop Cruise?” Or the missing Malaysia Airline flight MH370 in 2014?)
Regardless, “CBS Evening News” was already heading south well before Weiss tapped Tony Dokoupil to replace John Dickerson and Marcus DuBois — and he has delivered exclusive interviews with President Trump, Hegseth and Tom Homan after the latter took over DHS/ICE operations in Minneapolis.
Ultimately, Weiss is playing to an audience of one, and that’s Ellison. Sources familiar with their dynamic say he’s thrilled with the job she’s doing.
“He has no issues with Bari. He thinks you’ve got to break glass and that the news media coming after her is crazy,” says the source.