Paramount Searches for Business Chief to Partner with CBS News Editor Bari Weiss

Paramount is quietly vetting candidates for a senior business-side executive to serve as a counterpart to Bari Weiss, the editor-in-chief of CBS News. The search is preliminary but active — Paramount leadership has begun reaching out to top news executives, according to sources familiar with the process.

The stakes are unusually high because the role is being structured with a potential mega-merger in mind. If Paramount Skydance's deal with Warner Bros. Discovery closes, Weiss would oversee editorial operations across both CBS News and CNN — making her one of the most powerful news editors in American media. The yet-to-be-named business counterpart would handle the operational and commercial side of that combined news empire.

The current org structure at CBS News has Tom Cibrowski serving as president alongside Weiss, with Cibrowski reporting up to George Cheeks, Paramount's chair of TV media. Weiss, by contrast, reports directly to David Ellison, Paramount's chairman and CEO — a reporting line that reflects her unusual stature and independence within the organization.

The timing is notable: the search is unfolding against a backdrop of turbulence at '60 Minutes,' CBS News' marquee franchise, which has been caught in its own public controversy. Adding a seasoned business executive could help stabilize the broader organization and soften some of the criticism surrounding both the merger and Weiss's expanding role. Federal regulators are widely expected to approve the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery deal, though Democratic state attorneys general and European regulators are still reviewing it.