john dickerson

“CBS Saturday Morning” co-hosts Michelle Miller and Dana Jacobson are among the nearly 100 news division employees cut as part of a massive round of layoffs at parent company Paramount.

The program is getting a new format that will align it closer to the weekday show “CBS Mornings,” according to people familiar with the plans who were not authorized to comment publicly. Brian Applegate, the executive producer of the Saturday program, is out as well.

CBS has also canceled “CBS Mornings Plus,” an extension of its morning program that ran in several markets including Los Angeles. “CBS Evening News Plus,” a streaming program anchored by John Dickerson is also being shuttered. Dickerson announced Monday he is leaving the network.

Several correspondents have already been laid off, including Debora Patta, who covered the Gaza war for the network; Janet Shamlian; and Nikki Battiste. A CBS News representative declined comment.

The cuts are part of parent company Paramount’s reduction of 1,000 employees across all of its divisions. New owners Skydance Media are looking to reduce cots by $2 billion across the company, with a second round of cuts expected later this year.

Miller was a prolific correspondent for CBS News in addition to her Saturday co-host duties, contributing pieces to “CBS Sunday Morning” and “48 Hours.” She also was a frequent fill-in for Gayle King on the weekday morning program.

Miller, 52, is a Los Angeles native and the daughter of Dr. Ross Miller, a trauma surgeon who served on the city council in Compton. She worked at the Los Angeles Times in the early 1990s.

Miller covered a wide range of stories at CBS News, and paid special attention to issues or racism and social injustice. She is married to Marc Morial, the former mayor of New Orleans who is currently head of the National Urban League.

Jacobson, 52 has been with CBS News since 2015. She previously spent a decade at ESPN, where she appeared on “First Take” and “SportsCenter.”

Miller and Jacobson have served as co-hosts of “CBS Saturday Morning” since 2018 when it was called “CBS This Morning Saturday.”

John Dickerson, co-anchor of “CBS Evening News,” said Monday he will exit the network at the end of the year.

Dickerson will be the first major talent departure since the arrival of Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News last month.

The veteran political journalist who joined CBS News in 2009 gave no reason for leaving in an Instagram post announcing his decision.

“I am extremely grateful for all that CBS News gave me – the work, the audience’s attention and the honor of being a part of the network’s history – and I am grateful for my dear colleagues who’ve made me a better journalist and a better human being and I will miss you,” Dickerson wrote.

Dickerson became co-anchor of “CBS Evening News” in January alongside Maurice DuBois, succeeding Norah O’Donnell. The duo were part of a revamp of the program, which put an emphasis on more in-depth stories.

The format change failed to attract new viewers as it remains in third place behind “ABC World News Tonight with David Muir” and “NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas.”

There had been talk of significant changes coming to the newscast before Weiss signed on for a senior role at the division.

Weiss has reportedly expressed interest in bringing Fox News anchor Bret Baier to CBS, but his current employer has him under contract through 2028. Baier anchors “Special Report,” a nightly newscast that like many Fox News programs is closely followed by President Trump.

Anderson Cooper, whose contract will soon be up at CNN, has also been mentioned internally as an evening news anchor candidate.

“CBS Evening News” co-anchors Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson.

(Gail Schulman/CBS News)

The changes to “CBS Evening News” were initiated by former “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens, who was pushed out of the company amid the controversy over a 2024 interview with former vice president Kamala Harris.

Trump sued the network over the interview which he said was deceptively edited to help her presidential campaign. Although the case labeled as frivolous by 1st Amendment experts, Paramount settled the suit for $16 million to clear the regulatory path for its merger with Skydance Media.

A former writer for Time magazine, Dickerson came to CBS News as a contributor before taking on a variety of roles in the division. He was anchor of the Washington-based public affairs program “Face the Nation.” He moved to New York to join “CBS This Morning” after the network fired Charlie Rose over sexual harassment allegations in 2017.

Dickerson anchored a nightly prime time newscast on CBS News Streaming before being tapped for “CBS Evening News.” He could not be immediately reached for comment.

Veteran producer Kim Harvey has been tapped to take over the “CBS Evening News,” which has lost viewers since a recent revamp.

The network announced Thursday that Harvey will replace Guy Campanile, a “60 Minutes” producer who joined the program last year.

Campanile, who was brought on by former “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens when he oversaw recent changes at the newscast, will return to the newsmagazine.

“CBS Evening News” has been struggling to retain viewers since it replaced Norah O’Donnell, who held the anchor chair for five years.

Kim Harvey is the new executive producer of “CBS Evening News.”

(CBS News)

CBS News added John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois as co-anchors and put an emphasis on longer stories closer to the style of “60 Minutes.” But the program has failed to gain any traction against ABC’s “World News Tonight With David Muir” and NBC’s “Nightly News With Tom Llamas.”

Harvey’s appointment is likely a precursor to larger changes at the program, including a possible return to a single anchor and a more traditional approach to the newscast. She was a trusted lieutenant of O’Donnell during her run.

Harvey has been with “CBS Evening News” since 2017, eventually rising to senior broadcast producer. She is thoroughly familiar with the operation that has gone through three anchor changes since she arrived.

“Kim brings a sharp news sense and terrific track record of producing from across the broadcast and cable networks,” CBS News President Tom Cibrowski said in a statement. “She is a well-respected newsroom leader and her relationships with our on-air talent, producers and reporters run deep.”

Harvey’s career includes stints at the three major cable news networks. She started her career as a video journalist at CNN.

She spent several years at Fox News, where she produced “The O’Reilly Factor,” which was the network’s top prime time program before host Bill O’Reilly was ousted over sexual harassment allegations.

At MSNBC, Harvey was part of the team that launched “The Rachel Maddow Show” and “All In with Chris Hayes.”

The future of CBS News has been a subject of much speculation since the network’s parent company Paramount Global was taken over by Skydance Media.

Before the merger closed, Paramount Global agreed to pay $16 million to settle President Trump’s legal salvo against “60 Minutes” over the editing of an interview with his 2024 opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris. The lawsuit, considered frivolous by 1st Amendment experts, damaged the morale of the news division and likely led to the ouster of Owens in April.

The new owners have also promised the Federal Communications Commission that it will hire an ombudsman who will report to Paramount’s new president, Jeff Shell.