CBS News layoffs shut down CBS News Radio, affecting Chicago's WBBM

CBS News layoffs will disrupt a key national news pipeline for Chicago's top-rated all-news station, WBBM Newsradio.

The big picture: CBS News laid off 6% of its staff on Friday to cut costs. The cuts include shutting down CBS News Radio, which began broadcasting in 1927 and offered national newscasts to over 700 stations nationwide.

• CBS News Radio traces its roots to Chicago as United Independent Broadcasters before rebranding and moving to New York.
• WBBM Newsradio, owned by CBS Radio for decades, was sold to Audacy in 2017.

Yes, but: WBBM still relies on those CBS national newscasts, which anchor its hourly format.

What they're saying: The announcements were made to staff on Friday morning via two memos from CBS News leadership.

• "While this was a necessary decision, it was not an easy one," they said, referring to the radio cuts.
• "A shift in radio station programming strategies, coupled with challenging economic realities, has made it impossible to continue the service."
• Locally, Audacy declined to comment on what the station will do when the newscasts end on May 22.

State of play: The radio cuts are notable given CBS News' legacy as a pioneer in news radio.

• Its flagship program, "World News Roundup," is the longest-running daily radio newscast in the country.
• WBBM — Chicago's only all-news station — ranked No. 1 in January ratings, with CBS national reports as a key part of its format.

Zoom out: It's been a tough month for the WBBM family. Longtime morning host John Hultman died March 15 at 89.

• Hultman and co-host Felicia Middlebrooks dominated morning ratings in the 1980s and 1990s.
• "I didn't lose just a colleague. I lost my friend," Middlebrooks wrote.