Lesley Stahl and Scott Pelley’s future at CBS News is currently uncertain – and there are now ‘real’ questions about whether the pair will be return the fall
Once CBS News’ senior-most staffers – 60 Minutes boss Bill Owens and news chief McMahon (pictured together in LA this past May) – were said to be unwilling to bow to Trump’s lawsuit, which alleges the station purposely edited the Harris interview to give her an edge
The Trump administration must approve the deal, which won’t happen until a settlement between CBS and Trump is reached, Status reported.
McMahon and Owens – once the network’s most powerful execs – had been the primary figures opposing Paramount’s bid to settle, with Pelley and Stahl both joining behind them.
‘Bill [Owens] resigned Tuesday. It was hard on him and hard on us, but he did it for us – and you,’ Pelley told viewers during an episode of 60 Minutes.
‘Our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger,’ Pelley added.
‘The Trump administration must approve it. Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways.
‘No one here is happy about it.’
Pelley also noted noting how in leaving, Owens proved he was ‘the right person to lead 60 Minutes all along.’
The April 27 commentary served as a rare glimpse into the internal battles at the network, as it continued to fight Trump’s suit.
Veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley broke rank live on television on April 27’s episode by leveling a blistering accusation against his own corporate bosses
In announcing his resignation, Owens revealed that he was unable ‘to make independent decisions’ needed to do his job.
‘So, having defended this show – and what we stand for – from every angle, over time with everything I could – I am stepping aside so the show can move forward,’ he said
‘The show is too important to the country,’ Owens added, weeks after sources told DailyMail.com the bigwig was ‘feeling the pressure’ brought by the lawsuit.
He tearfully added at a ’60 Minutes’ staff meeting attended by both Pelly and Stahl: ‘It’s clear the company is done with me.’
‘I do think this will be a moment for the corporation to take a hard look at itself and its relationship with us,’ Owens continued, before questioning whether he and other staffers who view a settlement as a potential scar on 60 Minutes reputation should ‘walk out.’
‘No. The opposite,’ Owens continued.
‘I really, really, really believe that this will create a moment where the corporation will have to think about the way we operate – the way we’ve always operated – and allow us to operate like that.’
The speech indicated Owens – as was the case with McMahon, insiders told CNBC – wasn’t leaving by choice.
Lesley Stahl recently complained to Variety about top brass interfering with the show’s independence
President Donald Trump filed a $20billion lawsuit over the network’s interview with Kamala Harris that he claimed was deceptively edited
A settlement with the president appears to be the sticking point for a proposed media merger between Paramount and Skydance – as it requires approval from the Trump administration
All the moments CBS edited out of Kamala’s 60 Minutes interview
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At points, he opened the floor for questions and comments, spurring Stahl to praise him.
‘I have had many bosses, many bosses. And very good ones,’ Stahl said.
‘But I have never been so proud to work for anyone as I have over the last year working for you,’ she continued.
‘I think you taught us all a lesson of following principle and being courageous and fighting for what you believe in.’
Following the meeting – also attended by McMahon and Anderson Cooper – Stahl told Variety that top Paramount brass had been interfering with the show’s independence.
McMahon also hinted at her disagreement with the network on Monday.
Insiders first told Puck in February she was set to lose her job – saying it would happen before the Skydance deal went through.
At the time, insiders told DailyMail.com how McMahon was ill-equipped for the job.
Shari Redstone, the heiress of CBS parent Paramount Global, has sought to settle the ongoing suit while pursuing a massive media merger with Skydance
McMahon and Owens were also behind the recent, two-host revamp of CBS Evening News, which was met with double-digit viewership declines within its first week of being implemented in February. Pictured, hosts Maurice Dubois and John Dickerson
CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon on Monday announced her exit from the company, offering a veiled reference to Trump’s lawsuit against the network
Her ouster came after a less-than-two-year tenure marred not only by Trump’s claims, but a steady flow of exits and poor ratings.
She also is said have recently found herself in poor favor with her prospective boss, incoming Paramount president Jeff Shell, Status reported.
CNBC on Monday reported that McMahon did not resign on her own, and that co-CEO George Cheeks – also an exec at Paramount – demanded her resignation Saturday.
In comments to Status, an unnamed CBS correspondent said many are placing blame on Cheeks for McMahon’s exit.
‘If I were George Cheeks, I’d avoid any newsroom for a while and prepare to go on a helluva mea culpa tour when it’s over,’ they said, hours after season 57’s final episode Sunday. ‘Starting at “60” and Washington especially.’
A deadline for the Skydance deal – valued at $8billion – is slated for July.
