Another top executive is exiting CBS News, as the news division continues to reel amid reported settlement talks between owner Paramount Global and President Trump.
Adrienne Roark, who was named president of editorial and newsgathering at CBS News just seven months ago, is exiting the company to take a senior role at the local TV station giant Tegna. The exec was named chief content officer reporting to CEO Mike Steib, beginning on March 31.
Roark was elevated to the role last August after former CBS News president Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews announced her plan to leave the news division. Ciprian-Matthews had only been running CBS News for a year when she announced her plan to leave.
“I’m thrilled to join Tegna and look forward to working with the talented team to continue innovating and delivering high-quality, audience-driven stories for the tens of millions of community members who come to our platforms daily for their local news,” Roark said.
Wendy McMahon, who oversees the CBS News, local TV stations and syndicated TV businesses, had previously added direct oversight of the flagship CBS News programs.
Roark’s exit comes after a tumultuous few months for CBS News, with CBS Mornings having dealt with fallout from an interview that CBS Mornings co-anchor Tony Dokoupil conducted with author Ta-Nehisi Coates. Roark is the executive — along with McMahon — who pushed back on Dokoupil’s tone in the interview, in a meeting with CBS News staff.
And CBS News owner Paramount Global is reportedly in settlement talks with President Trump over his $20 billion lawsuit against 60 Minutes over how it edited an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. The interview is now the centerpiece of an FCC investigation, and could hold up the sale to Skydance. CBS News staff are furious about the possibility of a settlement, given how innocuous they see the edit as being.