Overview

• Paramount Skydance announced the acquisition of The Free Press and appointed its founder, Bari Weiss, to lead CBS News as editor-in-chief starting Monday.
• The deal was not priced in the release, though multiple outlets reported a roughly $150 million cash-and-stock valuation.
• Weiss will set editorial priorities at CBS News while continuing to run The Free Press, which the company says will keep its brand and operations independent.
• Paramount said The Free Press has about 1.5 million subscribers, including roughly 170,000 paid, reflecting rapid recent revenue growth.
• The move follows FCC approval of the Skydance–Paramount merger after Paramount paid $16 million to settle a 2024 Trump lawsuit and appointed ombudsman Kenneth R. Weinstein, with some CBS staff voicing concern over potential shifts in editorial direction and planned layoffs.