Good Night, and Good Luck

In an era of fake news and AI-generated content to close down a major source of broadcast news seems perverse. But that’s exactly what has happened this week in the USA with the end of, after nearly 99 years, CBS News Radio. The final broadcasts featuring the CBS chime or ‘bong’ and the opening line “This is CBS News on the Hour, your home for original reporting” were heard yesterday.

It was a tough week for CBS as not only was its radio news operation closing but some of its newscasts were reporting on the end of another part of CBS, the final edition of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after eleven seasons and the closure as a production centre of the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway.

CBS News Radio had started in September 1927 and cemented its reputation during World War II with the famous reports from London by Edward R. Murrow and his “Hello America. This is London Calling”. Newscasters such as John Daly, Douglas Edwards and Dallas Townsend would become trusted household names. The daily World News Roundup started in March 1938 and was the longest-running US radio newscast.  At its height about 1,000 stations carried the news service and until recently there had been around 700 affiliates. In the days running up to the closure many stations, especially those owned by Audacy such as WBBM, WTOP and KCBS, switched to ABC news bulletins.

The demise of CBS News Radio stems from the change of ownership last year at the parent company Paramount Skydance and the controversial appointment of Bari Weiss as editor-in chief. In March it was announced that the service would close citing a shift ‘in radio station programming strategies, coupled with challenging economic realities’.

CBS News Radio closed on Friday 22 May with the final top of the hour newscast at 11pm ET and the last half-hour news update at 11.30pm ET. Both these broadcasts were in fact tributes to the history of the news service and a chance for some familiar voices to say goodbye. The final World News Roundup was read by Steve Kathan and the final bulletins were presented by Christopher Cruz.

Here is a selection of newscasts from during the week including the final ones.

The 40-minute feature Good Night and Good Luck: A CBS News Radio Retrospective has been posted on YouTube by WMBS590AM.

CBS News Radio 1927-2026