CBS News and Stations is introducing a new editorial leadership structure, with Adrienne Roark and Jennifer Mitchell taking on expanded roles across the local-to-global news organization. Additionally, veteran CBS News and Stations executives will assume key roles and additional responsibilities to join the current team that oversees daily editorial and newsgathering across all platforms. The announcement was made today by Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures.
“Today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter as we write the future of CBS News and Stations. Our journalists and team members across the division are working together more collaboratively and efficiently to drive impact across all of our shows and streams,” said McMahon. “I have great confidence in the team we are assembling, beginning with Adrienne and Jennifer, who are terrific partners and inspirational, aspirational and empathetic leaders.
This structure is designed to support and build our next-generation news organization. By working with our talented teams in every newsroom, each of these leaders will enhance our coverage and better position us for the future.”
Adrienne Roark, who today is being named president of Editorial and Newsgathering for CBS News and Stations, will lead the unified organization’s teams in the field and across newsrooms to drive the daily Network News content engine, including correspondents, assignment desks, bureaus, booking teams, standards and practices, the Super Desk central newsgathering and storytelling platform, and CBS News Radio.
In addition, will continue to lead the CBS Local News Innovation Lab in Dallas-Fort Worth, the Centers of Excellence has built around data journalism, weather and specialized beats/units, and WCBS and WLNY in New York, as well as WBZ and WSBK in Boston.
Jennifer Mitchell, who will become president of Stations and Digital for CBS News and Stations, will assume primary responsibility for CBS Stations, as well as the division’s local and national digital properties. She will oversee 23 of the 27 CBS-owned stations, expanding her portfolio to now include seven stations in the East that had been led by Roark (KYW and WPSG in Philadelphia, KDKA and WPKD in Pittsburgh, WFOR and WBFS in Miami, and WJZ in Baltimore).
Roark will assume CBS News’ editorial leadership responsibilities that had been held by Ingrid Ciprián-Matthews, who last week transitioned from serving as president of CBS News into a new role as the Network’s senior editorial adviser, to help lead political coverage through the November election. Ciprián-Matthews continues to report to McMahon and work closely with the CBS News political team and the Washington, D.C., bureau.
In addition to providing leadership to CBS’ large-market stations along the East Coast over the past three years, Roark has led newsrooms in the biggest markets across the country over the course of her career. She has spearheaded several of CBS News and Stations’ recent cross-divisional initiatives, including Eye on America and a national community journalism movement.
She has also had a greater presence in the CBS News control room, providing leadership and support to the Network’s breaking news coverage. This includes driving collaboration and tapping into the strengths of CBS’ local and national teams across bureaus and newsrooms when reporting on events such as the assassination attempt on former President Trump and the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore.
Mitchell has led innovation across CBS News and Stations’ newsrooms and digital platforms. She most recently played a key role in conceptualizing and bringing to life CBS NEWS 24/7, the flagship show for CBS News’ national stream of the same name.
She has played a vital role in growing CBS Stations’ local streams as they have skyrocketed from fourth to first, collectively, against their same-market competition. Mitchell has also helped develop the strategic plans that have allowed CBS Stations to invest in and grow the number of hours of local news produced each year by more than 9,000.
Roark and Mitchell will continue to report to McMahon and share responsibility for overseeing the content for the division’s local and national streaming channels. Mitchell has more than 20 years of experience as a multi-platform newsroom leader and joined the Network as president of CBS Stations in 2021.
Roark began her career at CBS, and after managing newsrooms in major markets, returned in 2021 as president of CBS Stations and was named president of Content Development and Integration for CBS News, Stations and Media Ventures in 2023.
McMahon will oversee all CBS News network broadcasts, working directly with the executive producers of those shows to continue to maximize the organization’s brands and editorial capabilities across all screens and platforms.
As part of today’s announcement, McMahon announced that Alvin Patrick will assume a new role. In addition to continuing to serve as executive producer of the CBS News Race and Culture Unit, Patrick will expand his oversight of original long-form programming for CBS News digital and streaming properties, including CBS News 24/7 and Paramount+, to include specials and documentaries for platforms across CBS News, Stations and Media Ventures.
He is the founding executive producer of the Race and Culture Unit, which was created in 2020. He will report to McMahon.
Roark announced that day-to-day editorial newsgathering across CBS News and Stations will be led by longtime CBS News executive Terri Stewart, who assumes expanded responsibilities as senior vice president of newsgathering, and Wendy Fir, who has been named senior vice president of editorial. Stewart will continue to guide the Network’s news gathering efforts, in addition to running the news hubs to support the new community journalism coverage.
She will also focus on the development of a CBS News and Stations coverage desk. Fir will focus on driving strategic, comprehensive coverage across the group, working closely with the Washington, foreign and domestic bureaus. She will continue to oversee weather coverage for CBS News and Stations. Both will report to Roark.
In an expanded role as senior vice president of CBS News 24/7, special events and special projects, David Reiter will continue to oversee all special events and projects for CBS News. This includes breaking news and coverage of special events such as Election Night.
In addition to his responsibilities for special coverage on television, he will lead the division’s streaming initiatives, including the development of expanded content offerings. Reiter will oversee the special events and streaming team, reporting into Roark.