Alison Pepper, CBS News Executive who oversees talent development, is stepping down
Alison Pepper, a longtime talent manager at CBS News who was recently in her second run at the Paramount Global unit, will leave after the 2024 presidential election, she revealed to staff in a memo sent Thursday.
“I have had the privilege of working with all of you every day, many of whom I consider family, as you navigated some of the most impactful news stories of our time with integrity, ingenuity and perseverance… and I have enjoyed every single one of them. minute,” Pepper said. “But with the seismic shifts facing our organization, I have made the difficult decision to leave CBS News after the election.”
Paramount Global has been trying to cut $500 million from its budget as it grapples with a decline in linear audiences on its cable networks and huge costs to run its Paramount+ streaming service. The company is expected to be acquired by Skydance Media, which is expected to pursue further discounts.
Pepper, who rejoined CBS in 2021, was charged with overseeing talent recruitment and development across all CBS News platforms. And yet CBS News is part of a broader entity that includes the company’s local stations, and there’s another director, Laurie Orlando, who oversees talent for those properties. Orlando had worked for CBS News before Pepper’s most recent arrival.
In her first gig at CBS News, Pepper rose to senior producer at “60 Minutes,” where she helped manage the broadcast and hire new reporters for both on-camera and off-screen roles. She began her career with the program in 2004 and helped expand the show into other areas, such as “60 Minutes Sports,” which ran for several seasons on Showtime, and a presence on YouTube.
She worked as an agent at CAA before returning to CBS News.
“I will never stop supporting you, the exceptional journalists I have had the honor of working with and championing,” Pepper said in her memo. “You have always been and always will be the gold standard.”
