It is an eventful time at CBS News to say the least. CBS Mornings is seeing real growth against its well-entrenched rivals on ABC and NBC. CBS News Streaming is focusing on the election with daily program America Decides and the CBS Evening News franchise “Eye on America” is expanding from a weekly segment to four nights a week and a presence throughout the CBS News and Stations portfolio.
Overseeing it all is Ingrid Ciprián-Matthews, who was named CBS News president last August, promoted from executive VP of newsgathering. Though the competition is as fierce as it has ever been, she believes it’s an ideal time to deliver CBS News content to America. “It’s a great opportunity to not only maintain the legacy of CBS News but also create more opportunities for all of our journalists to reach many more people on every single platform,” she said.
The platforms are numerous and Ciprián-Matthews has hired a key person to streamline the blast of news coming in each day and pinpoint the ideal slot within CBS News for stories to inhabit. In February, Alturo Rhymes was named executive producer of daily news, working with newsgathering teams and producers to find the best home for their content.
“CBS News is known for its storytelling; CBS News is known for its reporting,” she said. “We could help fuel that and organize that, reporting in a more streamlined fashion, with a daily news executive producer who can help all of our stories and our reporting funnel to all of our platforms.”
I look at things through a very different lens. When I came to this country, I was not what people were used to seeing. I was not supposed to be president of CBS News.”
Ingrid Ciprián-Matthews
Ciprián-Matthews joined CBS News in 1993, after a run as managing editor of CNN’s New York bureau. She started at CBS as a senior producer for live segments in the morning newscast, and was also London deputy bureau chief, senior producer on the CBS Evening News, and CBS News VP of news, among other posts.
George Cheeks, CBS president and CEO, said she is “the ideal journalist and executive to lead CBS News in this critical moment when fact-based, unbiased reporting means so much. Her unique blend of work and life experience helps infuse perspective and empathy into our coverage and culture across the division.”
CBS News and the owned stations became one division in 2021, and Ciprián-Matthews said national and local continue to work together more. Station voices will play a key role as the election season heats up, with local reporters working alongside such network figures as Ed O’Keefe, Nancy Cordes and Robert Costa, to provide insights into key issues and races from Middle America and beyond. Ciprián-Matthews mentioned “embeds” in the communities of America, “listening to people, what the issues are that matter to them, why they matter to them” and sharing those insights in both local and national broadcasts.
A Unique Perspective
Ciprián-Matthews was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the U.S. around the age of 4. That has given her a different perspective than most network news chiefs. “I look at things through a very different lens,” she said. “When I came to this country, I was not what people were used to seeing. I was not supposed to be president of CBS News. I was not supposed to be a journalist.”
Through sheer determination she made it happen.
Ciprián-Matthews embraces the role of mentor these days, saying it is the responsibility of everyone in a leadership position and doesn’t have to be a formal corporate role. “You mentor in your conversations, listening to someone and exchanging an idea and perhaps disagreeing with what they’re saying,” she said, “but doing so in a way that actually expands horizons.”
When Ciprián-Matthews is not running a news operation in the era of the nonstop news cycle, she unwinds with meditation before the workday, and watching British mystery series and films with her husband after work.
Wendy McMahon, president and CEO, CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures, said CBS News has the right person steering the ship. “Ingrid’s editorial expertise, her depth of knowledge and sensitivity to the nuance of the subjects we cover around the globe and her impeccable news judgment make her an incredible leader,” she said. “I am also in awe of her unwavering commitment to our journalism and to the people and culture of CBS News.”
