#CBS News staffers chafing under new cost-slashing boss Neeraj Khemlani

A tough, new boss at CBS News is slashing costs in a bid to revamp the struggling network — and he’s also provoking complaints from employees, with some grumbling that he is “rude” and “micromanaging.”

Rank-and-file at the third-place network gripe that co-president Neeraj Khemlani — a former Hearst executive who along with ex-ABC executive Wendy McMahon took the reins in May — is demanding more work even as he axes resources, with some raising concerns that ruthless bean counting at CBS News is “cutting it to the bone.”

As reported by The Post, the struggling network is reassessing budgets amid concerns that it may no longer be able to afford big-name anchors such as Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell, who are currently renegotiating their contracts since last year’s departure of Susan Zirinsky, the legendary newshound who had beefed up their compensation.

Behind the scenes, ticked-off employees grumble that Khemlani cultivates a “Shark Tank”-like investor’s persona that’s focused on “poking holes” in business plans and demanding to know the “return on investment” for new projects. Some have complained of “micro aggressions” that include calling staffers late and on weekends and leveling tough questions in meetings about to-do lists even as many departments are understaffed.

According to multiple sources, Khemlani’s sharp elbows have not only spurred several staffers to file human resources complaints, but also led agents for CBS employees to complain on their clients’ behalf to CBS CEO George Cheeks, who hired Khemlani after taking the helm last January. It’s unclear whether any disciplinary action has been taken.

“There has never been a more unpopular news division president,” said one CBS veteran. “I don’t think people would be surprised if he’s not here in a couple months.”

Prepping for a deal?

Some employees speculated that Cheeks tapped Khemlani at the behest of ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish and chair Shari Redstone to chop overhead at CBS and merge it with Comcast, which already has a news division. Others believe that the steep cuts are related to Viacom’s 2019 merger with CBS, which promised cost synergies of $300 million in 2020 and a three-year target of $800 million.

“They probably need to hit targets post-merger,” said a CBS insider. “But the bigger question is: What is their long-term strategy if there isn’t an investment in news?”

One well-placed source said Bakish is keenly focused on ViacomCBS’s streaming business, which includes Paramount+, the company’s subscription service, which houses programming from movie studio Paramount, CBS, Comedy Central and other properties. More subscribers and more ad revenue for those services “drive the stock price,” the source said.

“Neeraj and Wendy are in the process of leading CBS News and Stations into a dual broadcast and streaming future,” Cheeks told The Post in a statement. “At every turn, their moves have been thoughtful, strategic and forward-thinking. Change is hard. Evolution is necessary. I support their vision for a next-generation news operation.”

A rep from CBS News added: “You’ll be seeing several new hire announcements in the coming weeks that will build on this momentum. Part of any successful transformation is change, and that involves deploying resources in different ways. Make no mistake, this is not about cutting; it’s about building and positioning CBS News and its prestigious brand to compete and succeed in a broadcast and streaming world.”

Awkward video call

Some staffers in the trenches, meanwhile, say they are growing weary of dodging bullets from Khemlani.

One employee recounted a video conference that the exec held during the first week he started. With roughly 200 staffers on the call, Khemlani took digs at various news teams, lamenting how slowly they got on the air to report breaking stories, among other tough judgments.

Angry staffers took to Slack after the meeting, remarking how “bold” it was for Khemlani, an executive with “little journalism experience,” to come in guns blazing on day one.

Khemlani and his co-president McMahon replaced Zirinsky, who had succeeded David Rhodes as CBS News president following a turbulent period marred by sexual misconduct allegations that ousted CBS CEO Les Moonves, “60 Minutes” boss Jeff Fager and others.

During her two-year tenure, Zirinsky reshuffled the network’s morning show anchor lineup, sending co-host O’Donnell to anchor the pricey revamped “CBS Evening News.” Both the morning and evening shows remained in third place, as Zirinsky, a journalist by training, had trouble navigating the corporate culture of the network. 

Sources said McMahon has been building up local news stations to bring in advertising dollars. Recently, she spearheaded the creation of a hyper-local news department in Detroit that focuses on streaming and live news coverage. CBS’ local station WWJ-TV will run the division, which will launch next year.

Jane Pauley ‘ripped off’

Meanwhile, Khemlani has been working to reverse a ratings slump at “CBS This Morning.” Last fall, he changed the show’s name to “CBS Mornings” and replaced co-anchor Anthony Mason with Nate Burleson, who joined King and Tony Dokoupil at the anchor table. He also moved the show from CBS’ Broadcast Center on 57th street to a second-floor studio in ViacomCBS’ corporate headquarters in Times Square.

“All CBS News morning broadcasts will now be part of the same family,” Khemlani announced in an August press release, adding the shows will be “connected by the sound of the iconic trumpet music and an ethos of optimism that carries all the way through to the sunshine logo itself.”

Critics said the moves amount to “CBS Mornings” copying the branding of Jane Pauley’s “CBS Sunday Morning,” using the show’s golden yellow sun logo and music theme. Staffers on Pauley’s show are “pissed” that the exec “ripped off” their show, an insider said.

“He stole the DNA of the place,” the source added. “The worry is that you’re diluting the brand.”

Sources said “CBS Mornings” star King, like staffers, has been annoyed that the windows overlooking Times Square have been covered up. Onlookers from the street can’t see the live broadcast, while anchors inside sit in front of big LED screens that project a manufactured view of Times Square.

According to a report from trade publication Newscast Studio, an initial studio design calling for real views of Times Square “proved too costly to add extensive amounts of glass due to structural issues with the building.”

Sources added that ViacomCBS has had trouble renting out the space, which had once broadcast MTV’s “Total Request Live” many years ago. This was likely a way for the company to “pawn off” the rent to CBS, a source sniffed.

‘Morale problem’

Although “CBS Mornings” is still in last place behind NBC’s “Today” and ABC’s “Good Morning America,” a CBS rep said the show is “is up 7 percent and 9 percent in the key demos in its first 16 weeks more than competition.” She added that it “ended the season closer to NBC and ABC than any other time in CBS history.”

Meanwhile, sources told The Post of a drumbeat of departures — some voluntary, some not — which include senior vice president of human resources Jose Andino; executive vice president and general manager of CBS News Digital Christy Tanner; CBS News creative director Renee Cullen; senior vice president of CBS News Digital Susanne Mei; investigative reporter Mireya Villarreal; CBS News former standards and foreign editor Tony Cavin; CBS News executive producer of Special Events Eva Nordstrom; and senior executive producer for streaming service CBSN Darius Walker. 

“When you’re being asked to do more with less, it contributes to a morale problem,” a source said. “And when you don’t feel appreciated and you’re not paid well, people vote with their feet.”

“The question is, what is the company’s vision?” another added. “A strategy, a vision sometimes can get people to get people to work harder for little money. But I don’t think they see a vision. I’m not sure there is one.”