Alison Pepper, the CBS News executive charged with overseeing talent development at the Paramount Global-owned news division, will depart after the 2024 election. “I have had the privilege of working each day with all of you, many of whom I consider to be like family, as you navigated some of the most impactful news stories of our time with integrity, ingenuity and grit,” Pepper wrote in a memo to staff announcing her departure.  Pepper is in her second stint at CBS News with time as a talent agent for CAA in between. In her first tour at CBS, she worked on “60 Minutes,” including taking on hiring editorial team members for the show.  When Pepper returned to CBS the second time, the person essentially managing talent for the network, Laurie Orlando, was moved to the owned-stations division.  However, right around the time when Pepper returned to CBS in 2021, the network announced it would combine its news division and local stations group into CBS News and Stations. Since then, tighter synergies between the local stations and the network have grown, so it’s possible CBS may not need two separate executives, although that was not confirmed in the Oct. 24, 2024, announcement of Pepper’s departure.  Paramount as a whole is in the middle of trying to cut costs as it prepares to be acquired by Skydance Media, which could lead to even more job cuts. Pepper’s departure has not been confirmed to be related to the staff reductions, however. Pepper is also leaving around the same time that one of the network’s most high-profile anchors, Norah O’Donnell, steps down from the “CBS Evening News” anchor desk after about five-and-a-half years. O’Donnell will remain with the network, and CBS has announced a potentially ambitious plan of using two or three anchors for the broadcast — Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson in New York and Margaret Brennan in Washington, D.C., when there is major news out of the capital. Meanwhile, the network also recently laid off former “Evening News” anchor Jeff Glor, who had transitioned to hosting “CBS Saturday Morning” as well as correspondents Ben Tracy, Anna Werner and Roxana Saberi.  On the other hand, the network also recently re-upped with “CBS Mornings” anchor Gayle King. King reportedly took a pay cut in order to remain with the network.