What To Know
- CBS News is launching a new town hall and debate series called Things That Matter.
- Bari Weiss held the first town hall with Erika Kirk on December 13.
- Despite the less-than-stellar ratings and lack of mainstream advertising support for the first installment, Weiss is passionate about moving forward with the project.
CBS News is moving forward with a new program called Things That Matter, a series that will feature town halls and debates in venues across the United States, with audiences who have a stake in the issues at-hand. The series will officially launch in 2026 and have a rotating series of hosts, according to Variety.
This is one of the new additions brought to the network under the leadership of editor in chief Bari Weiss, who was appointed in October. She kicked off the new installment by hosting a town hall with Erika Kirk on December 13.
The event aired during one of the least-watched hours of television of the week, bringing in 1.87 million viewers, which was respectable compared to other Saturdays this season. However, per Variety, the numbers were lower than CBS’s typical viewership across 2025. Per data from Nielsen, viewership was down 11% compared to averages for that hour year to date.
CBS News also struggled to land mainstream advertisers during the segment. However, the network confirmed that Bank of America will serve as the title sponsor for Things That Matter.
Despite the initial issues, Weiss is passionate about moving forward with this project. “We believe that the vast majority of Americans crave honest conversation and civil, passionate debate,” she said in a statement. “This series is for them. In a moment in which people believe that truth is whatever they are served on their social media feed, we can think of nothing more important than insisting that the only way to get to the truth is by speaking to one another.”
The town halls will bring together people on opposite sides of issues, with hopes that they can find common ground. Vice President JD Vance, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Maryland Governor Wes Moore are among the figures who will take place in the town halls, according to Variety. The debates will feature Isabel Brown and Harry Sisson, Ross Douthat and Steven Pinker, and Liz Plank and Allie Beth Stuckey.
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
