Sept 8 (Reuters) - Paramount Skydance ( PSKY ) on Monday

named Kenneth Weinstein as ombudsman for CBS News, a newly

created role aimed at monitoring bias and audience complaints.

The appointment fulfills a condition set by U.S.

regulators when the Federal Communications Commission voted 2-1

in late July to approve Skydance Media's

$8.4 billion merger

with Paramount, which required hiring an ombudsman to

review complaints.

In 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump

nominated Weinstein to be U.S. ambassador to Japan

, but the nomination expired without a full Senate

confirmation. He is currently the Japan chair at the

conservative Hudson Institute.

He has served under four U.S. administrations on federal

advisory boards, including as chair of the Broadcasting Board of

Governors, now the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

Complaints from consumers, employees and others will be

directed to Weinstein, Paramount said. Cases he deems require

further action will be elevated to Paramount President Jeff

Shell and George Cheeks, chair of TV Media.

The merger faced intense scrutiny, with CBS News emerging as

a flashpoint during the review.

CBS News faced a more than $20 billion lawsuit from

Trump over its editing of a "60 Minutes" interview in October

2024 with then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

In July, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle

the case ahead of its merger with Skydance, without issuing an

apology or expressing regret, concluding about nine months of

legal proceedings amid calls not to settle.

Before the settlement, CBS News President and Chief

Executive Wendy McMahon stepped down from her position, telling

staffers that she and the company had differing views on the

path forward.

Bill Owens, the long-time executive producer of "60

Minutes," also announced his departure, citing concerns over

editorial independence.