All posts tagged "Paramount"

CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss has been quietly courting fired CNN anchor Chris Cuomo to join her fledgling network.

In a Friday episode of Power Lines, media reporters Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino revealed that Weiss has her sights set on Cuomo as a big-name acquisition for CBS News, whose ratings have been plummeting.

Cuomo is currently working for NewsNation, where he hosts his own prime-time show. He was fired by CNN in December 2021 after an investigation by the New York Attorney General revealed that he used his media sources to help his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, amid sexual harassment allegations....

Paramount Skydance scrambled to respond after Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo attacked the studio's CEO and his father.

According to a Friday article by Variety, Ruffalo posted a video on his Instagram showing the executive vice chair of the tech company Oracle, Safra Catz, talking about how the company supported Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. Oracle was co-founded and is chaired by Larry Ellison, the father of Paramount CEO David Ellison.

Catz, who is Israeli, is shown in the video speaking on a panel a few years ago, according to Variety. Catz is also on Paramount's board of directors, per the company's website....

A slip by conservative New York Times columnist Ross Douthat revealed that promises to "60 Minutes" from CBS don't mean anything, an expert said.

In a Friday episode of the Power Lines podcast, media expert Jon Passantino called out how Douthat answered questions during his exit interview. Douthat was announced as the newest "60 Minutes" correspondent last month, and fellow New York Times columnist Ezra Klein interviewed Douthat for his podcast.

Klein asked Douthat, "What did they say they wanted? Like, what is your sense of what '60 Minutes' is trying to become with you launching as a marquee name?"...

CNN insiders shredded an op-ed by a MAGA billionaire who's trying to take over their parent company, according to a media reporter.

During an episode of the Status podcast Power Lines, Oliver Darcy, who reports on media, said that CNN staffers and journalists panned a New York Times op-ed by Paramount Skydance owner David Ellison, who is trying to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. Ellison controls CBS, which has seen a MAGA makeover of its news programs under Bari Weiss and cut the Trump-critical The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

The Paramount chief's guest essay marked his first public defense of the deal, which a dozen states sued to block. A judge halted it until a trial set for March, but if it's greenlit, Ellison would take control of CNN. Darcy said that he spoke with more than a dozen people inside CNN about whether the essay swayed them, and they responded with a "resounding no."...

A major media merger approved by the Trump administration hit another standstill, according to The New York Times.

On Friday, Paramount said that it agreed to halt its $111 billion merger with Warner Bros., which would bring the movie studio and its programs, including CNN, under the control of MAGA-friendly David Ellison, The Times reported.

The Department of Justice greenlit the industry-shaking deal in June. The Trump administration had leverage over Ellison, the Paramount Skydance CEO, while he awaited the DOJ's approval. During that wait, Ellison transformed CBS News and cut "The Late Show" with Stephen Colbert....

MAGA-aligned CBS News boss Bari Weiss has gone on a charm offensive, but her staff isn't buying it, per reports.

According to reporting by the New York Post, Weiss has changed her approach to leading CBS News in the wake of firing veteran and star correspondents from its flagship program, 60 Minutes. Recent reports have also shown that other CBS News programs are sinking to record-low ratings.

Sources told The NY Post that Weiss is "notably friendlier" and "more hands-on" with CBS News staff. In recent weeks, Weiss has started editorial meetings by "celebrating" wins and spotlighting journalists who have done a good job, at times reading their names aloud from her notebook, the Post reported....