If it Looks Like an Oligopoly. . .

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Article in The Wrap by Kayla Cobb, 10/8/26

Headline: “Skydance’s New TV Empire Explained: Who’s in Charge and What May Be Ahead | Analysis”

Subhead:  “With the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Skydance now owns almost 190 shows, over 70 cable networks and two major streamers”

“A lot of attention has been paid to the future of the film industry in the wake of Skydance acquiring Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, but few are talking about the other big entertainment play of this new merger: TV. With the acquisition of WBD, Skydance now owns nearly 190 shows, more than 70 cable channels and two major streamers.

“It’s a massive portfolio that threatens to disrupt the current order of television. Over the past 12 months, networks and streaming assets owned by Paramount and Warner Bros. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/tv/skydance-tv-paramount-warner-bros-discovery-merger-analysis/

CBS Puts Whole Hand on Scale

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 10/8/26

Headline:  “Opinion | CBS gives JD Vance a prime-time town hall just before the midterms”

Subhead: “The Michigan event gives the vice president a national stage as Republicans make their closing argument to voters”

“In timing that is certainly good for a Republican Party looking for a last-minute rally ahead of the midterm elections, CBS announced Wednesday that it will air a town hall with Vice President JD Vance on Oct. 17 — just two and a half weeks before the pivotal Election Day. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/jd-vance-cbs-town-hall-midterms/

Stopping WH Media Ban

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Article in AP by Michael Kunzelman, Jocelyn Noveck, and Rebecca Boone

Headline: “Media attorneys ask court for help in preventing White House ban until legal case is resolved”

“. . .An attorney for three news organizations told a federal judge Thursday that the Trump administration must be prevented from barring their reporters from the White House, saying the ban is a classic example of “viewpoint discrimination” that is punishing people for what they say — and violating the media outlets’ First Amendment rights. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://apnews.com/article/trump-networks-media-ban-cnn-6459d3612a0a845a0cf1a093acafbe6f

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 10/8/26

Headline:  “Trump made ‘clear’ that media ban was due to critical coverage, court told”

Subhead: “Lawyer for CNN, MS Now and Politico says Trump admitted he banned networks from White House over their coverage”

“Donald Trump continues to be the strongest witness for the media companies arguing that they were unfairly barred from the White House at his direction, a lawyer representing CNN, MS Now and Politico told a federal judge on Thursday afternoon. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/08/trump-media-ban-hearing

Media in the Lifeboats!

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Article in Mediaite by Alex Griffing, 10/7/26

Headline: “Pete Hegseth Welcomes USS Lincoln Crew Home With a Rant Against the Media: They Tried to Say it Was a ‘Failed Mission!’”

“. . .Hegseth slammed the media for its reporting on the conditions aboard the vessel during his remarks. ‘And there were a few folks in the media who tried to turn the USS Abraham Lincoln into some sort of symbol: a symbol of dysfunction, or a symbol of low morale, or a symbol of a failed mission,’ Hegseth fumed, adding:

“‘And what I look out at right here, and what I talked to your leadership about – and I have had a chance to talk to a number of you – I know it’s the exact opposite, which is actually what the media does so often.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/pete-hegseth-welcomes-uss-lincoln-crew-home-with-a-rant-against-the-media-they-tried-to-say-it-was-a-failed-mission/

Of a Feather – On Same Branch

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Article in Mediaite by Zachary Leeman, 10/6/26

Headline: ” ‘It’s Gonna Be a Great Company!’ Trump Raves About Ally David Ellison Taking Over Warner Bros in Massive Merger”

“President Donald Trump raved about the $111 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, saying it will be a “great company” headed by “terrific people.”

“Trump spoke with the press before a departure to Maryland on Tuesday. He avoided multiple questions about his recent remarks about Iran’s ability to ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego, but he was full of praise over Paramount’s David Ellison taking over Warner Bros. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/its-gonna-be-a-great-company-trump-raves-about-ally-david-ellison-taking-over-warner-bros-in-massive-merger/

Next: Kash Selling Vacs Door-to-door?

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Article in The New Republic by Edith Olmstead, 10/6/26

Headline:  “Why the Hell Is Kash Patel’s FBI Making Campaign Ads?”

Subhead:  “Patel has turned the bureau into a P.R. agency for Donald Trump.”

“Kash Patel’s FBI slammed Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in a wildly partisan, and likely illegal, propaganda video Tuesday.

“In a two-minute video posted on social media, the supposedly nonpartisan agency decried “democratic socialist leaders” for calling to defund the police. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://newrepublic.com/post/216292/kash-patel-fbi-campaign-ads-donald-trump11:34 PM 10/6/2026

Media Reported “Little Excursion”?

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Article in Poynter by Amy Sherman and Maria Briceño, 10/6/26z

Headline:  “Trump said the Iran war would last weeks. Now he says the media got it wrong.”

Subhead:  “Trump now says his 4-6 week estimate was about eliminating Iran’s nuclear threat. That’s not what he said at the time.”

“Donald Trump told them would be over in a matter of weeks — has led to higher inflation and energy prices, including for gasoline.

“Now seven months into the conflict, Trump is defending his decision to attack Iran with Israel on Feb. 28, but he’s recasting his initial timeline for what he once labeled a ‘little excursion.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2026/trump-iran-war-timeline-media-fact-check/

Media Consolidation a Problem?

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 10/6/26

Headline: “David Ellison denies he has ‘politicized’ Skydance despite close Trump links”

Subhead:  “Ellison admits ‘good relationship’ with administration in remarks to reporters about newly merged media company”

“David Ellison, the chief executive of the newly formed media conglomerate Skydance, denied that he has “politicized” the company despite the close connection he has forged with Donald Trump’s White House over the 20 months of his administration. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/06/skydance-david-ellison-trump

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Article in The Washington Post by Scott Nover and Miriam Waldvogel, 10/6/26

Headline:  “Paramount closes $110B deal with Warner Bros. Discovery after months of wrangling”

Subhead: “The deal unites Paramount and Warner Bros. film and TV studios along with CNN and CBS, creating a new megacorporation in Hollywood, streaming and news.”

Read the article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/10/06/paramount-closes-110b-deal-with-warner-bros-discovery-after-months-wrangling/?itid=hp_mv-top-stories_Biz/Nat_p008_f001

Empty House, Arrest Reporter

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Article in The Hill by Max Rego, 10/5/26

Headline:  “Trump calls for media outlets to be ‘arrested’ over rally coverage”

“President Trump said Monday that reporters from The New York Times and other media outlets should be ‘arrested’ over their coverage of his Saturday rally in Ohio.

‘The Ohio Arena was already full to the brim — And yet these people were still trying to get in,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social, sharing a video of people in line for the rally.

“New York Times correspondent Katie Rogers wrote Sunday that ‘several areas of an upper deck were empty’ by the time the president finished speaking at Butler High School in Vandalia. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6130397-trump-media-arrests-ohio-rally/

Steaks, University, Watches, and Trump

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Article in The New York Times by By Maggie HabermanHamed AleazizShane Goldmacher and Jonathan Swan, 10/2/26

Headline: “Trump Directed Use of Taxpayer Money for Ads Praising His Presidency”

Subhead: “The government-funded ads show just how much President Trump has been able to use federal money for his own aims.”

“President Trump personally instructed his budget director to use taxpayer money for TV ads praising him and his presidency, setting in motion a $20 million contract that used funds from the Department of Homeland Security, according to people familiar with the matter.

“The ads have run across cable and network television — on Fox News, CNN and MS Now, with football games on Fox and with national newscasts on CBS, ABC and NBC, including ‘Meet the Press,’ which Mr. Trump is known to watch. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/02/us/politics/trump-ads.html