Broadcasting

No Low-Income Media Help?

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Article in Free Press by Staff, 5/5/26

Headline:  “Free Press Opposes Carr’s Cruel and Baseless Attacks on the FCC’s Lifeline Program”

“. . .On Monday,  Free Press filed comments in the Federal Communications Commission proceeding on supposed ‘reform and modernization’ of the agency’s Lifeline program.

“Since the beginning of the year, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has sought to undermine the bipartisan federal-assistance program, which was created during the Reagan administration to help make communications services more affordable for qualifying low-income consumers. Carr has repeatedly attacked the program and proposed changes that would potentially intimidate eligible people from applying for Lifeline benefits. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/free-press-opposes-carrs-cruel-and-baseless-attacks-fccs-lifeline-program

Foxy Nukes

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Article in Media Matters by Matt Gertz, 5/5/26

Headline:  “Fox’s ”nuke justification for the Iran war — and the higher prices it’s wrought — has collapsed”

Subhead:  “Is it a small price to pay if you get nothing in return?”

“Fox pundits have repeatedly argued that the Iran war’s costs are ‘a small price to pay’ for its supposed prevention of the imminent threat posed by Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon.

But a new U.S. intelligence assessment reportedly found that after two months of war, ‘the time Iran would ​need to build a nuclear weapon has not changed since last summer, when analysts estimated that a U.S.-Israeli attack had pushed back the timeline to up to a year,’ according to exclusive reporting from Reuters. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/foxs-nuke-justification-iran-war-and-higher-prices-its-wrought-has-collapsed

Both Feet Forward

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Article in Daily Kos by Oliver Willis, 5/1/26

Headline: “CNN’s favorite MAGA creep is giving the network headaches”

“CNN’s decision to keep pro-Trump provocateur and MAGA shill Scott Jennings on its payroll despite a career filled with lies and boorish behavior is once again generating a wave of negative news for the network.

“Some pundits who have appeared on the network’s programs are calling for Jennings to be fired after a Thursday night appearance where he couldn’t keep his composure.

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/5/1/800031617/media/cnns-favorite-maga-creep-is-giving-the-network-headaches/

“60 Minutes” Censorship?

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 4/30/26

“The veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi expressed concern about “the spread of corporate meddling and editorial fear” at CBS News and her uncertainty about whether she will keep her job after she pushed back on a directive to change her December segment on Venezuelans who were sent to the Cecot prison in El Salvador.

Alfonsi spoke about the incident for the first time on Thursday evening after receiving the Ridenhour prize for courage at the National Press Club in Washington. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/apr/30/60-minutes-sharyn-alfonsi-cbs-news

News Gamble

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Article in The New Republic by Grace Segers, 4/29/26

Headline:  “The Media’s Embrace of Prediction Markets Could Be a Devil’s Bargain”

Subhead:  “New relationships between media organizations and Kalshi and Polymarket could raise serious questions about institutional trustworthiness.”

“As prediction markets rise in popularity and notoriety, several news outlets have recently engaged in partnerships with the most prominent of these companies, raising questions about how and why media organizations would want to become entangled with an industry essentially predicated on gambling. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://newrepublic.com/article/209602/media-ethics-prediction-markets-kalshi-polymarket

Threatening TV Stations?

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Article in Free Press by Staff, 4/28/26

Headline:  “FCC Chairman Carr’s Threat to Pull ABC Broadcast Licenses Is an Unconstitutional Attack on Free Speech”

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr issued an order to initiate early license reviews of all of ABC’s broadcast station licenses. This extraordinary move follows calls by President Donald Trump and his wife Melania for the broadcaster to fire Jimmy Kimmel.

Since becoming chairman, Carr has threatened multiple actions against the network and has opened at least three dubious investigations into the broadcaster, following instances in which ABC news and entertainment programming upset Trump. . .

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/fcc-chairman-carrs-threat-pull-abc-broadcast-licenses-unconstitutional-attack-free-speech

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Article in The Hill by Dominick Mastrangelo, 4/28/26

Headline: “FCC ordering review of Disney broadcast station licenses ”

“. . .In a filing made on Tuesday, the department confirmed it had been conducting an investigation into Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices and was kicking off the process to start an early review of the company’s broadcast licenses for a handful of stations it owns and operates in major markets across the country.

“The stations in question are ABC affiliates in major markets like New York, Los Angeles and Houston. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5854049-fcc-ordering-review-of-disney-broadcast-station-licenses/

Many ABC TV Stations Have Licenses

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 4/28/26

Headline:  “FCC orders review of ABC licenses after Jimmy Kimmel’s Melania Trump joke”

Subhead:  “Eight local broadcasting licenses under review after White House launched attack on late-night host over comment”

“The US’s top media watchdog announced on Tuesday that it is accelerating the review of eight local broadcasting licenses used by ABC, in a move critics see as a clear example of political and regulatory retribution against a disfavored broadcaster.

The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) announcement comes after the White House launched a full-on attack against the ABC’s late-night host, Jimmy Kimmel, over a joke he made last week about Melania Trump. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/fcc-abc-jimmy-kimmel

Complained About CBS Edits Once?

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Article in The New Republic by Malcolm Ferguson, 4/28/26

Headline:  “Deranged Trump Rants Edited Out of 60 Minutes Interview After Shooting”

Subhead:  “CBS news didn’t air some particularly troubling rants from President Trump in its interview following the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting.”

“CBS News’s 60 Minutes cut out large portions of its interview with President Trump in which he rambled about his ballroom, how hot his Secret Service agents are, and how the No Kings protests are just like the Ku Klux Klan. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://newrepublic.com/post/209590/trump-rants-edited-out-60-minutes-interview-cbs-shooting

Grabbing Radio

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Article in the New York Times by Lauren Hirsch and Benjamin Mullin

Headline:  “SiriusXM Said to Be in Early Talks to Acquire iHeartMedia”

Subhead:  “A deal, which was described by two people familiar with the discussions, would unite two major providers of traditional and satellite radio.”

“SiriusXM is in early-stage discussions to acquire iHeartMedia, a deal that would create an audio giant with a foothold in traditional and satellite radio and podcasts, two people familiar with the discussions said Friday.

“Should a deal come to fruition, it would be the culmination of years of speculation about a tie-up. Liberty SiriusXM Group, once an affiliate of John Malone’s media empire, formerly held significant stakes in both companies. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/24/business/media/siriusxm-iheart-radio.html

More Media Consolidation

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Article in Slashdot by BeauHD, 4/23/26

Headline: “Warner Bros Shareholders Approve Paramount’s $81 Billion Takeover”

“Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders have approved Paramount Skydance’s takeover bid, moving the massive Hollywood merger a step closer to completion. It’s not a done deal quite yet, though, as it still faces regulatory scrutiny and fierce opposition from critics who warn it will further concentrate media power. The Associated Press reports. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/26/04/23/1940241/warner-bros-shareholders-approve-paramounts-81-billion-takeover