Broadcasting

When Media Giants Collide

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Article in Free Press by Staff 6/17/26

Headline:  “The Fight to Stop a Hollywood Mega-Merger Is Far from Over”

“The Justice Department approved the tie-up between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, but states can still sue to block it.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/fight-stop-hollywood-mega-merger-far-over

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Article in Democracy Now! by Staff, 6/15/26

Headline:  “DOJ Approves Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Amid Fears Trump Allies Will Tighten Grip on Media”

“The Trump administration has approved media conglomerate Paramount’s $111 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros., one year after Paramount and Skydance Media signed a similar merger that placed Paramount’s movie studio, streaming service and broadcast network CBS under the control of the multibillionaire Ellison family, founders of Skydance and close allies of Donald Trump. The Warner Bros. merger, if completed, would bring an even larger slice of the industry’s market share into Ellison control. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.democracynow.org/2026/6/15/paramount_warner_bros_merger_david_ellison

Et Tu NBC?

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Article in Status by Natalie Korach, 6/17/26

Headline:  “NBC’s Ballroom Blowback”

Subhead: “An NBCUniversal executive’s candid remarks justifying Comcast’s donation to Trump’s ballroom stunned reporters in the room and reignited questions about the company’s motives, Status has learned.”

“On Wednesday, NBC-owned stations news directors and NBC News investigative reporters gathered for a network training day ahead of the 2026 Investigative Reporters & Editors conference in National Harbor, Maryland. But amid a day of the usual presentations and speeches, some attendees were surprised to hear what sounded like an NBCUniversal executive suggesting that parent company Comcast’s multimillion-dollar donation to Donald Trump’s controversial White House ballroom project was simply a cost of doing business. . .

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/comcast-ballroom-donation-trump-nbc-news

Many Rt. Wing Media Are Unhappy

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Article in Media Matters by John Knefel, 6/27/26

Headline:  “The right-wing media revolt against Trump’s proposed MOU with Iran”

Subhead:  “Conservative pundits are trashing the White House’s memorandum of understanding”

“Right-wing media figures and outlets, including many that have been all-in on President Donald Trump’s war on Iran, are in open revolt against his proposed memorandum of understanding that seeks to deescalate the conflict. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/us-iran-relations/right-wing-media-revolt-against-trumps-proposed-mou-iran

CNN Moving Closer to the Edge

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 6/16/26

Headline:  “The CBS-CNN Courtship”

Subhead:  “Behind the scenes, Status has learned that top executives at CNN and CBS News have quietly convened for meetings as Paramount moves closer to acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, uniting the two news operations.”

“A few weeks ago, as CBS News and   inched closer to a corporate marriage, top executives from the two news organizations and their parent companies convened for an introductory meeting. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/cbs-news-cnn-merger-bari-weiss-mark-thompson-paramount

Local Stations – Exploding Prices?

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Article in Media Matters by Zachary Pleat & Gideon Taaffe, 6/15/26

Headline:  “Sinclair’s national programs offer a Trump-friendly spin on his costly oil and gas prices, while local broadcasts show harm to Americans”

Subhead: “Local stations — including some owned by Sinclair — have been at the forefront of documenting American pain at the pump”

“Americans are feeling pain at the pump and elsewhere thanks to the ongoing surge in oil and fuel prices from President Donald Trump’s war on Iran, and local television news stations have been at the forefront of documenting that pain, with even some local stations owned by the right-wing Sinclair Broadcast Group airing such coverage. Sinclair’s national programming, however, has often applied a Trump-friendly spin while discussing high gas prices, downplaying the increases and suggesting they’ll be short-lived. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/fuel-files-rising-gasoline-oil-and-fertilizer-prices/sinclairs-national-programs-offer-trump

60 Minutes Losing its Glow?

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 6/12/26

Headline:  “Opinion | Will we recognize the country’s most-watched news program after this overhaul?”

Subhead: ” ’60 Minutes’ is at a crossroads, and some wonder how — and if — the show will recover from recent changes”

“. . .This past season, the show had seven people introduce themselves: Anderson Cooper, Scott Pelley, Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega, Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim. All of them, superb journalists.

That number is now down to four. Cooper left the show on his own accord after the season, saying his schedule had become too busy and that he wanted to spend more time with his family. Vega and Alfonsi were fired by CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss, who also fired the show’s executive producer, Tanya Simon, and replaced her with Nick Bilton, who has no real experience in TV news. . .”

Read the full article at

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/will-60-minutes-be-recognizable-new-york-knicks-win/

Paramount Acquisitions

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Article in The Hill by Sophie Brams, 6/112/26

Headline:  “Justice Department approves Paramount bid to acquire Warner Bros.”

“The Department of Justice (DOJ) has approved Paramount’s $110 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, according to the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for the merger between the two global entertainment giants.. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/media/5922500-doj-clears-paramount-warner-deal/

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Article in Common Dreams by Brett Wilkins, 6/12/26

Headline: ” ‘This Fight Isn’t Over’: Opponents Turn to State AGs After DOJ Approves Paramount-Warner Merger”

“Now that the federal government has abandoned antitrust enforcement in favor of cronyism and runaway consolidation, state attorneys general must step in to block this deal,” said one critic. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/doj-approves-paramount-warner-merger

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Article in The Wrap by Lucas Manfredi, 6/12/26

Headline:  “Justice Department Clears Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger”

“The regulator determined that the $110 billion deal is “not likely to result in harm to competition or American consumers. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/business/paramount-warner-bros-merger-cleared-department-of-justice/

No News for CBS is Good News

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 6/9/26

Headline:  “Opinion | CBS News would like to get back to covering the news”

Subhead:  “After another week of headlines about firings and feuds, some staffers are simply tired of being the story”

“When you cover the news, you’re not supposed to be the news.

“That’s the unenviable spot CBS News finds itself in these days. It is supposed to report the news, not be the focus of it. And that’s what has happened in recent weeks.

“Actually, CBS News has been in the news ever since Bari Weiss took over as editor-in-chief. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/cbs-news-becomes-the-news/

A Win or Free Speech

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Article in Daily Beast by Owen Mason-Hill 6/5/26

Headline: “John Oliver Defeats Defamation Suit After Damning Takedown”

“John Oliver’s brutal takedown of a U.S. healthcare manager who made the Last Week Tonight host want to ‘punch a hole in the wall’ has been protected by law.

U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, dismissed a defamation suit brought against Oliver, 49, by the subject of one of his HBO show’s ‘scathing critiques’ on Tuesday.

The win maintains Last Week Tonight’s perfect record against defamation lawsuits intact. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/john-oliver-wins-defamation-suit-after-damning-takedown/

CBS favors Trump?

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 6/8/26

Headline:  “Opinion | Scott Pelley accuses CBS News leadership of favoring the Trump administration”

Subhead:  “In his first interview since being fired from CBS News, the former ‘60 Minutes’ correspondent also blasted leaders he says don’t understand TV news”

“. . .In the first interview since his controversial firing last week, Pelley spoke with The New York Times’ Lulu Garcia-Navarro and continued to make serious allegations about network leadership. He also went over in detail what led to the fiery meeting last week with new ’60 Minutes’ executive producer Nick Bilton, a former New York Times technology columnist and documentary filmmaker who has no real experience in traditional TV news. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/scott-pelley-thumb-on-scale-trump-bari-weiss/

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Article in The Hill by Dominick Mastrangelo 6/8/26

Headline:  “Scott Pelley sparks backlash from right with New York Times interview on CBS, 60 Minutes”

“Scott Pelley, the longtime ’60 Minutes’ correspondent who was fired by the network last week after criticizing its new leadership, is sparking scorn from conservatives over a new interview with the New York Times.

“During the wide-ranging interview, Pelley fought back tears as he described being fired by top bosses at CBS News, accused its corporate leadership of altering coverage to please President Trump and called for the ouster of the network’s top editor Bari Weiss. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5915100-conservatives-pelley-criticize-media/