Media Consolidation

TV News Evolving

by

Article in Poynter by Kerwin Speight, 10/30/26

Headline: “Opinion | Scripps is cutting anchors and adding reporters. Is this the future of local TV news?”

Subhead: “Anchorless newscasts offer an early look at what viewers could gain — and lose — as local TV evolves”

“CEO Adam Symson announced the job cuts Tuesday, marking the second wave of layoffs this year. In August, 268 employees were let go. Most notable among that group were news anchors at some stations.

At the same time, Scripps’ WMAR-TV in Baltimore debuted newscasts without anchors. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2026/scripps-anchorless-local-tv-news-reporters/

Time to Run Away From CBS?

by

Article in the Daily Beast by Laura Esposito, 10/26/26

Headline:  “CBS News Staff Eye Escape From Trumpy Boss: ‘It’s Ugly’”

Subhead:  “’Folks are tired,’ a CBS News source told the Post.”

“David Ellison is offering buyouts to employees at CBS News and other Skydance properties. . .”

“The shake-up comes as Ellison, the son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, succeeded in his bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery under the Skydance Paramount umbrella. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/cbs-news-staff-eye-escape-from-trumpy-boss-david-ellison

Will Media Owner Cut Critical Film?

by

Article in The Wrap by A.J. Katz, 10/26/26

Headline:  “What Elon Musk’s Skydance Bet Really Means”

Subhead:  “In this week’s The Media Front, we unpack Musk’s $1 billion investment into the media company”

“. . .The bigger question is what Musk gets out of the investment — and what it means for a company that now controls CBS News, CNN, Warner Bros., HBO and Paramount.

“There’s already one particularly awkward example: Alex Gibney’s documentary ‘Musk,’ a critical examination of the billionaire’s business and political influence, is expected to stream on HBO in early 2027. HBO is now part of Skydance, the company Musk has reportedly invested in. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/business/elon-musk-skydance-investment-impact/

Empty Office or Reduced Media Staff?

by


Article in Status by Oliver Darcy 10/26/26

Headline: “Ellison’s CBS-CNN Split-Screen”

Subhead: “As Skydance looks to eventually marry CNN and CBS News, the company is taking very different approaches to return-to-office mandates and employee buyouts, Status has learned—which may offer hints about their futures.”

“. . .delivered two significant pieces of news to the workforce. First, Ellison and Kreiz championed ‘in-person collaboration,’ declaring it ‘vital to our culture and to the success of our business,’ and thus mandating that employees report to the office five days a week. Of course, such return-to-office mandates are really just thinly veiled efforts to thin the ranks, and it was then predictably followed by a second announcement: buyouts. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/david-ellison-skydance-cnn-cbs-news-buyouts-return-office

CBS Slowly Sinking?

by


Article in Huffpost by Ben Blanchet, 10/26/26

Headline:  “Dan Rather Spent Much Of His Iconic Career At CBS News — Now, He Says, It’s A ‘Disaster'”

Subhead: “The 94-year-old former news anchor delivered a brutal assessment of how the network is looking under Bari Weiss.”

“. . . Rather — in an interview with Variety published on Monday — said it’s been “in many ways a disaster” since Skydance acquired CBS News as part of its merger with Paramount Global in 2025. Skydance CEO David Ellison then handpicked Bari Weiss to serve as CBS News’ editor-in-chief, ushering in a rightward shift at the network along with major shakeups at its ’60 Minutes’ news magazine. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dan-rather-cbs-news-bari-weiss-trump_n_6adf9267e4b059999c6128a6?origin=home-latest-news-unit

Musk Buys into Media Control

by


Article in The Guardian by Maya Yang, 10/22/26

Headline:  “Elon Musk reportedly invests $1bn in David Ellison’s Skydance“

Subhead:  “Musk’s investment into the new media empire comes after Paramount’s $111bn merger with Warner Bros Discovery”

“. . .The investment follows Paramount’s recent $111bn merger with Warner Bros Discovery, a huge acquisition that brought the media companies together under the Skydance name. At the head of the new media empire is David Ellison, the son of billionaire Oracle co-founder and Donald Trump ally Larry Ellison. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/oct/22/elon-musk-david-ellison-skydance-investment

– – – – –

Article in Daily Kos by Oliver Willis 10/22/26

Headline:  “Musk’s $1B stake in Skydance fuels bigoted quest to dominate media”

“. . .Access to Skydance puts Musk, the richest man in the world, in the position of having even more influence over the media than he already has at X. A dizzying array of major media properties are under the Skydance umbrella, including the Warner and Paramount movie studios, CBS, HBO Max, CNN, TNT Sports, and others. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/10/22/800116213/media/musks-1b-stake-in-skydance-fuels-bigoted-quest-to-dominate-media/

Billionaires Bought the Media

by

Article in The Hartmann Report by Thom Hartnann, 10/20/26

Headline:  “No Kings? Then Why Are We Letting Billionaires Rule What America Can See and Hear?”

Subhead:  “Millions march against authoritarianism while a handful of powerful men control the digital public square, shape our news, and decide which voices Americans get to hear… “

“As many of us were showing up this past Saturday for our local No Kings marches, with over 3,000 of them underway, the movement’s organizers suddenly found themselves locked out of their Instagram account for hours. . .”

“Then yesterday morning Christiane Amanpour announced that after reporting for CNN for 43 years she’s leaving the network. While she didn’t mention nepo-baby David Ellison who now owns the network, she didn’t have to . . .”

“What we’re seeing here with these two companies in microcosm is that the men who own the social media digital square where a near-majority of people get their news. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://hartmannreport.com/p/no-kings-then-why-are-we-letting-4ee

Media Groups Fight Consolidation

by

Article in Free Press by Staff, 12/9/26

Headline:  “Unions and Nonprofits Representing Journalists, Writers and Communications Professionals Petition FCC to Stay Order That Would Allow Massive Media Consolidation”

Subhead:  “Groups call “unlawful” Carr’s move to eliminate a vital limit that prevented massive broadcast conglomerates from acquiring even more local outlets”

“WASHINGTON — A coalition of unions and nonprofit organizations representing journalists, writers and other communications professionals have urged the Federal Communications Commission to stay a recent order repealing its long-standing and congressionally required National Television Multiple Ownership Rule. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/news/coalition-petitions-fcc-stay-order-allowing-massive-media-consolidation

– – – – –

Article in Common Dreams by Jake Johnson, 10/10/26

Headline:  “Coalition Files Emergency Motion to Stop Trump FCC From Unleashing Media Consolidation Spree”

Subhead: “The FCC simply cannot ignore the laws Congress makes just because the current agency head wants to.”

“A coalition of nonprofit groups and labor unions filed an emergency petition on Friday aimed at blocking the Federal Communications Commission’s recent repeal of a decades-old rule that limited consolidation among television broadcasters, a move that would allow media conglomerates to seize even more control over local news stations. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-fcc-tv-consolidation-2678069354

If it Looks Like an Oligopoly. . .

by

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/

Of a Feather – On Same Branch

by


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/