Media Consolidation

. . .From the Frying Pan. . .

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 7/10/26

Headline: “Opinion | What’s going to happen to CNN?”

Subhead:  “The pending Paramount merger has fueled questions about CNN’s leadership, editorial autonomy and whether politics will shape its future”

“Paramount owns CBS, which oversees CBS News. Will it be left alone after the merger? Will it fall under the umbrella of CBS News? If so, will CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss become the big boss, taking over CNN along with her CBS News duties? Will decisions at CNN be driven at all by politics, considering Paramount CEO David Ellison (and his father Larry) are allies of President Donald Trump?. . .”

Read the full article at:

Media Monopoly Struggle Continues

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Article in Reuters by Dawn Chmielewski and Jody Godoy 7/8/26

Headline:  “US states could sue next week to block Paramount-Warner Bros deal, sources say”

“U.S. states concerned that Paramount’s  $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery will hurt competition could sue to block the deal as soon as next week, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta ​has taken the lead in investigating whether the deal violates U.S. laws against mergers that would unlawfully harm ​competition. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.reuters.com/world/us-states-could-sue-next-week-block-paramount-warner-bros-deal-sources-say-2026-07-08/

Fleeing Hungry Hyena

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 7/2/26

Headline: “Opinion | CNN’s uncertain future claims its first major on-air talent”

Subhead: “Paula Reid is leaving for MS NOW after reportedly raising concerns about Paramount Skydance’s pending takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery“

“Paramount hasn’t yet taken over Warner Bros. Discovery and CNN. Bari Weiss isn’t overseeing CNN — at least not yet.

“But CNN has already lost a major on-air talent.

“Paula Reid, the network’s chief legal affairs correspondent, is leaving to join MS NOW. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/paula-reid-exit-cnn-msnow-bari-weiss/

Murdoch Media Menace?

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Article in The Guardian by Amanda Meade, 7/1/26

Headline: ” ‘This is the dark art’: new book claims pattern of personal attacks by Murdoch media empire”

Subhead: “In a book dedicated to ‘the bullied’, two former News Corp journalists outline a behavior pattern they call ‘getting Murdoched’, which they say harms individuals and public debate”

“‘Murdoched’, a term Dodd and Ricketson coin for the book, means to be ‘editorially attacked when one’s ideas or deeds do not accord with the media proprietor’s programs or publications.

“The book examines ‘murdoching’ across the US, the UK and Australia, including dozens of interviews with prominent people and ordinary citizens about the way they were treated in newspapers, such as the Sun and the New York Post, and cable television network Fox News.

Dedicated to ‘the bullied’, the book focuses squarely on Murdoch’s ‘way of doing journalism’ Dodd and Ricketson write. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jul/01/andrew-dodd-matthew-ricketson-getting-murdoch-book-bullying-factory

Mega-Media Manipulation

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Article in UPI by Joe Fisher, 6/29/26

Headline: “Comcast, NBCUniversal splitting into separate companies”

“. . .Comcast announced Monday that it is planning to split into separate media and technology companies over the coming year.

“Comcast will split into two independent publicly traded companies in what it said is a “tax-free spin-off” of NBCUniversal and Sky. The companies will be NBCUniversal and Comcast. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/06/29/comcast-nbcuniversal-publicly-traded-spin-off/6931782742823/

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 6/29/26

Headline: “Carving Up Comcast“

“Brian Roberts insisted the seismic breakup of Comcast’s media and broadband business is about creating two stronger companies – but no one in the industry is buying it, with insiders telling Status they believe Roberts has other intentions in mind. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/comcast-nbcuniversal-spin-off-plan-brian-roberts

AI Stealing the Media

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Article in The Nation by Mark Hertsgaard, 6/18/26

Headline:  “Why Aren’t Newsrooms Covering This AI Speech?”

Subhead:  “A.G. Sulzberger urges the media to unite and fight back.”

The publisher of The New York Times recently made an extraordinary speech about AI, journalism, and the public square that’s received surprisingly little public reaction. . .”

“Sulzberger’s core argument when addressing the annual WAN-IFRA World News Media Conference on June 1 was that Big Tech is stealing the news media’s property and undermining democracy, and that the only solution is for news organizations to work together to resist them. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thenation.com/article/environment/why-arnt-newsrooms-covering-this-ai-speech/

Will Foreign Investors Control US Media?

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Article in The Wrap by Lucas Manfredi, 6/19/265

Headline:  “Senators Urge FCC to Prevent Paramount-WB Merger From Closing During Pending Foreign Ownership Review”

Subhead:  “Foreign investors would control 49.5% of the combined company’s equit”

“Three Democratic Senators are urging FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to prevent the $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger from closing until its pending foreign ownership review can be completed.

Paramount has maintained that the “indirect foreign ownership of equity interests” in the combined company will be 49.5% and will not result in a transfer of control. However, it has asked the FCC to allow foreign investors “in the aggregate to indirectly hold up to 100 percent of its equity and/or voting interests in light of routine fluctuations in publicly held equity interests and to account for potential future investments.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/deals-ma/paramount-warner-bros-merger-fcc-foreign-ownership-review-letter/

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

Quitting Media Work?

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Article in Poynter by Megan Griffith-Greene & Tony Atkins, 6/17/26

Headline: “Should I stay or should I go? How to decide whether it’s time to leave your journalism job”

Subhead:  “The news about the news is looking grim. Here are a few things to consider if you’re thinking about making a major career change”

“The media industry has been messy lately. Consolidation, layoffs, ownership priorities and public disputes seem to be making as much news as the actual news. The instability — and all the spilled media tea — leaves a bad taste.

“If you’re working through that instability, how do you evaluate whether it’s worth it to stay, or whether it’s time to move on?. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2026/should-i-leave-my-journalism-job/