Media Consolidation

Paramount Prevalent Peril

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 7/17/26

Headline:  ” ‘Laws were broken’: multistate effort to stop Paramount’s $111bn merger heads to court”

Subhead:  “Attorneys general from 12 states are suing to block the Paramount-Warner Bros deal they say violates antitrust law”

“A last-ditch effort to block the merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) is heading to court as 12 Democratic state attorneys general attempt to stop the $111bn deal they say violates antitrust law and reduces competition in both the film and cable television industries.

“The lawsuit, which was filed on Monday, faces a crucial hearing on Friday to determine if a judge will temporarily pause the deal or allow it to continue toward approval. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jul/17/paramount-warner-bros-merger

More Media Agglomeration?

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Article in CNN Business by Brian Stelter, 7/15/26\

Headline: “FCC moves to deliver long-sought win for Trump-aligned broadcasters”

“The Federal Communications Commission is changing its rules so that local TV station owners can get much, much bigger. . .”

“Carr announced on Wednesday that the FCC will vote next month to repeal its national broadcast ownership rule, which prohibits a single company from reaching more than 39% of US TV households.

Read the full article at:

https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/15/media/fcc-carr-trump-broadcasters-sinclair-nexstar

FCC Hobby, Getting Gifts?

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Article in AlterNet by Corey G. Johnson – ProPublica, 7/15/26

Headline:  “Busted: Paramount gave FCC officials gifts while seeking approval for billion-dollar dea

“The rich and famous who filed into the Kennedy Center’s opera house in December. . .”

“Federal Communications Commissioner Olivia Trusty cast a decisive vote approving Paramount’s historic $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. Now, the commissioner and a guest enjoyed the star-studded celebration thanks to tickets gifted to her by Paramount worth more than $12,000. . .

“The other commissioner who approved the merger watched from a prized perch. FCC Chair Brendan Carr and his wife sat in a private skybox with Paramount CEO David Ellison and other executives from Paramount and CBS. Such seats sold for $125,000 a ticket, according to Kennedy Center guidelines. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.alternet.org/fcc-paramount/

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Article in Daily Kos by Lisa Needham, 7/15/26

Headline:  “Trump’s FCC cronies get in on the sweet bribe action”

“Why should President Donald Trump have all the fun of extorting money from people with business before the government? How ‘bout letting the folks in charge of the Federal Communications Commission get a taste, hmmm?

“ProPublica broke the news that both FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty and FCC Chair Brendan Carr got a little treat. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/7/15/800070473/news/trumps-fcc-cronies-get-in-on-the-sweet-bribe-action/

Media Crash by Paramount?

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Article in The Wrap by Roger Cheng, 7/14/26

Headline:  “Paramount-Warner Bros. May Face Devastating Delay With State Antitrust Suit | Analysis”

Subhead:  “The state attorneys general’s effort lives and dies on whether it gets its request for a preliminary injunction to halt the merger granted”

“A dozen states have thrown the long-awaited wrench into the Paramount deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, raising the prospect that its plan faces a delay it can ill afford.

“The 12 state attorneys general, led by California AG Rob Bonta, on Monday filed their lawsuit challenging the $110 billion merger, alleging the deal would reduce competition in the distribution of films and give the combined company too much power when negotiating with TV distributors. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/deals-ma/paramount-warner-bros-what-happens-next-after-ags-lawsuit/

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Article in Reporters Without Borders by Staff, 7/13/26

Headline:  “USA: It’s up to state attorneys general to save the US news ecosystem from the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger”

“Time is running out to stop the proposed $111 billion merger between media conglomerates Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, which would place some of the most influential news brands in the US and worldwide under the control of a single owner. . . Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urges state attorneys general (AGs) to block this merger, warning that it would reduce Americans’ access to reliable information and undermine media pluralism. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://rsf.org/en/usa-it-s-state-attorneys-general-save-us-news-ecosystem-paramount-warner-bros-merger

Ellison’s Merger Off the Rails?

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 7/13/26

Headline:  “Ellison’s California Nightmare” as it and 11 other states sue to block it on antitrust grounds. . .”

“David Ellison may have been California dreamin’ about getting his Warners deal cleared by the Golden State – but he’s now facing a nightmare. . .”

Read the article at:

https://www.status.news/p/paramount-warner-bros-discovery-merger-states-lawsuit-rob-bonta

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Article in Free Press by Staff, 7/13/26

Headline:   “State Attorneys General Sue to Stop Paramount Skydance’s Corrupt Takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery”

Subhead:  “Free Press hails state-led effort to defend consumer choice and journalism against a billionaire push to censor and control  media “

“On Monday, 12 state attorneys general launched an antitrust suit to block the proposed $111 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. . .”

“The unlawful merger of these two entertainment behemoths would lead to higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and television, harming movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/index%2ephp/news/state-attorneys-general-sue-stop-paramount-skydances-corrupt-takeover-warner-bros-discovery

. . .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