Happy Halloween! Here's the latest on Gayle King, Disney, David Zaslav, Puck, NPR, the Kennedy Center, "Crime Junkie," Amazon, "Call of Duty," and much more. We'll be back tomorrow with a special weekend-reads edition... |
Rumor mill roiling CBS News |
CBS News is in an unenviable position right now. It's the subject of anonymously sourced reporting and rumor-mongering that's sowing confusion at the same time division-wide layoffs are causing pain and corporate changes are adding to anxiety.
Many of the reported changes at CBS haven't happened yet and may never happen. But each story adds to the uncertainty and unease in the air. The latest one is about Gayle King, with Variety reporting that she is "expected to depart" "CBS Mornings" next year — an anonymously sourced claim no other outlet has corroborated.
CBS News PR is in whack-a-mole mode, trying to tamp down the speculation, and probably trying to avoid potential blowback from viewers.
Of course, all this instability stems from David Ellison's takeover of Paramount and his decision to install Bari Weiss as CBS News editor-in-chief. Weiss, who has reportedly been frustrated about the leaks relating to her arrival, is an irresistible story. And she is going to make major changes.
Just this week, there have been stories about who Weiss may or may not want to keep at "60 Minutes," who she may or may not want to hire for the "CBS Evening News," and now, what might happen to the morning show. Might! "You know the old adage: Nobody knows anything," a CBS source said to me last night. But all the guessing is destabilizing in the meantime.
Maybe that's why CBS PR was so assertive in responding to Variety last night..
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The morning show intrigue |
Variety's Matt Donnelly and Brian Steinberg wrote that King, who has helmed the morning show since 2012, is "expected to depart" the show and "may shift to a different role at the news division," potentially with "a deal to produce her own programming for the network." And yet they also wrote that "negotiations are about to ensue," which left some CBS staffers wondering: Is someone prematurely leaking that she is departing, and if so, why?
CBS responded: "There have been no discussions with Gayle about her contract that runs through May 2026." It's highly unusual for a network to say when a star's contract is up, but it showed that the typical window for negotiations hasn't even opened yet.
As Variety noted, "Moving King is a risky maneuver, especially because morning-TV is built on the relationships viewers build with the hosts." I once wrote a whole book about that. No wonder CBS said in its statement that King is "a truly valued part of CBS and we look forward to engaging with her about the future."
>> All the networks have been trying to lower salary costs in recent years, so there's little doubt that CBS would want King to accept a pay cut to stay at the network in any capacity...
>> Like a scene out of Apple's "The Morning Show" 😉 paparazzi were waiting for King as she left her Manhattan apartment this morning...
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Disney goes dark on YouTube TV |
Liam Reilly writes: Disney's channels have been removed from YouTube's pay-TV platform after the two media giants failed to reach a new carriage agreement before Thursday's midnight deadline passed. Details here...
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Report: Netflix 'actively' looking at WBD's studio and streaming biz |
Shares in Warner Bros. Discovery (CNN's parent) popped again last night and this morning after Reuters reported that Netflix is "retaining a financial advisor and gaining access to financial info" as it "actively" explores a bid for WBD's studio and streaming business.
Netflix's stock is also up this morning, though that has more to do with the announcement of a 10-for-1 stock split.
The Reuters scoop was the clearest sign yet that Netflix is doing its due diligence re: WBD. And it came hours after Comcast execs talked about moves on the M&A chess board...
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'Who would the government let own it' |
It's not surprising that John Malone, chair emeritus of the WBD board, is hoping for a bidding war. But it might be surprising that he talked about it so openly in this interview with Charlie Rose. The Q&A hasn't picked up many views on YouTube yet, but this part piqued my attention: "The real issue I think is not so much going to be who wants it and how much they're willing to pay, but who would the government let own it."
Malone rather casually raised the looming issue of Trump administration influence over media mergers, which we've written about here repeatedly. Trump has publicly blasted Comcast chair Brian Roberts, leading to speculation that the Trump admin would block a Comcast-WBD deal.
When Rose asked, "Would the government let Comcast own it?" Malone floated an idea that Wall Street analysts have also raised: If Roberts "is willing to reduce his level of control of the resulting combination, then I think a deal could be done and get through regulatory approval." Puck's William Cohan recently wrote more about this idea...
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Last night in Beverly Hills... |
WBD CEO David Zaslav was honored at the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Humanitarian Dinner last night, where David Ellison was also spotted "holding court," Deadline's Dominic Patten reports. In his acceptance speech, Zaslav pointedly said that "when the government controls the news, that is the end of democracy."
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Covering the creator economy |
I'm excited to see this venture take off: "Kaya Yurieff and Jasmine Enberg are launching a new media company called Scalable to cover the creator economy as a joint venture with Whalar Group's The Lighthouse," Kerry Flynn reports for Axios. Yurieff (a CNN alum!) says that "as reporters and analysts who covered the creator economy, it was natural for us to eventually join it..."
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Puck's Air Mail deal is done |
Puck has completed its acquisition of Air Mail, cementing "a union between the email equivalents of an upmarket newspaper and a glossy magazine," the NYT's Ben Mullin and Jessica Testa wrote last night. They say "the deal, in which Air Mail shareholders will be largely paid in Puck stock, values Air Mail at $16 million," after raising "$32 million in total funding since 2019." Graydon Carter and Alessandra Stanley are both departing, and Julia Vitale is stepping up as Air Mail editor...
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The latest on NPR vs. CPB |
NPR's lawsuit against the Corporation for Public Broadcasting "is headed for trial in December," NPR's David Folkenflik writes.
"NPR alleges that last spring, CPB unlawfully yanked away a planned three-year contract worth $36 million in the face of intense pressure from the White House to sever ties with the radio network." At a hearing yesterday, Judge Randolph Moss seemed skeptical of CPB's defense. It's all a bit convoluted, but quite interesting, so check out Folkenflik's full story here...
>> “CPB is supporting the establishment of a regional journalism collaboration led by Minnesota Public Radio with a $1.1 million grant,” Tyler Falk reports. (Current)
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Liam Reilly writes: The hosts of "The View" have said they want more conservatives to appear on the show, and next week, they're getting one of the most outspoken: GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. (She'll also appear tonight on Bill Maher's "Real Time.")
>> In other TV "crossover" news, Democratic Sen. John Fetterman taped an interview with Fox's Lara Trump, and it'll air tomorrow night on "My View with Lara Trump."
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"Katie Miller, the wife of Trump adviser Stephen Miller, appeared on Piers Morgan's YouTube show and melted down after other panelists challenged her lies," TNR’s Hafiz Rashid reports. "Miller has not made many media appearances where her views were challenged, and it appears she can't handle it."
Indeed, it's a really uncomfortable watch, especially when Miller appears to threaten Cenk Uygur's citizenship. Watch the segment here...
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>> New reporting this morning: "Kennedy Center ticket sales have plummeted since Trump takeover." (WaPo)
>> The Heritage Foundation backed Tucker Carlson for his friendly interview with Holocaust-denier Nick Fuentes, opening up all kinds of intra-MAGA rifts. (Politico)
>> "Fake news stories have been viewed tens of millions of times this week on Google's Discover news aggregation platform," Rob Waugh writes, citing consultant Malcolm Coles. (Press Gazette)
>> The newest big-money vodcast distribution deal: Audiochuck has signed a $150 million pact with Fox Corp to run video versions of the top-ranked podcast "Crime Junkie" on Tubi. (WSJ)
>> "Erin Burnett OutFront" brilliantly brought the two Bill DeBlasios together for a TV segment last night. (CNN via X)
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Amazon's blistering ad sales growth |
"Amazon's growing dominance in the advertising sector was in full display" when the company reported Q3 earnings last night, THR's Alex Weprin reports. Ad revenue jumped 24% year over year to $17.7 billion. CEO Andy Jassy said "live sports" was partly to thank for the gains, and he noted some AI-driven innovations for advertisers...
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>> Taylor Sheridan and Peter Berg "will co-write the script for Paramount and Activision's live-action feature film adaptation of 'Call of Duty.'" (Variety)
>> “Universal‘s highly anticipated ‘Wicked: For Good’ is tracking to open to a victorious $115 million-plus at the Thanksgiving box office." (THR)
>> Another day, another deal between a music label and an AI startup: Universal Music Group and Stability AI have struck a partnership "to develop music creation tools." (Billboard)
>> "The 'King of the Hill' revival at Hulu has been renewed for two more seasons." (Variety)
>> Netflix dropped the official trailer for the fifth and final season of "Stranger Things." (YouTube)
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Do you have your costume yet? |
Here's wishing you a spooky Halloween! When you have a 6- and 8-year-old like I do, Halloween is more of a week-long event, so this was the first of my many costumes this year: |
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