Questioning Bari Weiss's CBS Motives: Idealism or Whim?
Great piece… and picks up on same question I asked last night: is Bari Weiss’s CBS truly motivated by a nonpartisan ideal or her own personal whims?
Sale Driven by Mission Purity, Not Profit
Salient detail here: With the Star, Allbritton said, a sale isn’t the endgame. “I don’t need the damn money,” he said. “This time, let’s do it for the purity of the mission.”
The Onion CEO Explains Infowars Takeover and Satire Business
🎙️ NEW POD: The Onion C.E.O. Ben Collins @oneunderscore__ on the company’s surprise Infowars takeover and the business of satire. Apple: https://t.co/wTBnzYvFz0 Spotify: https://t.co/u7zmENHTiL @PuckNews
Media Fear Allbrit
As I wrote the other week, Washington media outlets don’t necessarily fear Robert Allbritton’s new Washington Star, but they do fear his ability to unsettle the comp expectations. https://t.co/aLIYhaGRPk
Vox Media CEO Poised to Sell Multiple Assets
NEW: Vox Media C.E.O. Jim Bankoff is likely to agree to multiple deals to sell various assets of his company, including the Vox Media Podcast Network, New York magazine, and the portfolio of digital brands…. Full details @PuckNews: https://t.co/hfYxhq0oky
Legacy TV News Must Evolve as Linear Viewership Declines
🎙️ NEW POD: Former NBC News chief Noah Oppenheim returns to The Grill Room to assess the slow fade of linear TV news—and what legacy players like NBC, CBS, and CNN can do to stay relevant. Listen: https://t.co/1eirU7syNu @PuckNews https://t.co/NmK46593Oc
WSJ Wins Courage Award, Trump to Present It
Drama at this year's White House Correspondents Dinner: The Wall Street Journal is being awarded the The Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability for its reporting on the "bawdy" letter that Trump set Epstein. Trump, who sued the Journal over this...
NYT Reopens Probe Into Russini’s Vrabel Relationship Claims
NEW @PuckNews: The New York Times is reinvestigating Dianna Russini's claims about her relationship with Mike Vrabel in light of new information/concerns, per sources familiar. Russini will not be reporting during that time. More tonight in In The Room: https://t.co/aUkyssMv7F
OpenAI CGO and TBPN President Discuss Future Collaboration
🎙️Tomorrow on The Grill Room: A special OpenAI-TBPN deal omnibus featuring back-to-back conversations with: * OpenAI Chief Global Affairs Officer @chrislehane * TBPN President @DylanAbruscato Follow here: https://t.co/OUrgd2dr7a @PuckNews https://t.co/LNZpsHUAkd
Ellison Distrusts Jeff, Predicts His Exit After Merger
33 days ago at @PuckNews: "Sources... have told me that David [Ellison] no longer trusts Jeff, and suspects him of being involved in various leaks to the press and others during his time as president. Those same sources believe Jeff is...
OpenAI‑TBPN Deal Could Redefine Media Landscape
🎙️ NEW POD: Is The OpenAI-TBPN Deal the Future of Media? ... w/ @loudmouthjulia https://t.co/ED0Rj5JfrD @PuckNews
CNN Revives Retro Broadcast Style with New Experiments
CNN has been experimenting with new formats this week, including Anderson in rolled-up sleeves, massive desk microphones, and a physical map, channeling early Edward R. Murrow-era broadcast.... Experiment will continue today with Jake Tapper broadcasting from his office.
CBS News Cuts Hit Washington Bureau Hard
I'll have more on the CBS News cuts in tonight's email, but for now... the cuts are affecting a number of correspondents (will give them time to announce the news themselves) and hitting the Washington, D.C., bureau especially hard.
Beehiv Founder Shares Blueprint for Creator Publishing Success
Tomorrow on The Grill Room: Beehiv founder @denk_tweets This, imho, is a must-listen for creators and would-be creators thinking about building their own publishing businesses... Follow here: https://t.co/OUrgd2dr7a https://t.co/7uSZkENSc8
Andy Lack Donates $7M to Boost Investigative Journalism
Inbox: Andy Lack, former chairman of NBC News and MSNBC and cofounder of Deep South Today, has made a new $7 million gift to expand investigative reporting and digital video journalism, building on more than $5 million contribution over past decade.
Debra O'Connell Elevated to Disney Entertainment TV Chairman
New: ABC News Group President Debra OConnell is being elevated to chairman of Disney Entertainment Television… Move is part of Disney restructuring that unites streaming, film, and television businesses with games and digital entertainment under one division.
Redbird Execs Considered Buying Washington Post in 2023
Redbird’s Gerry Cardinale and Jeff Zucker expressed interest in buying Washington Post in 2023, per @nytimes: https://t.co/v5fCZ26uuf
Inside the CNN‑CBS Merger: Power Shifts and Trump’s Influence
NEW: The CNN–CBS Marriage Plot: • Will Bari Weiss expand her remit? • Who will actually run the network? • How much will David Ellison cut, and how will he cut? • And where does Trump factor in? https://t.co/BuiVS0srnq @PuckNews
CNN-CBS Merger Explained After Four Decades of Planning
🎙️ NEW @PuckNews: A CNN-CBS News tie-up is 40 years in the making... curious how it would work? @SamFeistDC, the C-SPAN C.E.O. and 33-year CNN veteran, breaks it down: https://t.co/mPte9ax0DE
Axel Springer Unlikely to Pursue Big Deals, WSJ Stays Murdoch
NEW @PuckNews: On heels of Telegraph acquisition, Mathias Döpfner told charges that Axel Springer was unlikely to make more big acquisitions in near future, noting that Murdochs were unlikely to sell The Wall Street Journal, which Springer couldn’t afford anyway. https://t.co/1NKCcK3NXz
Ellison Doubts Shell, Predicts His Exit Post‑merger
NEW @PuckNews: David Ellison has lost faith in Jeff Shell and sources believe he is unlikely to survive at Paramount past its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. https://t.co/fSCgcW4ews
CNN Team First US Network Inside Iran Since War
CNN Senior International Correspondent Frederik Pleitgensays and his team are in Iran—the first US network to cross into the country since the start of the war.
CBS Postpones JD Vance Town Hall Indefinitely
New: The CBS News town hall with @JDVance, which had been slated to air on March 14, has been postponed indefinitely.
Gayle's Pay Cut Revealed in Tonight's In The Room
Yes, Gayle took a pay cut… More in tonight’s In The Room. Subscribe here: https://t.co/aUkyssLXi7 @PuckNews
All-Stars Debate Paramount-WBD Future, Sarandos, Zaslav Legacy
🎙️ 🎙️ NEW POD: Puck all-stars @MattBelloni & @WilliamCohan debate David Ellison’s existential Paramount-WBD challenge, Ted Sarandos’ next play, and the legacy of David Zaslav… this is a fun one… Apple: https://t.co/FhmAiCfP7H Spotify: https://t.co/skJZmlCppk @PuckNews
Get Answers on Paramount‑WBD Deal Impact
Tomorrow’s IN THE ROOM will have answers to all your questions about what the Paramount-WBD tie up means for CNN, CBS, Bari Weiss, etc… Sign up here: https://t.co/aUkyssMv7F
Sports Could Be Peacock's Lifeline, Says NBC Executive
🎙️ TODAY on the Grill Room: “Can Sports Save Peacock?” Between Super Bowl in Santa Clara and Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, NBC Sports chief Rick Cordella outlines the network’s investment thesis… Apple: https://t.co/mfxV8eRQCf Spotify: https://t.co/vxFcvMOFUx @PuckNews https://t.co/6ev26b2z10