Top News:
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Sources: WBD plans to reject Paramount's revised takeover bid at a board meeting next week, viewing the $30-a-share cash bid as still inferior to Netflix's bid — Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. plans to once again reject a takeover bid from Paramount Skydance Corp. after the rival media company amended …
Discussion:
Variety, Deadline, Financial Times, @lucas_shaw, Sports Media Watch, Bleeding Cool News, GfxSpeak, Barrett Media, The Business Times, mxdwn Television, Benzinga, Awful Announcing, Chris Heatherly on LinkedIn, Ukrainian National News, The Wrap, RTÉ, Proactive, Screen Rant, Hindustan Times, The Japan Times, Los Angeles Times, Media Play News and City A.M.
Brent Lang / Variety:
George Clooney criticizes CBS and ABC for settling lawsuits with President Trump and says Bari Weiss “is dismantling CBS News as we speak” — When George Clooney was preparing to make his Broadway debut appearing as CBS news correspondent Edward R. Murrow in “Good Night …
Discussion:
Variety, New York Post, The Hill, E! Online, HotAir, @kylegriffin1.bsky.social, Mock Paper Scissors, The Hollywood Reporter, The Independent, Alternet.org, Hollywood in Toto, @bariweiss, Breitbart, National Enquirer, RedState, The Indian Express, HuffPost, Raw Story, Fox News, twitchy.com, Entertainment Weekly, The A.V. Club, New York Sun, Mediaite and The Wrap
RELATED:
Pat Saperstein / Variety:
Following Clooney's criticism, Bari Weiss invites him to “visit The CBS Broadcast Center” where she is “spending the holidays” to “relaunch the Evening News” — After George Clooney said he felt that newly-named editor-in-chief Bari Weiss was …
Discussion:
Fox News, @dannygroner.bsky.social, @kevinwardrop.nitemayr.com, @ernie.tedium.co, @capitolhunters.bsky.social, @ernie.tedium.co, @self.agency, @larsonlee.bsky.social, @brianlowry.bsky.social, @comicbooksdanny.bsky.social, @tinymysteries.bsky.social, @pbump.com, @jessehawken.bsky.social, @m-l-t.bsky.social, @ernie.tedium.co, @schooley.bsky.social, @aklingus.bsky.social, HELLO!, @lorak.bsky.social, The Independent, Mediaite and FemaleFirst
Charles Ornstein / ProPublica:
ProPublica reporters on three recent stories were ignored by federal or state workers when seeking comment, and then were accused of stalking or intimidation — This summer, my colleagues were reporting out a story about the Department of Education's “final mission,” its effort …
Michael Savage / The Guardian:
UK's Ofcom is reviewing multiple complaints against GB News over not challenging Trump's assertions, including that climate change is “a hoax”, in an interview — US president's assertions climate change is ‘a hoax’ and London has police no-go areas left unchallenged, say critics
Discussion:
@profbillmcguire.bsky.social
Josh Funk / Associated Press:
Lee Enterprises stabilizes its finances as investors buy $50M in new stock, led by $35M invested by David Hoffmann, who will become chair of the company — Lee Enterprises announced a compromise Tuesday with billionaire investor David Hoffmann, who offered to take over the nation's third …
Discussion:
@scottnover, The Missourian, Hoffmann Family of Companies, The Wrap and St. Louis Business Journal
Michael Schneider / Variety:
Nielsen: CBS was 2025's most-watched network in primetime despite a 12% YoY drop in average viewers, followed by NBC, ABC, and Fox, up 10% due to the Super Bowl — Complete Broadcast, Cable and Pay TV Ratings Primetime Ranker for 2025 in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 — What a difference a Super Bowl makes.
Discussion:
@nemalki.bsky.social, @xpangler, @variety, TV Series Finale and The Daily Signal
RELATED:
Bloomberg:
Nielsen streaming data: none of 2025's 10 most-watched shows were new, Tubi and Roku are almost twice the size of HBO Max and Peacock, and more — When it comes to entertainment, we live in an era of asymmetrical information. Technology companies are sitting on more data than they know how to use …
RELATED:
Summer Ballentine / The Detroit News:
The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press ended their joint operating agreement, which began in 1989; The News plans to launch a Sunday print edition January 18 — A nearly four-decade-long business partnership between The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press ended Sunday …
Jonathan Randles / Bloomberg:
America's Test Kitchen agrees to purchase recipe site Food52 for $6.5M; Food52 said a sudden cash sweep by its lender, Avidbank, forced it into Chapter 11 — Cooking television show America's Test Kitchen has agreed to purchase recipe site Food52, which said it was forced to file bankruptcy …
Discussion:
New York Post, @michaelbishop.me and America's Test Kitchen
Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
A profile of NPR CEO Katherine Maher, who has taken an unyielding approach to NPR's biggest battles, causing rifts with the right and her public media allies — Katherine Maher knew that running NPR was going to be difficult. But since taking over as chief executive last year, she has confronted one crisis after another.
Jeff Horwitz / Reuters:
Internal docs reveal Meta's tactics to fend off pressure to crack down on scammers, including efforts to make scam ads “not findable” for regulators and others — As regulators press Meta to crack down on rogue advertisers on Facebook and Instagram, the social media giant has drafted a “playbook” to stall them.
Discussion:
ZeroHedge News, Sherwood News and InDaily, Inside South …
Rob Davies / The Guardian:
BPI: the UK music industry had its 11th straight year of growth in 2025; album sales rose 4.9% YoY to 210.3M, aided by the Oasis reunion and Taylor Swift vinyls — BPI figures show music lovers listened to equivalent of 210.3m albums by UK artists in 2025 in 11th consecutive year of growth
Discussion:
Billboard, Digital Music News, NME and The Sun
