Top News:
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Stephen Colbert says CBS lawyers blocked an interview with Democratic US Senate candidate James Talarico, citing the FCC's equal time guidance for TV talk shows — Colbert and ‘The Late Show’ posted the interview with James Talarico on the show's YouTube page to bypass the FCC's oversight.
Discussion:
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Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
By not airing Colbert's interview with Talarico, CBS bowed to FCC pressure preemptively as the agency hasn't formally eliminated talk show equal time exemptions — Stephen Colbert went public Monday night with a striking accusation against his own network: that CBS lawyers had barred …
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Financial Times:
WBD tells Paramount to make its “best and final offer” within seven days, or get out of the way of Netflix's agreed $83B deal; Netflix granted a weeklong waiver — Netflix grants weeklong waiver to rival bidder in high-stakes battle for control
Discussion:
CNN, Awful Announcing, James Faris on LinkedIn, Business Insider, Joe Flint on LinkedIn, CinemaBlend, CBC News, The Independent, @brianstelter, Daily Mail, Telegraph, City A.M., Associated Press, @brianstelter, Barron's Online, New York Post, @tvgrimreaper, @sarafischer, The Wrap, Front Office Sports, @lucas_shaw, New York Times, Reuters, @claytravis, Axios, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Post Millennial, @sherman4949 and The Verge
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Jill Goldsmith / Deadline:
WBD says Paramount informed WBD on February 11 that it would pay $31 per share, up from $30, if the sides engaged, and that $31 was not its best and final offer — Warner says that the Ellison camp had verbally agreed to boost its bid to $31 or higher if two the sides engaged, which WBD today has agreed to do.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Cord Cutters News, Straight Arrow News and Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.
Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:
Netflix says Paramount has caused “ongoing distraction” and “mischaracterized the regulatory review process”, and its WBD bid raises national security concerns — The streamer said that its $83 billion deal is “the only certain path to delivering value to WBD's stockholders”
Discussion:
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
WBD sets March 20 as the date for a special shareholder meeting to vote on the proposed $83B Netflix deal, which its board “continues to unanimously recommend”
Discussion:
The Wrap, Paramount Skydance Corporation, CNBC, The American Bazaar, Agence France-Presse, Benzinga, Washington Examiner, Deadline, Yahoo Finance, UPI, Bloomberg, Ars Technica, New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Livemint, ZeroHedge News, Screen, Advanced Television, Netflix, Inc., Dow Jones Newswires, Channel NewsAsia, Deadline, The Streamable, Anadolu Ajansı …, Media Play News, Commercial Observer, Sherwood News, Screen Rant, The Guardian and Sharecast
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
Condé Nast names Adam Baidawi as GQ's global editorial director; Baidawi previously led British GQ and wants GQ to be a “North Star of masculinity” — Adam Baidawi recalls being enthralled by GQ magazine the first time he pored through an issue as a teenager in suburban Melbourne, Australia.
Discussion:
The Wrap, The Business of Fashion, The Hollywood Reporter and Condé Nast
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Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Mediahuis is experimenting with AI agents for commissioning, writing, and more to “automate first line news”, which is reviewed by humans prior to publication — Belgium-based news publisher Mediahuis is experimenting with automating the production of its “first-line” news.
Chris Quinn / Plain Dealer:
The Cleveland Plain Dealer says it has removed “writing” from some reporters' workloads; an “AI rewrite specialist” turns info gathered by reporters into drafts
Discussion:
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Oliver Darcy / Status:
Sources: Anderson Cooper grew increasingly uneasy with the rightward direction of CBS News under Bari Weiss, a factor in his decision to leave 60 Minutes — On Monday evening, as the media class wrapped up its three-day Presidents' Day weekend, a bombshell development sent shockwaves across the industry.
Discussion:
The Hill, Media Matters for America, Breaker, Mediaite, CBS News, LGBTQ Nation, Queerty, Mediaweek, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Lawyers, Guns & Money, KING-TV, Financial Times, Mediaite, ROB SHUTER'S Naughty But Nice, Washington Examiner, HELLO!, The Guardian, The Daily Beast, @bubbaprog.xyz, @bgrueskin.bsky.social, New York Post, Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, New York Times, RADAR, Business Insider and E! Online
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Lachlan Cartwright / Breaker:
Anderson Cooper is leaving 60 Minutes after almost 20 years; sources say he has decided to pass on a renewal offer with CBS — Legendary Newsman Will Focus on CNN And Family … Welcome to a special edition of Breaker, as we mark our first birthday, we thought what better way to celebrate than to give all of our subscribers a scoop.
Discussion:
Reuters, Screen Rant, HuffPost, Breitbart, @brianstelter, Variety, Associated Press, People, TV Insider, NOTUS, PinkNews, Poynter, @petertwinklage, @brianstelter, The Hollywood Reporter, @keitholbermann, @brianstelter, @lachcartwright, The A.V. Club, Reuters, IJR, Newser, Daily Mail, New York Daily News, Us Weekly, Washington Post, TVLine, @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social, @edeggans.bsky.social, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., Advocate, The Wrap, Barrett Media, @olbermann.bsky.social, @ernie.tedium.co, Mediaite and Fox News
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Talent agency Night Media, which represents social media celebrities and owns a podcast network, raised $70M to expand into gaming, sports, and music — Night Media Inc., the talent management firm that represents social media celebrities such as popular Twitch streamer Kai Cenat …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »
Lucia Moses / Business Insider:
NBCU sues Group Black, a firm created to direct ad dollars to Black-owned and Black-led media, alleging $35.8M in unpaid invoices and guaranteed payments — - Comcast's NBCUniversal sued Group Black, a firm created to direct ad dollars to Black-owned media.
Matt Hughes / The Guardian:
Sources: the English Premier League extends its South America and Caribbean broadcast contract with ESPN through 2031 in a £450M deal, up 25% from the last deal — - South American and Caribbean partnership runs to 2031 — Substantial rise contrasts with stagnant domestic rights
Discussion:
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