Mediagazer: Perplexity says it has no plans to further pursue ads, which it introduced in 2024, after phasing them out in late 2025 over fears they would erode user trust (Cristina Criddle/Financial Times)

4:15 AM ET, February 18, 2026

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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.

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Todd Spangler / Variety:
CBS says The Late Show was not prohibited from broadcasting a James Talarico interview and was given “legal guidance” that a broadcast could trigger an FCC rule

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

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Wrap, The Guardian, Forbes, Axios, Status, Deadline, Australian Financial Review, @jmery1985@threads.com, @jeremymbarr, Fast Company, The Hill, HuffPost, FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, @notcapnamerica@threads.com, Fox News, @notjessewalker, TV Insider, Benzinga, Mediaweek, RADAR, Tampa Free Press, Wonkette, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Associated Press, Raw Story, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, TV Tech, Blaze Media, CNBC, New York Daily News, NOTUS, twitchy.com, Mediaite, Techdirt, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, @coryupdate@threads.com, Gizmodo, Polygon.com, The Gateway Pundit, New York Sun, Daily Caller News Foundation, Mother Jones, Washington Examiner, Entertainment Weekly, Baller Alert, Decider, KVIA-TV, Newsbusters, @jefftiedrich@threads.com, Time, CinemaBlend, Daily Mail, Washington Times, everyone is entitled …, Breitbart, The Texas Tribune, Scripps News, Politico, Newser, Straight Arrow News, New Republic, LateNighter and Just Jared

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Paramount says it is “prepared to engage” with WBD on takeover talks during a seven-day negotiating window, but doesn't say whether it will raise its bid — The company didn't indicate that it is willing to increase the price tag for its hostile takeover bid but said it was ready …

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

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

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Straight Arrow News, Cord Cutters 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

Discussion: Deadline, OLD GOATS with Jonathan Alter, @brianstelter, Spyglass, New York Post, Proactive, Screen, Economic news and CBS News

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”

Gene Maddaus / Variety:

Warner Bros. joins Disney and Paramount claiming infringement on ByteDance's AI video tool, Seedance, and demands ByteDance cease training AI on WB characters — The studio's legal counsel fired off a letter on Tuesday to John Rogovin, the general counsel of ByteDance who happens …

Discussion: The Wrap, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, PetaPixel, MediaNews4U and WinBuzzer

Krystal Hur / Wall Street Journal:

Filing: Berkshire Hathaway reports that it purchased 5.1M shares of The New York Times during the December quarter; NYT rises 3%+ pre-market — In Warren Buffett's last quarter as CEO, his company further trimmed its holdings in iPhone maker — Berkshire Hathaway sold shares in Bank …

Discussion: RTÉ, Motley Fool, The Hollywood Reporter, Associated Press, Reuters, ZeroHedge News, Barron's Online, SEC.gov and Bloomberg

Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter:

Versant's MS Now signs a deal with Crooked Media to air highlights from Crooked podcasts such as Pod Save America and Lovett or Leave It, at 9pm ET on Saturdays — In a notable video podcast pact, highlights from Crooked shows such as ‘Pod Save America’ and ‘Lovett or Leave It’ will air Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET.

Discussion: Richard Hudock on LinkedIn, Brands, @jeremymbarr, The Wrap, Mediaite, Deadline and Barrett Media

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

Automattic adds an AI assistant to WordPress.com, enabling users to perform site-wide layout and style modifications via natural language commands — WordPress.com, the website hosting platform from Automattic, will now include a built-in WordPress AI assistant, the company announced on Tuesday.

Discussion: Engadget, WordPress.com News, @wordpressdotcom, @jameswlepage, TechEBlog, @rafaltomal, @georgebaily@mastodon.social, Tech in Asia, The Verge and @lauridonahue.bsky.social, more at Techmeme »

Diane Sylvester / Editor and Publisher:

News Literacy Project survey: 84% of US teens describe news media negatively, and 94% think news or media literacy should be part of their education — When the News Literacy Project (NLP) released its national study of teens' views of journalism in November 2025, one figure stood out …

Discussion: @dankennedy.net

Freddie Sayers / The Spectator:

The Spectator has 113K subscribers, a record, print is its fastest-growing type of subscription, and it is offering its subscription service to external clients — Something remarkable is happening at the world's oldest weekly magazine. After years of relatively flat subscriber numbers …

Discussion: Advanced Television and The Streamable

Cristina Criddle / Financial Times:

Perplexity says it has no plans to further pursue ads, which it introduced in 2024, after phasing them out in late 2025 over fears they would erode user trust — Leading start-ups have recently embraced sponsors as they search for revenue — AI start-up Perplexity has abandoned advertising …

Discussion: @homemadehooplah, @cszabla, @charlesmok.bsky.social and Business Insider, more at Techmeme »

Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / TechCrunch:

Amnesty research: a government customer of spyware maker Intellexa hacked the iPhone of journalist Teixeira Cândido in Angola in 2024 via Predator spyware — A government customer of sanctioned spyware maker Intellexa hacked the phone of a prominent journalist in Angola …

Discussion: @lorenzofb.bsky.social, Committee to Protect …, Amnesty International …, Bloomberg and Reuters

John Stang / Columbia Journalism Review:

Three right-wing media figures, who were denied press credentials in WA because of political affiliation, sue to get permanent press passes to the statehouse — In Olympia, Washington, a few right-wing media figures have been trying to get credentialed to cover the statehouse.

Discussion: @agomezfcc, @cjr, KUOW News and Information and @emilybell.bsky.social

Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:

Snapchat launches creator subscriptions in alpha, available to some creators in the US starting February 23; creators set custom monthly pricing — Social network Snapchat announced today it's launching creator subscriptions in alpha with select people in the U.S. starting on February 23.