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Trump tells reporters, “We did a deal for about $16M plus $16M, or maybe more than that in advertising” with CBS, which denies PSAs were part of the settlement — Someone's playing fast and loose with the real numbers, and, for once, it may not be Donald Trump …
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Source: President Trump's team expects Paramount to make an eight-figure “allocation” for ads, PSAs, and other broadcasts that support conservative causes — Concerns about bribery allegations, angry CBS News staff and a looming high-stakes merger made for tense monthslong negotiations
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TV Insider, Variety, Raw Story, New York Post, People, Gizmodo, @michaelsderby.bsky.social and Esquire

Paramount faces a backlash for settling with Trump; Democrat FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez says it “marks a dangerous precedent for the First Amendment” — - Journalists and others said the payoff will embolden attacks by Trump and his allies on news outlets.
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Brian Steinberg / Variety:
WGA East, which represents CBS News writers, says the Paramount settlement is a “transparent attempt to curry favors” with Trump to get Skydance merger approved
WGA East, which represents CBS News writers, says the Paramount settlement is a “transparent attempt to curry favors” with Trump to get Skydance merger approved
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Sources: Google told publishers it is hiring new staff to market its ad tech to big advertisers and ad agencies, signaling a renewed focus on publisher ad tech — Google's relations with publishers have suffered lately, as its shift to AI-powered searches has hurt traffic being sent to publishers' web sites.
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Forbes, Cautious Optimism and What's New in Publishing

Doc: UK's Independent Publishers Alliance files an antitrust complaint with EU and the UK CMA against Google, alleging misuse of web content for AI Overviews — Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google has been hit by an EU antitrust complaint over its AI Overviews from a group of independent publishers …
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Dr. Phil's Merit Street Media JV, launched in April 2024, files for Chapter 11 and sues business partner Trinity Broadcasting Network for breach of contract — The TV personality's high-rated daytime Dr. Phil show ended a 21-year run after the 2022-23 season although it lived on in syndication.
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Memo: HFPA members voted to oust President Helen Hoehne from her role and also ejected her from its board, as members aim to reverse HFPA's 2023 dissolution — Hoehne, who oversaw the organization through boycotts over diversity and its Eldridge acquisition, was also ejected from its board of directors
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The Hollywood Reporter, New York Times, The Movie Blog and Variety

The UK government rejects a proposed 5% levy on streaming services and a 25% tax rebate on ad costs for indie films, among other committee recommendations — The U.K. government has firmly rejected calls for a 5% levy on streaming platforms and mandatory IP retention rules …
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Broadband TV News, The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter, Screen and Advanced Television

Journalist Mario Guevara's lawyer says ICE has not allowed Guevara's family to post bond, leaving Guevara in custody despite a federal judge's order — The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the decision by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities not to comply …
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@attorneynora, @attorneynora, WAGA-TV, Atlanta Civic Circle, Atlanta Civic Circle and NBC News

ITV names Daniel Robinson the editor of Good Morning Britain, ahead of the program's transition to being produced by ITN; he was GMB's deputy editor since 2021 — Daniel Robinson has been named the next editor of ITV's Good Morning Britain ahead of the programme's transition to being produced by ITN.
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NYT publishes article on Zohran Mamdani identifying as African American on his college application, citing hacked docs from an anonymous “race science” advocate — The New York Times published a story that cited hacked documents at Columbia University showing …
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An interview with X VP of Product Keith Coleman about plans to let developers program AI agents to propose Community Notes, humans doing the rating, and more — The Washington Post's essential guide to tech policy news — Send news tips to: will.oremus@washpost.com
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