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Dennis Donovan

(28,107 posts)
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 03:53 PM 10 hrs ago

WSJ: CBS Owner Discusses Settling Trump Suit, With Merger Review on Tap

WSJ - CBS Owner Discusses Settling Trump Suit, With Merger Review on Tap (Gift link)

Trump seeking $10 billion in suit over ‘60 Minutes’ Harris interview; FCC signals tough review of Paramount merger with Skydance

By Jessica Toonkel and Drew FitzGerald

Jan. 17, 2025 2:14 pm ET

Paramount Global executives have held internal discussions about settling a lawsuit filed by Donald Trump over a CBS News interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, according to people familiar with the situation, a sign of larger efforts to dial down tensions with the incoming president.

Paramount, owner of CBS, its namesake studio and several cable channels, has a major piece of business in front of the new administration: its planned merger with Skydance Media. It’s become clear to executives at both companies that Trump’s dissatisfaction with CBS News will make the review tougher than they anticipated, and that they’ll likely need to offer concessions to win approval, people familiar with the situation said.

Incoming Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr gave Paramount executives a warning to that effect at a reception late last year following the taping of the Kennedy Center honors in Washington, according to people familiar with the exchange, and he has echoed the message in public remarks.

The FCC has the authority over the transaction because it would involve the transfer of broadcast-TV licenses held by local CBS-owned stations.

Trump’s lawsuit against CBS, which seeks $10 billion in damages, alleges that the network committed election interference by editing portions of an interview with Harris, favoring her campaign for president. Trump claimed CBS aired one version of the interview on “60 Minutes” and another version on its show “Face the Nation,” each containing different answers about Israel. CBS has said it aired a more succinct version of Harris’s interview on “60 Minutes.”

/snip


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WSJ: CBS Owner Discusses Settling Trump Suit, With Merger Review on Tap (Original Post) Dennis Donovan 10 hrs ago OP
Welcome to the end of free speech. Scrivener7 10 hrs ago #1
Isn't Skydance owned by tech billionaire Larry Ellison newdeal2 10 hrs ago #2
the smell of black mail is in the air rurallib 10 hrs ago #3

newdeal2

(1,231 posts)
2. Isn't Skydance owned by tech billionaire Larry Ellison
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 04:00 PM
10 hrs ago

And run by his son. Isn’t Larry pals with Trump?

Welcome to our oligarchy. Maybe they’ll force Colbert to perform at Trump’s inaugural.

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