All posts tagged "david ellison"

'The show is dead': CBS insider calls Bari Weiss' '60 Minutes' a sewn-up 'Frankenstein'

CBS News insiders are sounding the alarm over Bari Weiss' revamped '60 Minutes,' with one senior staffer declaring the show already "dead."

The grim verdict came from an unnamed CBS News senior staffer who spoke with media columnist Justin Baragona in a Wednesday article for his Zeteo newsletter "Ragebait."

"The show is dead. We're just looking at some Frankenstein of bits sewn together of mismatched pieces," the staffer told Baragona. "I think the season is in trouble."

The doom-saying followed the network's own upbeat press release about the premiere, which one CBS reporter mocked in an all-caps text to Baragona.

"WELCOME TO THE SPIN ZONE!!!" the reporter wrote, according to Baragona.

Staffers have reason to worry. The season debut of Weiss' overhauled '60 Minutes' pulled in the worst premiere ratings this century, according to final Nielsen figures. The newsmagazine drew about 7.9 million total viewers, down roughly 21 percent from last year's premiere, with a steeper 33 percent drop in the key 25-to-54 demographic that advertisers pay a premium to reach.

The internal gloom has been building since Weiss took over CBS News earlier this year and veteran producers and correspondents headed for the exits. One staffer previously told Baragona that anchor Norah O'Donnell was "willing to play the part of dimwit reporter used as a propaganda tool."

Weiss and her boss, Paramount CEO David Ellison, have drawn criticism for their ties to President Donald Trump and his administration, and critics blamed the ratings slide on that leadership rather than the competing NFL games that aired that same Sunday.

"Nearly 2 million people collectively just said, f— you Bari Weiss," a CBS News senior staffer told Baragona, referring to the loss of viewers between last season's '60 Minutes' premiere and this year's. "And also, f— you David Ellison."

Online, the schadenfreude was thick. "Bari is a loser," journalist and radio host Doug Henwood wrote. Author Don Winslow needled, "Is this called winning??"

Trump-backed movie studio left scrambling after searing attack from Hollywood star

Paramount Skydance scrambled to respond after Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo attacked the studio's CEO and his father.

According to a Friday article by Variety, Ruffalo posted a video on his Instagram showing the executive vice chair of the tech company Oracle, Safra Catz, talking about how the company supported Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. Oracle was co-founded and is chaired by Larry Ellison, the father of Paramount CEO David Ellison.

Catz, who is Israeli, is shown in the video speaking on a panel a few years ago, according to Variety. Catz is also on Paramount's board of directors, per the company's website.

"There's a few things that we did that I really can't talk about to advance the agenda for the Israeli military," Catz said. "But we have some really profoundly scary technology at Oracle, and we wanted to make sure that it was available for the effort."

Ruffalo followed that with a post where he warned about Oracle and Paramount's merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. President Donald Trump's Department of Justice greenlit the merger earlier this year, but a judge has halted it after a lawsuit by a dozen state attorneys general.

" Trump pushed this illegal merger through," Ruffalo said in his Instagram story. Ruffalo described Oracle as "the company that Larry Ellison is using to fund his son David's Warner Bros acquisition."

Ruffalo also cautioned that Oracle's "really scary technologies" brought up in Catz's comments "will most likely be merged into one of the largest media conglomerates in the world and one day used on you."

He also called Larry Ellison "a classic Oligarch," and said, along with Catz, they're "really profoundly Scary people."

Paramount responded with a lengthy statement, which CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter shared in a post on X. "This brings us to a moment to lower the temperature, not raise it," Paramount wrote.

Paramount dismissed Ruffalo's comments as "antisemitic tropes" that are "a bridge too far."

Addressing the merger, Paramount wrote, "We understand people feel strongly about this merger and are hopeful and expect that it will be judged based on the legal merits, not underlying bias."

New '60 Minutes' hire's slip reveals broken promise from Bari Weiss: expert

A slip by conservative New York Times columnist Ross Douthat revealed that promises to "60 Minutes" from CBS don't mean anything, an expert said.

In a Friday episode of the Power Lines podcast, media expert Jon Passantino called out how Douthat answered questions during his exit interview. Douthat was announced as the newest "60 Minutes" correspondent last month, and fellow New York Times columnist Ezra Klein interviewed Douthat for his podcast.

Klein asked Douthat, "What did they say they wanted? Like, what is your sense of what '60 Minutes' is trying to become with you launching as a marquee name?"

Douthat is a longtime conservative Catholic New York Times opinion columnist, and he's coming in as veteran "60 Minutes" correspondents exit. Former correspondents like Scott Pelley, who was fired earlier this year, have criticized the show's direction under Bari Weiss, who was made the CBS News editor-in-chief under Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison.

Cecilia Vega, another fired correspondent, has said she was pushed to include footage of protesters assaulting people they believed were undercover ICE agents, but her team found no credible examples of such incidents.

Weiss and Ellison have promised that they'll back off from how "60 Minutes" is run, and Executive Producer Nick Bilton would run the day-to-day operations. Pelley notably accused Weiss of "murdering" the show shortly before he was fired, per reports.

However, Douthat's response to Klein revealed that the promises to back off from "60 Minutes" don't mean anything, according to Passantino. Douthat waved off Klein's questions and told him, "You would need to get Bari to come on your podcast to get sort of her answer to that question."

Passantino flagged that as a "slip" that showed "a total violation of the previous means in which the show has been operated with its independence." Weiss and Ellison "assured Leslie Stahl and others, 'We are not going to change any of that, Nick Bilton is going to run this show,'" Passantino explained.

"If you listen to the brand-new marquee '60 Minutes' correspondent, Ross, he didn't say that. He said, 'You got to talk to Bari. Bari's the one with the ideas here. She's the one who's going to be running the show.'" Passantino said. "Right there shows that all of these verbal assurances, they don't actually mean anything."

CNN insiders shred MAGA billionaire's plea: 'We do not want it here'

CNN insiders shredded an op-ed by a MAGA billionaire who's trying to take over their parent company, according to a media reporter.

During an episode of the Status podcast Power Lines, Oliver Darcy, who reports on media, said that CNN staffers and journalists panned a New York Times op-ed by Paramount Skydance owner David Ellison, who is trying to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. Ellison controls CBS, which has seen a MAGA makeover of its news programs under Bari Weiss and cut the Trump-critical The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

The Paramount chief's guest essay marked his first public defense of the deal, which a dozen states sued to block. A judge halted it until a trial set for March, but if it's greenlit, Ellison would take control of CNN. Darcy said that he spoke with more than a dozen people inside CNN about whether the essay swayed them, and they responded with a "resounding no."

"We all have eyes and ears and see what's happening at CBS," one employee told Darcy. "You can't just write an op-ed and erase that."

Another called out Weiss, whose leadership has seen the gutting of '60 Minutes' and the ratings of CBS Mornings and CBS Evening News plummet.

"The thing David Ellison seems to be missing is the wild mismanagement and disrespect that Bari has displayed at 60 and CBS," the CNN staffer told Darcy. "We see it, and we do not want it here."

A third CNN staffer told Darcy that the changes Ellison directed at CBS News "eroded the newsroom's trust," and concluded, "Free pressifying CNN is not the answer."

In the op-ed, Ellison wrote that he does not wish to bend newsrooms to his views, and said he wants them to reflect "the whole world, not one side of it." Darcy read that line as signaling which side Ellison believes is underrepresented.

"I don't think he believes that liberals are underrepresented," Darcy said. "I think he believes that conservatives are underrepresented in media."

Darcy also noted that Paramount didn't respond to his request for comment.

'Awkward': MAGA CBS anchor's absence leads to the 'best ratings in months'

A MAGA CBS anchor's short vacation led to his show getting the best ratings in months, according to a report.

CBS Evening News finally cracked more than 4 million viewers for the first time since March, according to reporting by Status. However, the show reached the solid ratings while its main anchor, Tony Dokoupil, was on a two-week summer vacation.

Ratings for CBS News programs have struggled during the summer. CBS Evening News plummeted below the 4 million viewer threshold in March as the network was undergoing a MAGA makeover under Bari Weiss. Meanwhile, CBS Mornings saw its lowest-rated week in the program's history in July.

The flagship CBS News program, '60 Minutes,' has gone through the most high-profile struggles, as it lost veteran correspondents such as Scott Pelley, Anderson Cooper, Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi, not to mention a slew of producers. CBS also cut The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earlier this year as David Ellison, the owner of the network's parent company, sought the Trump administration's blessing for a merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and his company, Paramount Skydance.

CBS Evening News surpassed the 4 million mark last week, according to ratings published earlier this week. It marked the first time the program passed the benchmark since March.

However, Status noted one caveat. "The ratings victory was not Tony Dokoupil's to claim," as the ratings boost happened while he was gone. "Instead, it belonged to Matt Gutman, who has been substituting for Dokoupil while the anchor is out on a two-week summer vacation," Status reported.

"During Gutman's first week in the anchor chair in July, he averaged 4.1 million viewers," Status reported after reviewing Nielsen ratings data. Gutman delivered "the best-rated week for the CBS Evening News in 17 weeks," it pointed out.

Status credited Dokoupil's summer vacation with handing CBS News an "unexpected and somewhat awkward result."

Weiss installed Dokoupil as an anchor in January. He drew a staff revolt over the video manifestos he posted about "legacy media," an on-air scolding from Donald Trump, and a public rebuke from Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) after the network aired a Trump interview. He was also mocked for confusing Kanye West with P. Diddy on air, and a pair of foreign assignments in Taiwan and China collapsed into logistical disasters.

'Rings hollow': MAGA 'nepo baby' thrashed by analyst after defending media overhaul

Trump-allied executive David Ellison was trying to convince critics that he wouldn't let his company's acquisition of CNN impact the news organization's reporting, an analyst reported on Tuesday.

The Paramount Skydance owner responed to stalled-out purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery and wrote a New York Times op-ed on Tuesday, aiming to reassure critics that he wouldn't let his relationship with President Donald Trump influence his ownership or business decisions, The Daily Beast's Leigh Kimmons wrote.

"The billionaire nepo baby insisted his personal politics will not dictate newsroom decisions, responding directly to an antitrust lawsuit that threatens to torpedo the $111 billion mega-merger," Kimmons explained.

Ellison wrote this in his opinion piece for The Times.

“I believe that news should be based on facts and truth. Great news organizations like CNN and CBS News are here to tell it straight down the middle," Ellison wrote. "That requires newsrooms that reflect the whole world, not one side of it. And it requires independence. Our journalists will continue to answer to the facts and to all the people they serve—not to any party or cause.”

He also spoke about why he remained quiet over the court battle involving the media conglomerates — admitting "that staying quiet had backfired," Kimmons wrote.

"While I was silent, others were happy to write my story for me," Ellison wrote. "No more."

Kimmons called out the comment, given the ongoing disputes at CBS over political influence at the storied broadcasting company.

"The plea rings hollow given the overhaul at CBS, where Weiss caused dismay when she shelved a 60 Minutes episode on El Salvador’s CECOT prison after administration officials declined to be interviewed," Kimmons reported. "Veteran correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi blasted the move in an email to colleagues, calling the administration’s refusal to participate 'a tactical maneuver designed to kill the story.'"

Trump-approved media merger grinds to 'costly' year-long standstill: NYT

A major media merger approved by the Trump administration hit another standstill, according to The New York Times.

On Friday, Paramount said that it agreed to halt its $111 billion merger with Warner Bros., which would bring the movie studio and its programs, including CNN, under the control of MAGA-friendly David Ellison, The Times reported.

The Department of Justice greenlit the industry-shaking deal in June. The Trump administration had leverage over Ellison, the Paramount Skydance CEO, while he awaited the DOJ's approval. During that wait, Ellison transformed CBS News and cut "The Late Show" with Stephen Colbert.

However, the deal hit another snag earlier this month with a lawsuit by a dozen state attorneys general, including California AG Rob Bonta, to stop the deal on antitrust grounds.

A judge paused the merger earlier this week in response to the lawsuit, but the agreement by Paramount on Friday entails halting the merger until next June, a lengthy standstill that "could be costly for Paramount," the Times wrote. New York Attorney General Letitia James called the freeze a "crucial victory" in a statement.

"From the workers and artists who bring stories to life to the families who buy tickets at the box office, Paramount's illegal takeover of Warner Bros. is a bad deal for all those who count on a competitive entertainment industry," James said, per the Times.

However, Paramount also described the halt as a "significant win" because it gives the company "a direct path to a trial based on the evidence," a spokesperson told the Times. "This is the fastest and clearest way to prove that this transaction is good for competition, good for consumers, and good for creators."

Red state courts Trump-allied Hollywood giant looking to flee California: reports

A red state is capitalizing on a major Hollywood studio's rift with California over a Trump-backed merger, per reports.

According to a Tuesday article by The Hollywood Reporter, Tennessee is courting Paramount Skydance as it sets its sights on a new home. Paramount Skydance has threatened to leave California after a coalition of a dozen attorneys general filed a lawsuit to block a $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. The Trump Department of Justice greenlit the merger earlier this year.

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development sent a letter on July 2 to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, in which it tried to woo the Trump-allied chairman.

"Congratulations on this remarkable new chapter for Paramount Skydance. Few leaders have the opportunity to redefine an iconic company while simultaneously shaping the future of an industry," reads the letter, signed by Tennessee Deputy Governor Stuart McWhorter. "As you look ahead, I encourage you to consider Tennessee as the home for that future."

The Hollywood Reporter noted that Ellison used to live on and off in Tennessee for 11 years from 2014 to 2025. The Reporter added that Oracle, the tech company owned by Larry Ellison, plans on building a massive campus in Nashville, and Clay Magouyrk, the co-CEO of Oracle, lives in Tennessee.

Warner Bros. Discovery also used to maintain an office complex in Knoxville after a 2017 Scripps Network deal. Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of the historic Hollywood studio, sold the property in 2023, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"Tennessee offers a compelling proposition: a state where creativity and technology converge, where talent is developed intentionally, and where innovation is embraced," the letter promised.

State AG scoffs at Trump ally's 'last-ditch' attempt to 'blackmail' him over mega merger

A state attorney general brushed off a "blackmail" attempt by a media executive amid a lawsuit against a Trump-backed merger.

During an interview with former CNN anchor Jim Acosta, California Attorney General Rob Bonta talked about how David Ellison, the head of Paramount Skydance, threatened to pull out of Hollywood if his merger with Warner Bros. Discovery gets blocked. The Trump Department of Justice greenlit the merger earlier this year, paving the way for Paramount to take over the major Hollywood studio.

"That just felt like a desperate last-ditch effort to try to blackmail my office and the other AGs who have a job to do," Bonta said. "A duty to regulate and to blackmail us into allowing an illegal merger to go through, which we can't do, we won't do, we didn't do, we will never do."

Political commentators have already noted how the industry-shaking merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. could crush the California economy if Paramount moves. California is now leading a coalition of 12 attorneys general who filed a lawsuit on Monday to stop the purchase on antitrust grounds. Bonta says that Ellison is now threatening to leave California to stop the lawsuit.

"It didn't work," Bonta said. "That's the kind of conduct you see from monopolists trying to strong-arm their way into existence and trying to get their way."

Bonta stressed that the lawsuit is meant to stop Ellison from forming a media monopoly that can raise prices and "to prevent the harm to everyday people who, while sitting on a couch, just want to get access to basic cable channels like Comedy Central and Nickelodeon," he said.

"Or on a special occasion, want to go to the movies to celebrate an anniversary or go on a date and experience some of the joys of life without it breaking the bank," Bonta said. "That's exactly why we brought our lawsuit to prevent monopolistic behavior."

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Trump-blessed 'corrupt' merger will quietly gut blue state's economy: ex-GOP operative

The Trump administration's green light for an industry-shaking deal will gut a deep blue state's economy, a former GOP operative warned.

Paramount Skydance plans to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, and the $110 billion deal has the approval of Trump's Department of Justice. Steve Schmidt warned in his podcast about how the deal and moves by Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison will crush California.

"The impact of it to the state of California is immense," Schmidt said. "What will ultimately happen is David Ellison will move Paramount out of California to Texas. It will devastate the Los Angeles economy, the state economy by doing so."

Schmidt called on the California Legislature to gather for a special session for "investigating this merger, not as an anti-competitive merger, but as a corrupt act that was commenced with the payment of a bribe from Shari Redstone," Paramount's former controlling shareholder, who agreed to sell the company to David Ellison's Skydance. The "bribe" Schmidt means is Paramount's $16 million settlement of Trump's CBS lawsuit.

"They ought to investigate it as such all the way through," Schmidt said of California lawmakers. "And Democrats are going to have to be very, very tough customers as we get closer and closer to the election."