Skydance and Paramount complete their merger – whither CBS News?

The headline-chewing Skydance Media takeover of Paramount Global was formally concluded Thursday. The merger marks the transition from three decades of control by the Redstone family to companies controlled by the Ellison family – tech mogul Larry and his son, David.

In a lengthy open letter new Chairman and CEO David Ellison touted the benefits of combining tech platforms and studio creative services, while amping up direct-to-consumer streaming programming. CBS and other TV media, while providing more than 60% of Paramount’s revenue, received lesser attention.

However what Ellison did say about CBS News was notable: “News partners: We recognize it’s been a challenging period and we’re deeply grateful for your resilience, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to the news business. We take immense pride in CBS News’ legacy of impactful journalism and look forward to continuing to foster a newsroom culture where journalists are empowered, trusted, and equipped to do their best work.”

Separately, he name-checked 60 Minutes, saying CBS News is “home to one of the most storied American broadcast journalism legacies in America, including 60 Minutes, with a long tradition of impactful reporting led by seasoned journalists committed to accuracy, integrity, and public trust.”

Of course, both comments allude to one of the media stories of the year – President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against 60 Minutes alleging improper editing of an interview with presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Paramount settled for $16 million in early July. Pulling shorter clips from a full interview is standard practice, and, critics, including 60 Minutes correspondents Scott Pelley and Lesley Stahl, objected that the action was a sop to the president to insure his antitrust executives not block the merger.

Along the way both CBS News and 60 Minutes have had turnover at the top in 2025. 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens quit in protest in June. He is being succeeded by Tanya Simon, a veteran producer for the show. At the news division, Wendy McMahon left, citing strategic differences, and Tom Cibrowski was hired away from ABC News in March as CEO and editor-in-chief.

Besides facing scrutiny to see whether a hard-hitting story mix continues at 60 Minutes, Cibrowski will have decisions to make on a new format with new anchors for the CBS Evening News, a makeover that has not been a ratings success.

With all those moving parts, it’s highly uncertain where CBS News and its marquee show are headed. Ellison’s saying the right things is a positive but no guarantee. How does that translate in practice?  With sparse evidence to work with, coverage Thursday was light on speculation.

An optimist could argue that Trump has exacted his tribute from Paramount/ CBS and will move on. There is no obvious lever for him to exert pressure comparable to holding up the merger proposal, which had dragged on for too long already. Others say that the president still has a rich trove of grievances against coverage he doesn’t like and will find new targets and new avenues of intimidation as he has in taking on other institutions like universities and big law firms.

One bad sign has already emerged. Paramount agreed as it was closing the merger approval process that it will conduct “a comprehensive review” to assure CBS is operating in the public interest without bias. It also promised the Federal Communications Commission that it will hire an ombudsman, reporting directly to the president of CBS News, to weigh in as other issues as they arise over the next two years.  And it will eliminate DEI programs at the company.

FCC commissioner Anna Gomez, a Biden appointee, offered blistering criticism Thursday in a press release. She accused Paramount/Skydance of “cowardly capitulation…trading away fundamental First Amendment principles for pure profit.”

By Rick Edmonds

‘Donkey of the Day’: Trump meets his match in Charlamagne Tha God

President Donald Trump has been on a nonstop tear lately, picking fights and lashing out against anyone who he feels crosses him — Democrats, journalists, media institutions and even former allies.

But his go-to routine hit a snag this week after he called out the brash author, comedian and radio host Charlamagne Tha God.

Charlamagne — the unapologetic and bold podcaster, and co-host on “The Breakfast Club” morning radio show — built a career off never pulling punches. As did Trump.

This is a rare time we’ve seen Trump go toe-to-toe with someone who is as adept at taking command of and swaying the online media cycle. He's a prominent voice with his own platform and influence, and he occupies the gray area between news creator and full-blown influencer. He can also hold his own in a shouting match. To me, the Charlamagne-Trump beef has been the most interesting yet, because Charlamagne’s not afraid to call out what he sees as hypocrisy, and he meets Trump on the president’s playground: the online media ecosphere.

On Monday, Charlamagne bestowed Trump with his infamous insult: The “Donkey of the Day” crown. Who else would be bold enough to declare the president “Donkey” of the day?

Let me back up, as context is key here. It all started when the radio star made a recent appearance on Lara Trump’s Fox News show, “My View with Lara Trump,” for a wide-ranging interview in which he didn’t mince words about Trump’s performance in the first months of his second term. He told the president’s daughter-in-law that Trump hadn’t delivered on his key campaign promises, so he wouldn’t give Trump’s first months back in office a good rating.

But what really set Trump off? Charlamagne speculated about a “political coup” brewing inside the Republican Party, saying that “traditional conservatives are going to take the Republican Party back,” reclaiming control from Trump’s MAGA movement.

“We need you focused on two things: the economy and (Jeffrey) Epstein. I need you to keep the promises of a great economy and the promises of transparency with the Epstein files,” Charlamagne said.

The suggestion that MAGA support could be faltering following the administration’s handling of the Epstein files was enough to send Trump spiraling.

(Or maybe he was still upset because in July, Charlamagne pulled out a clipboard full of dementia symptoms and playfully compared Trump and President Joe Biden.)

Trump wasted no time posting a long tirade on Truth Social, hurling insults and lashing out at Charlamagne, calling him a “racist sleazebag” and a “low IQ individual,” and reiterating false or overstated claims about his accomplishments in the first months of his second term.

Charlamagne is the last to buckle under pressure in the public eye, especially when provoked by someone as polarizing as Trump.

On Monday’s episode of “The Breakfast Club,” Charlamagne doubled down. He fact-checked the president’s claims about wiping out Iran’s nuclear capabilities. He mocked Trump’s decision to fire the labor bureau statistics chief as a self-defeating move that “added to the unemployment rate.”

He also characterized the Trump administration as authoritarian.

“With his reaction to what I said on Lara Trump shows how authoritarians will attempt to bully people into pushing false narratives,” he said.

“President Trump, do you realize the best way to get the headlines you want is to simply do a good job, is to simply to do right by all Americans?”

And in true Charlamagne fashion, he had no issue being the punchline while also making his point. He is still a comedian, after all.

He pulled out the definition of “sleazebag,” playfully leaning in: “Depending on who you ask, that may apply to me. OK, I personally prefer friendly, neighborhood A-hole, okay?”

Later, he dug in again — across platforms, so everyone could see.

On Instagram, Charlamagne wrote: “President Trump was better off going after Urkel tho because he is really Scraping The Bottom of The Black Barrel coming at me.”

And then: “Anyway Yes I Believe There Is A Political Coup happening in the Republican Party and I appreciate @/laraleatrump having me on #MyView last night to talk about that amongst many other things.”

This isn’t just another celebrity Trump feud. Charlamagne Tha God has long navigated and risen to the top of the noise in today’s fragmented and diverse media ecosystem. The same can be said for Trump. What we’re seeing — possibly for the first time — is what happens when an equally matched media personality refuses to back down from Trump’s challenge. Where others may have kowtowed, Trump and Charlamagne have instead traded blows from the comfort of their own platforms.

Charlamagne’s expertise in how to move the meter in this media cycle is clear. He told Variety this year: “You can’t just look at any piece of content as one thing. You got to look at this audio scripted thing, and say, ‘How many different pieces of content can that be?’ You look at this comic book and say, ‘How many different pieces of content can that be? ’”

That’s why he can take an interview with Lara Trump and turn it into a week’s worth of content.

As The New York Times’ Adeel Hassan reported: “Charlamagne also said on Ms. Trump’s program that the comedian Jon Stewart should run for president in 2028, and have his fellow late-night TV host Stephen Colbert as his running mate, ‘because Colbert’s not going to have a job,’ referring to the announcement by CBS that it was canceling his show.”

Charlamagne is one person who definitely won’t have his free speech curbed by the president. And given his reputation, and general nature, we could see this feud play out longer than the typical [Trump beef] media cycle.

Watch Charlamagne’s full response here.

By TyLisa Johnson

Lee Enterprises suffers quarterly loss as it continues to recover from cyberattack

Lee Enterprises, the fourth-largest newspaper company in the country, announced Thursday that it had ended its most recent quarter in the red as it continues to recover from a February cyberattack.

The company suffered a $2 million loss during the quarter ending June 29, an improvement from the $4.4 million loss it experienced during the same period last year. Total revenue was down, however, shrinking 6% year-over-year to $141 million. During an earnings call with investors Thursday, president and CEO Kevin Mowbray attempted to highlight the company’s digital subscription revenue growth even as the company lost subscribers.

“We ended June with 670,000 digital only subscribers, which is down sequentially, reflecting the continued residual impact from the cyber event,” Mowbray said. “However, as we’ve said before, unit growth may not be linear quarter to quarter. We remain confident and firmly committed to reaching our long-term unit target.”

In February, a ransomware attack — which Russian cybercrime group Qilin took credit for — accessed sensitive personal data of nearly 40,000 people associated with Lee and halted the company’s print and digital operations. Lee had to pay $1 million in cyber restoration expenses last quarter, in addition to the $2 million it paid the previous quarter.

Despite the company’s declining revenue, Mowbray said the company is still aiming to achieve a digital revenue of $450 million by 2028. Artificial intelligence-related initiatives will be a “key catalyst” for growing Lee’s digital business, he said.

Lee stock was trading at $4.46 a share Thursday afternoon, down 8% from the previous day’s close and 69% from the beginning of the year.

By Angela Fu, media business reporter

Peacock releases official trailer for ‘The Paper’ — a spinoff of ‘The Office’ — about a struggling newspaper

Ever since I heard about “The Paper,” the mockumentary series premiering Sept. 4 on Peacock, I’ve looked forward to any morsel of information I  could find about the show. The crew that gave camera time to Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch in “The Office” now turns its focus to the Toledo Truth Teller, a historic and apparently crappy newspaper in Ohio. To my delight, the official trailer dropped Thursday.

In it, we meet Ned Sampson, played by Domhnall Gleeson (loved him in the 2015 period drama film, “Brooklyn”). Sampson is the Toledo Truth Teller’s new editor-in-chief, and his job is to revive it.

“Have you read this paper?” one woman played by Chelsea Frei asks Sampson over lunch. “How do you think it compares to any other paper?”

“It sucks,” Sampson says without skipping a beat. Frei’s character breaks into laughter.

But, the EIC assures her, they’re going to make it better.

About halfway through the trailer, we learn just how difficult an endeavor that’s going to be, though. The documentary crew brings us into Sampson’s first staff meeting with his volunteer reporters.

“How many of you have actually written a paper before?” he asks.

One guy in a faded cap shakes his head. An older man, with brows scrunched, twists the lid of a flask.

Finally, someone speaks up.

“I wrote a paper in junior high.”

Sampson informs him that it’s not quite the same thing, and another guy offers that he’s tweeted before.

OK, so there’s not much journalism experience at this conference table, which isn’t a good sign. I’m already stressed for this editor and for his fictional newspaper.

“The Paper” also stars Sabrina Impacciatore, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young and Tim Key. And for fans of “The Office,” Oscar Martínez (played by Oscar Nuñez) is back. Let’s just say the accountant is not at all happy that the camera crew is back in his face.

“The Paper premieres on Peacock with four episodes on September 4, followed by two new episodes every Thursday through September 25.

With newsroom closures and the general state of the American journalism landscape, I’m curious if any of today’s issues will come through as themes in the show. That they begin with a newspaper that’s already struggling is apt for the moment we’re in. At the very least, we’ll get some comic relief even if only for the duration of an episode.

By Amaris Castillo, staff writer

Media tidbits and links

• The New York Times’ Clyde Haberman reports on the life of Leonard Lopate, a longtime NY radio host, who died Tuesday.
• Vox Media Union posted on Instagram that 15 staffers were being eliminated at Eater, the well-known food and dining publication, as a result of ongoing restructuring at Vox Media. More details here.
• In this week’s NPR Public Editor newsletter, Kelly McBride writes about the future of public radio in, “Public radio is about to change. A lot. But it’s not yet clear exactly how.”
• Stanford student journalists have sued members of the Trump administration in an effort to prevent the deportation of fellow students. The Washington Post’s Angie Orellana Hernandez has more with, “Stanford newspaper sues Trump administration over student deportations.”
• The controversy surrounding the American Eagle jeans ad featuring Sydney Sweeney continues. This time, because NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo shared a deepfake video on Instagram of congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In the AI-made video, Ocasio-Cortez calls the jeans advertisement racist. The Guardian’s Michael Sainato reports on the fallout with, “Chris Cuomo mocked for response after falling for deepfake AOC video.”
• AP’s Sarah Raza and Jack Dura reporting on how the closure of Midwest-based News Media Corp., with “Closure of Midwest-based newspaper chain leaves dozens of communities without a news source.”

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