The head of the Skydance entertainment group, ready to take care of the media conglomerate, Paramount Global, told federal officials that an approach to the “American narration” is focusing while promoting a new “impartial” editorial direction for CBS News.
David Ellison, CEO of Skydance, met with the federal president of Communications, Brendan Carr, to seek the approval of the merger of his company with Paramount, according to a letter from a Skydance lawyer included in a federal presentation. The transaction has led the subsidiary Paramount CBS News and its long -standing crown jewel, “60 minutes”, in the midst of the fights for its editorial independence. Ellison is the son of the technological billionaire Larry Ellison, an important supporter of President Donald Trump.
David Ellison and Skydance’s general lawyer said they expressed their commitment to adopt “various points of view” that will reflect “the varied ideological perspectives of US spectators,” according to the presentation. They also addressed concerns about the possible Chinese influence, saying that the technological giant based in China, Tencent, which has a participation in Skydance, will only be a passive interest and do not vote in any new version of Paramount of less than 5%.
Paramount, who also owns Comedy Central and his homonymous film study, among other important media entities, declined to comment.
Since Skydance announced his intention to merge with Paramount in a transaction of $ 8 billion a year ago, the agreement has faced multiple delays, first under the outgoing Biden administration, then under Trump. The president accused the Marquesina program of CBS News, “60 minutes”, of distorting an interview with Democratic opponent Kamala Harris during the 2024 elections and subsequently filed a lawsuit. While many legal experts saw demand as frivolous, media reports said Paramount Boss Shari Redstone favored exploring an agreement with Trump as a way to overcome more regulatory obstacles. The agreement, for $ 16 million, was announced earlier this month.
The agreement, and the negotiations that lead to it, classified several CBS high profile members. The “60 minutes” correspondent, Scott Pelley, said in June that such agreement would be “very harmful” for CBS and Paramount. In April, the editor of “60 minutes” has long resigned, citing the loss of editorial independence of the program. The head of CBS News, Wendy McMahon, resigned a month later.
In the episode of Monday of “The Late Show”, presenter Stephen Colbert, a frequent critic of Trump, criticized the agreement as a “Big Fat Bribiba.”
On Thursday, CBS said it would cancel the 32 -year -old night franchise, as of May, for financial reasons. Trump cheered the announcement on Friday in Truth Social, his social media site, saying that “absolutely” loves the decision.
