Trump administration regulators have approved the offer of $ 8 billion Skydance Media to acquire the CBS News Paramount company, racing the way for a tectonic change in the property of one of the three main networks of the United States.
The Federal Communications Commission said Thursday that he had approved the acquisition, with the president of the FCC, Brendan Carr, adding a press release that the measure would bring a change to the company’s news coverage. Paramount has CBS, which includes CBS News.
“The Americans no longer trust the Legacy National News Media to fully report, precisely and fairly. It is time for a change,” said Carr. “That is why I welcome Skydance’s commitment to make significant changes in the CBS transmission network, once strict, in particular, Skydance has made written commitments to guarantee that the programming of the new company incorporates a diversity of the new company incorporates a diversity of the new company views of the entire political and ideological spectrum. “
“Today’s decision also marks another step forward in the efforts of the FCC to eliminate forms of Dei discrimination,” Carr added.
In recent days, the new Paramount owner made a series of concessions to the FCC, even agree not to implement any diversity, equity or inclusion program. Skydance also said that “he would undertake an exhaustive review” of CBS and “will commit, for a period of at least two years, to have a defender of the people.” That role would inform the president of the new company.
Several companies that have transactions of one billion dollars waiting before the FCC of Carr have also supported the dei programs, including Verizon and T-Mobile.
The concessions also occurred after Paramount Global resolved a lawsuit with President Donald Trump for $ 16 million. Trump brought that demand, saying that the way CBS edited an “60 minutes” interview with former vice president Kamala Harris was “electoral and voter interference.”
The lonely Democrat in the leadership of the FCC, Commissioner Anna Gómez, did not put words about the impulse to obtain promises from companies.
“After months of cowardly capitulation to this administration, Paramount finally obtained what he wanted,” he said in a statement sent by email.
“In an unprecedented movement, this FCC once independent used its vast power to press Paramount to negotiate a private legal agreement and erode a eroded press freedom,” he added. “Once again, this agency is undermining legitimate efforts to combat discrimination and expand opportunities by exceeding their authority and intervening in labor matters reserved for other government entities with adequate jurisdiction on these issues.”
“Even more alarming, now it is imposing controls ever seen on the decisions of the writing room and the editorial trial, in direct violation of the first amendment and the law.”
Skydance is led by David Ellison, son of the founder of Oracle and Allied with Trump Larry Ellison. While the young Ellison made a donation to the re -election fund of President Joe Biden in February 2024 shortly before the former president retired from the race, Trump recently pointed out his comfort with his acquisition of Paramount and his assets, which in addition to CBS News include Nickelodeon, Central Comedy, The CW, MTV, Bet and Film Franchise as “Smurfs” and “Sonic the Hedgehog”.
“Ellison is great. He will do a great job with him,” Trump said in June.
There is likely to be a maritime change in the editorial direction of CBS News under its new property. In a recent presentation, Ellison and Skydance said they had told Carr that they were committed to finding an approach to the “American narration” while promoting a new editorial address “impartial” for CBS News. His meeting occurred shortly after Paramount agreed to resolve Trump’s demand.
He also arrived a few days after CBS announced that he was canceling “The Late Show”, currently organized by Stephen Colbert, an announcement that Trump praised on social networks. Colbert had recently criticized the billionaire agreement of the parent company with Trump, while CBS said the cancellation was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop at the last minute of the night.”
There were signs of an editorial change ahead of the merger. In particular, the “60 minutes” editor for a long time announced that this spring would resign, citing the editorial independence of CBS News. Shortly after, the president and executive director of CBS News, Wendy McMahon, was expelled. Last week, the New York Times reported that Skydance was in early conversations to acquire the conservative, the Free Press Media outlet. Meanwhile, the presenter of “Daily Show”, Jon Stewart, said he did not know if his program would survive the merger.
Skydance has spent years chasing Paramount and finally realized that he could successfully execute the transaction buying Paramount’s parents, the national amusements, the company once directed by Sumner Redstone, the father of the current president, president and executive director of the company, Shari Redstone. However, the proposed agreement continued to face obstacles, first under the Biden administration, then at the beginning of the Trump period. Its approval came in what was its third period of time deadline.
Daniel Arkin and Steve Kopack contributed.
