CNN Mood ‘Like a Funeral’ ...

[old dog]

... as Paramount’s Warner Bros. Win Casts New Haze on Next Steps

Just when staffers at CNN thought the news giant’s path to the future was becoming more clear, new fog has set in.

A new corporate parent, Paramount Skydance is set to take the reins of CNN in October, and with that change of control could come entirely new goals — and means of executing them.

Even Mark Thompson, chairman and CEO of CNN, seemed to not know much about next steps. “Over the coming days you’ll hear much more about what this means for CNN, including the date of the close,” he told staffers Monday.

CNN personnel have reason to worry. Paramount’s management of CBS News has been controversial, and has not been good for the business of the news unit. Changes made under Bari Weiss, installed last year as editor in chief, have brought unnecessary scrutiny to news reports, and anchors have made public entreaties on Instagram when people post notes suggesting that Weiss’ background as a digital entrepreneur and provocative opinion writer have muddied the newsgathering at the network.

https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/cnn-funeral-path-hazy-paramount-wins-warner-1236872113/

[GrumpyOldEngineer]

CNN deserves the sweat this one out after they way the have blatanly lied and called it "journalism ".

[Billy_Bob]

I believe change is good. People will finally be held accountable, I hope.

[2cent]

...Or, we'll be attending a long-awaited funeral right soon.

[PeteS in CA]

In particular, at 1:10.

[FNguy]

They're afraid that they will be forced to become an objective, unbiased news organization. The horror!

[Jen]

I believe change is good. People will finally be held accountable, I hope.

I hope and pray for accountability.

What we are facing is no longer Left versus Right or Democrat versus Republican. It hasn't been that for a long time.

Finally, Trump is taking on the media. I hope that means we are nearing the end of the war of Good versus Evil. Evil will always exist, but maybe for a while it will be diminished

[old dog]

I believe change is good. People will finally be held accountable, I hope.

The on-air and intermediate employees going ape shit is a good sign.

[RedGrouse]

Oh well for CNN.

[WellBonded]

I hope and pray for accountability.

What we are facing is no longer Left versus Right or Democrat versus Republican. It hasn't been that for a long time.

Finally, Trump is taking on the media.

A impossible task to achieve.

[Jen]

A impossible task to achieve.

Yes. It is an impossible task . If Trump reins in false news reporting it will be framed as censorship.

[WellBonded]

Yes. It is an impossible task . If Trump reins in false news reporting it will be framed as censorship.

I believe in last months edition of TVTech, a former FCC Commissioner who is now a communications attorney pointed out neither Trump, nor the FCC has the authority under the Communications Act to invoke such restrictions.

[Billy_Bob]

I believe in last months edition of TVTech, a former FCC Commissioner who is now a communications attorney pointed out neither Trump, nor the FCC has the authority under the Communications Act to invoke such restrictions.

There is only one way to achieve these types of restrictions by the FCC, "In the public interest" is a clause found in every FCC contract. It is a vague clause and can be interpreted in many ways. Determining what is in the "public interest" is political in nature, but it has been used to silence many conservative media figures over the years in demon rat controlled regions. Rush fought this tooth and nail for years.

[WellBonded]

There is only one way to achieve these types of restrictions by the FCC, "In the public interest" is a clause found in every FCC contract. It is a vague clause and can be interpreted in many ways. Determining what is in the "public interest" is political in nature, but it has been used to silence many conservative media figures over the years in demon rat controlled regions. Rush fought this tooth and nail for years.

Not really, licenses are issued based on market density and frequency overlap, once a license is granted the public interest side is mostly measured by the number of PSA'a a station runs.and if they have met all of the filings the FCC requires.

The largest problem Rush had was boycotts most of which backfired and actually increased sales for the companies boycotted by left wing radicals, Rush turned their noise into marketing and it worked very well.

[Billy_Bob]

Not really, licenses are issued based on market density and frequency overlap, once a license is granted the public interest side is mostly measured by the number of PSA'a a station runs.and if they have met all of the filings the FCC requires.

The largest problem Rush had was boycotts most of which backfired and actually increased sales for the companies boycotted by left wing radicals, Rush turned their noise into marketing and it worked very well.

What you say is true. That said however, the initial push to silence Rush was the attempt to remove his broadcast license through the use of in the public interest. When that failed, they went the boycott route. They couldn't do it legally so they had to do something they thought would chase away his advertisers.. That almost worked, but then people started listening to what he was saying. That backfired massively because it brought more listeners to his program.