Should it? Paramount is paying $111 billion for a film studio and dying news company. The IP is a big loss, but the money given to Warner Bros execs could fund new organizations well for a long time.
Should it?
Paramount is paying $111 billion for a film studio and dying news company. The IP is a big loss, but the money given to Warner Bros execs could fund new organizations well for a long time.
One major issue is that Paramount already owns CBS, which has made some highly controversial changes in the past year since getting bought by Skydance/Ellison, who has close ties to Trump. It's...
One major issue is that Paramount already owns CBS, which has made some highly controversial changes in the past year since getting bought by Skydance/Ellison, who has close ties to Trump. It's pretty much guaranteed that CNN will undergo similar changes given Trump's criticism of CNN. And the Saudi government and other foreign funders are further involved and helped fund the bid. Ostensibly they'll have no power in future Paramount-Warner votes, but just the fact they helped will influence some decisions in order to benefit and appease them.
Even outside of the news, it's still not good to have so much of media in general owned by one company and family. They can only work on and release so many projects at once, so putting so many major IPs under one umbrella means most of them will get ignored or buried. They'll also likely totally overhaul IPs and remove key figures from franchises and projects as they lay off existing staff and casts, because the merger is expected to have many layoffs.
IP loss is bad. But even though Paramount would own CBS and CNN, there are many other left-wing news stations. If the politics shift, I expect most of the audience to migrate.
IP loss is bad. But even though Paramount would own CBS and CNN, there are many other left-wing news stations. If the politics shift, I expect most of the audience to migrate.
CNN represented a change. Seeing it diminish and perhaps die, that was predictable. The ever changing world doesn't appreciate the rapid change that has and will continue to be. For those of us...
CNN represented a change. Seeing it diminish and perhaps die, that was predictable. The ever changing world doesn't appreciate the rapid change that has and will continue to be. For those of us who can say, "I was there when...{fill in your blank}...". That sounds silly to others who don't understand and maybe years from now you will. I heard that often enough, that am repeating it. I, understand.
A big problem is that the tonal shift won't be overnight and instant, it will likely be more gradual. Can't remember which news network it was, but I recall people complaining about their parents'...
A big problem is that the tonal shift won't be overnight and instant, it will likely be more gradual. Can't remember which news network it was, but I recall people complaining about their parents' views shifting to be a lot more conservative after some major network changed ownership or editors. May have been CBS, may even have been CNN. The shift was gradual enough that the viewers didn't notice, but outsiders definitely picked up on changes in their relatives' stances.
The fact is that the news program people choose to watch will shape their opinions and views. For many, that specific program will be their ONLY exposure to a majority of news stories, so their reporting and editorial decisions will influence them. It doesn't even have to be a radical change of everything, just changing how a few specific topics are framed. When the change is gradual and moves bit by bit, viewers aren't likely to notice.
This extends not just to how they report a story, but also what they choose not to report. Never forget how Bari Weiss made 60 Minutes pull the segment about the inhumane conditions at CECOT at the last second to "await an official comment from the Trump administration" with the claim it didn't add anything new to existing reporting without that. If that segment hadn't been leaked, I sincerely doubt it ever would have aired.
It's better that CNN dies than Paramount buys it out. This is about consolidating control of information by taking over several popular news brands and platforms for news rather than invigorating...
It's better that CNN dies than Paramount buys it out. This is about consolidating control of information by taking over several popular news brands and platforms for news rather than invigorating a dying business
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Should it?
Paramount is paying $111 billion for a film studio and dying news company. The IP is a big loss, but the money given to Warner Bros execs could fund new organizations well for a long time.
One major issue is that Paramount already owns CBS, which has made some highly controversial changes in the past year since getting bought by Skydance/Ellison, who has close ties to Trump. It's pretty much guaranteed that CNN will undergo similar changes given Trump's criticism of CNN. And the Saudi government and other foreign funders are further involved and helped fund the bid. Ostensibly they'll have no power in future Paramount-Warner votes, but just the fact they helped will influence some decisions in order to benefit and appease them.
Even outside of the news, it's still not good to have so much of media in general owned by one company and family. They can only work on and release so many projects at once, so putting so many major IPs under one umbrella means most of them will get ignored or buried. They'll also likely totally overhaul IPs and remove key figures from franchises and projects as they lay off existing staff and casts, because the merger is expected to have many layoffs.
This AP article goes into some further detail of why the merger is so controversial.
IP loss is bad. But even though Paramount would own CBS and CNN, there are many other left-wing news stations. If the politics shift, I expect most of the audience to migrate.
I really don't expect the 70-year-olds still watching legacy news media that they've been watching for 40 years to realize what's going on and switch.
Yeah, my younger baby boomer dad who's very disillusioned about politics still has a strange attachment to CNN
CNN represented a change. Seeing it diminish and perhaps die, that was predictable. The ever changing world doesn't appreciate the rapid change that has and will continue to be. For those of us who can say, "I was there when...{fill in your blank}...". That sounds silly to others who don't understand and maybe years from now you will. I heard that often enough, that am repeating it. I, understand.
A big problem is that the tonal shift won't be overnight and instant, it will likely be more gradual. Can't remember which news network it was, but I recall people complaining about their parents' views shifting to be a lot more conservative after some major network changed ownership or editors. May have been CBS, may even have been CNN. The shift was gradual enough that the viewers didn't notice, but outsiders definitely picked up on changes in their relatives' stances.
The fact is that the news program people choose to watch will shape their opinions and views. For many, that specific program will be their ONLY exposure to a majority of news stories, so their reporting and editorial decisions will influence them. It doesn't even have to be a radical change of everything, just changing how a few specific topics are framed. When the change is gradual and moves bit by bit, viewers aren't likely to notice.
This extends not just to how they report a story, but also what they choose not to report. Never forget how Bari Weiss made 60 Minutes pull the segment about the inhumane conditions at CECOT at the last second to "await an official comment from the Trump administration" with the claim it didn't add anything new to existing reporting without that. If that segment hadn't been leaked, I sincerely doubt it ever would have aired.
It's better that CNN dies than Paramount buys it out. This is about consolidating control of information by taking over several popular news brands and platforms for news rather than invigorating a dying business