Latest news with #Paramount-owned
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Paramount Global nominates three board directors as Skydance merger awaits approval
(Reuters) -Paramount Global nominated three new directors on Monday, seeking to boost its board strength to seven as it awaits regulatory approval for its $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media. Paramount nominated Mary Boies, counsel to Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, Charles Ryan, co-founder and general partner of Almaz Capital, and Roanne Sragow Licht, former justice and adjunct professor at Boston University and Roger Williams University. U.S. President Donald Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against Paramount-owned CBS News in October, alleging that the network deceptively edited an interview with then-vice president and presidential candidate Kamala Harris, to "tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party" in the election. Trump's lawsuit is seen as a major roadblock to the Paramount-Skydance merger, according to some analysts. The merger requires approval from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, which has authority over the transaction because it needs to approve the transfer of the broadcast television licenses held by CBS. Paramount, chaired by Shari Redstone, reportedly offered $15 million to settle the suit. Trump raised his claim for damages to $20 billion in February. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the company wanted to ensure it had a full board in place in case its negotiations with Trump to settle his lawsuit fell through. Paramount is scheduled to hold its annual stockholder meeting on July 2. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
California Is Investigating Paramount Over Alleged Settlement Offer To Trump
California state senators are investigating Paramount over the reported $15 million it offered President Donald Trump to settle his lawsuit against the company — and they're inviting top former employees to speak out. The news was first reported by Semafor, which obtained a letter the state's Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee sent former '60 Minutes' producer Bill Owens and former CBS News president Wendy McMahon, who both left the Paramount-owned network as rumblings about a potential settlement circulated. 'Your recent resignations from CBS's leadership, amid public reports of internal concern about the editorial and ethical implications of the proposed settlement, suggest that you may possess important, first-hand knowledge relevant to our legislative oversight responsibilities,' committee chairs Sens. Josh Becker and Thomas Umberg wrote, asking them to appear at a hearing. The senators said they're concerned about the implications of a major media company being 'allowed to use politically motivated settlements to secure merger approvals or otherwise shape regulatory treatment,' noting that could disrupt fair competition in California's media industry and disadvantage viewers who 'deserve access to independent, unpressured journalism.' The letter emphasizes The Wall Street Journal's report earlier this week alleging that Paramount recently offered Trump $15 million to settle, and that Trump countered with a demand for more than $25 million to end his lawsuit, which accuses CBS News of doctoring footage from its '60 Minutes' interview with Kamala Harris to boost her chances of winning the presidential election. In their resignations, Owens and McMahon both indicated they disagreed with Paramount's approach to the lawsuit, with Owens saying he felt he'd lost journalistic independence and McMahon saying she and Paramount did 'not agree on the path forward.' The squabble over the lawsuit comes as Paramount tries to complete an $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, which requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission, headed by Trump appointee Brendan Carr. The state senators said that if Paramount settles in order to secure regulatory benefits, that could constitute a violation of federal bribery laws, California competition laws and other regulations. But perhaps even more concerning, the senators wrote, 'is the potential chilling effect of Paramount's settlement on investigative and political journalism.' Bernie Sanders Warns Paramount Not To Settle Trump's 'Bogus' Lawsuit '60 Minutes' Reportedly Under Increased Scrutiny As Network Mulls Settlement With Trump Trump's Lawyers Claim Kamala Harris' '60 Minutes' Interview Caused Him 'Mental Anguish'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
FCC Commissioner Says Trump Is Waging a ‘Campaign to Censor and Control' and ‘Harassing' Broadcasters
Speaking to Jake Tapper Monday afternoon on CNN's 'The Lead,' a sitting FCC commissioner openly criticized the regulatory agency's current Chair as well as Donald Trump in unusually blunt terms. Anna M. Gomez told Tapper that current FCC Chair Brendan Carr has essentially disregarded the recommendations of the agency's experts in order to pursue a vendetta against '60 Minutes' on behalf of Donald Trump. And Trump, Gomez said, is waging a 'campaign to censor and control' against Americans and the media in particular. Her comments came in response to Tapper askinge her if the FCC's role in approving the merger between Paramount and Skydance media is 'connected in any way' to the FCC's investigation of baseless fraud claims against Paramount-owned '60 minutes' over last year's interview with Kamala Harris. 'So what we have before us is this complaint, as you mentioned, of news distortion by this separate group, the staff of the FCC,' Gomez, a telecommunications lawyer appointed to the FCC in 2023, said. 'The expert staff of the FCC actually dismissed the complaint earlier this year, but the current chair reinstated the complaint, stating that it needed further investigation.' 'But let's be clear [about] what this administration is doing. It is on a campaign to censor and control, and in particular with broadcasters, it is harassing them into, they hope, covering the news the way that they want it to be covered,' Gomez continued. Asserting that she can't comment on questions related to the merger specifically, 'because it's still pending,' she added, 'I can tell you that there is no case of news distortion in the '60 Minutes' interview or the clips that were shown before the interview of Kamala Harris.' Watch Gomez's remarks on CNN below: The post FCC Commissioner Says Trump Is Waging a 'Campaign to Censor and Control' and 'Harassing' Broadcasters | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Reuters
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Democratic FCC commissioner says agency seeking to 'bully' broadcasters
WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - A Democratic member of the Federal Communications Commission said Thursday the Republican-led agency is seeking to bully major U.S. broadcasters by reinstating a series of complaints. FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said a Paramount-owned (PARA.O), opens new tab CBS "60 Minutes" interview with Vice President Kamala Harris did not violate commission rules and said other complaints were improperly reinstated against Walt Disney's ABC (DIS.N), opens new tab and Comcast's (CMCSA.O), opens new tab NBC. "There's no good reason to reinstate them other than to bully the broadcasters into reporting in the way that they want them to," Gomez said.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democratic FCC commissioner says agency seeking to 'bully' broadcasters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic member of the Federal Communications Commission said Thursday the Republican-led agency is seeking to bully major U.S. broadcasters by reinstating a series of complaints. FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said a Paramount-owned CBS "60 Minutes" interview with Vice President Kamala Harris did not violate commission rules and said other complaints were improperly reinstated against Walt Disney's ABC and Comcast's NBC. "There's no good reason to reinstate them other than to bully the broadcasters into reporting in the way that they want them to," Gomez said.
