As it really works to realize FCC approval, Skydance Media, which is in search of to merge with Paramount International, the guardian firm of CBS Information, has made extra overtures it hopes will result in a inexperienced gentle.
In line with Selection, Skydance’s chief attorneys despatched a letter to FCC Chair Brendan Carr on Tuesday, July 22, indicating that the corporate will set up an ombudsman to assessment “complaints of bias or different considerations” at CBS Information.
Skydance added that by putting in the ombudsman, it would guarantee that there’s “viewpoint range” on the broadcaster and its numerous items.
The media firm additionally confirmed that Paramount has eradicated its range, fairness, and inclusion initiatives.
This newest salvo within the pursuit of closing the long-planned merger comes as CBS and CBS Information have been entangled in political controversies over the previous 12 months.
Final week, CBS introduced that it will likely be ending its late-night selection present, The Late Present with Stephen Colbert, in 2026. CBS has said that the choice to finish the present was purely a monetary one, however Colbert has been recognized to be an ardent critic of the president.
Late Night time’s cancellation got here practically two weeks after Paramount International and Trump reached a $16 million settlement. It dropped at a detailed the lawsuit filed by Trump and his marketing campaign, accusing CBS Information of “deceitful” modifying throughout a 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President and then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
As a part of the settlement, CBS Information issued no assertion of apology or remorse for the 60 Minutes interview with Harris.
The vast majority of the $16 million settlement will go in direction of Trump’s future presidential library. This settlement was just like ABC Information’ when it settled with the president for $20 million in December.
Settling the case was reportedly a prime precedence for Paramount International’s head, Shari Redstone, as she seeks to finish a long-anticipated sale to Skydance Media. That firm is run by David Ellison, whose father, Larry Ellison, backed Trump throughout his re-election marketing campaign.
The pathway to settling got here with huge penalties for CBS Information, because it misplaced two key executives, together with Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS Information and Stations, and CBS Media Enterprises, and Invoice Owens, the longtime govt producer of 60 Minutes.
