THE LATEST ARTICLES
PUCK
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May 27, 2022
Why Brian Roberts Walked Away…
Notes on why NBCU-EA didn’t happen, thoughts on Warren & Shari, and Zaz’s next moves.
HOLLYWOOD
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May 26, 2022
First Lichts
Inside CNN’s newsroom, a top story remains the network’s new boss, Chris Licht, and his attempt to fill the Zucker void without being Zucker, all while managing a team of remnant Zuckerites.
HOLLYWOOD
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May 20, 2022
Brian Roberts’ One That Got Away
For months, the media elite have been wondering what the Comcast impresario might buy to scale up in the content wars. Turns out, Roberts had a plan that almost came together.
HOLLYWOOD
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May 18, 2022
The Tao of Chuck Todd
Can an anchor cut from the Russertian mold re-reinvent a historic franchise as a modern media brand? And is NBC betting on the future for Meet the Press or merely paying a “talent management tax” to fund Todd’s vision?
HOLLYWOOD
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May 13, 2022
The Tom Brady Conundrum
Is Tom Brady worth nearly $400 million as a broadcaster? The critics say no. But, they also concede, what is Fox without the N.F.L.—and, ergo, without him?
HOLLYWOOD
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May 11, 2022
Chris Licht’s Master Plan Comes Into View
Sure, an adult-table bastion of centrist upscale cable news sounds fantastic, especially since Fox News and MSNBC have totally abdicated the middle. But can it still be done, and will it rate?
HOLLYWOOD
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May 6, 2022
Licht Battles the Zucker Ghosts
One week into his new job, CNN’s new boss is already having his manage-from-above strategy questioned and second-guessed. How long till he climbs down from the 22nd floor?
HOLLYWOOD
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May 4, 2022
Licht’s Non-Zucker Playbook Emerges
Three days into the job, at least technically-speaking, new CNN C.E.O. Chris Licht is trying to establish himself as an anti-Zucker: hands off the creative, not messing with the chyrons, a delegator-in-chief. Which may explain why he’s sitting in Ann Sarnoff’s old office.
PUCK
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April 29, 2022
Ben and Justin Prepare to Announce Their Next Announcement
Media’s most anticipated start-up is gunning for a launch in Q4, and the money bag is in sight. Semafor’s plans, at least the initial ones, are coming into view. And they’ll start not globally, but in Washington.
HOLLYWOOD
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April 26, 2022
Cesar’s Ukraine Tour
30 Rock is aflutter with frustration and eye-rolling over the NBC News chairman’s recent trip to Lviv. Is it typical TV news backbiting, or is a larger frustration afoot?