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MEDIA

CNN C.E.O. Chris Licht had advised Collins not to be combative with Trump, sources familiar said.

Licht’s Dispassion Punch

Inside CNN, the reverberations from Wednesday’s town hall are still being profoundly felt, further testing the long-strained relationship between the network’s anchors and journalists on one side and their newly dispassionate boss on the other. As one insider put it: “It’s Chris Licht’s fucking CNN now.”
Dylan Byers • May 12, 2023
Tara Palmeri • May 11, 2023
Inside the Trump-CNN Thunderdome
On CNN, it sure looked like Trump won over the crowd during his town hall interview with Kaitlan Collins. But the reality was different in the room—and in the state of New Hampshire.
Tina Nguyen • May 10, 2023
Tucker & Elon: A Shotgun Media Marriage for Our Times
For Tucker Carlson and ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight‘ refugees, Twitter was the best option immediately available.
Carlson’s pivot to social video may be a paradigm-shifting blow to cable news and YouTube, alike. Or maybe he was simply out of better options.
Kaitlan Collins is now the primary talent on which Chris Licht is staking his pivot to the middle.
Dylan Byers • May 10, 2023
The Kaitlan Era Begins Tonight
Kaitlan is Licht’s answer at 9 p.m.—the great conservative hope upon which his legacy will likely hang.
Undoubtedly, everything in the Times report is true enough, but it nevertheless still felt like window dressing on the real motivation for Tucker’s termination.
Dylan Byers • May 3, 2023
Tucker Theories & CNN’s Trump Revival
News and notes on the latest comings and goings in the land of cable news: suspicions regarding the trending explanations for Tucker Carlson’s ouster, and all the internal feels about CNN’s Trump town hall.
Kristina O’Neill served as WSJ. magazine’s editor-in-chief for a decade.
Lauren Sherman • May 1, 2023
Inside the WSJ. Succession Scandal
The somewhat surprising torpedoing of Kristina O’Neill sets into motion a cavalcade of questions about what’s next for the once-trailblazing fashion magazine, starting with: Is this the beginning of the end?
Tucker Carlson
Dylan Byers • April 28, 2023
The Post-Tucker Sweepstakes
News and notes on the latest grumblings in the media business as the industry descends on Washington for the nerd prom: Tucker’s future, his succession, and a new CNN threat.
David Zaslav tells friends that CNN is some 6 percent of his business—and 90 percent of his headaches.
Dylan Byers • April 26, 2023
The Worldwide Leader in Zaz
It’s been a year since CNN has been under Zaz rule—a mixed bag of earnest repositioning and depolarization, to be sure, but also rough headlines, rougher ratings, and high-profile departures. Chris Licht’s post-Zuckerification wasn’t going to happen overnight, but how long will it take?
The Kremlin media is rending its clothes for Carlson.
Julia Ioffe • April 26, 2023
“Dear Tucker”: Kremlin TV Pours One Out for Carlson
In the days since he was fired from Fox News, Carlson has been hailed as a hero and a truth-teller in Russian state media—a testament to his utility in Putin’s wartime campaign.
Dylan Byers • April 25, 2023
Black Monday: Inside the Carlson-Lemon Double Shocker
Insights and revelations regarding a stunning and extraordinary day in the media industry. (Jeff Shell, please buy these guys Rivians!)
Eriq Gardner • April 24, 2023
Rupert’s Post-Tucker, Post-Dominion Legal Headache
Gaming the Murdoch family’s Smartmatic settlement—plus, a look into a last ditch CNN legal maneuver.
BuzzFeed C.E.O. Jonah Peretti.
Dylan Byers • April 21, 2023
Jonah and the Whale
BuzzFeed News and the world it made, and didn’t make, and what happened in between.
Dylan Byers & Tina Nguyen • April 19, 2023
The Fox-Trump Curse & The Murdoch Kiss of Death
Deciphering the post-settlement legal murmurs surrounding Fox’s new vulnerabilities, audience leakage, and a potential blood sacrifice.
Fox News host Lou Dobbs told his viewers that the Dominion scandal appeared to be “the endgame to a four-and-a-half yearlong effort to overthrow the president of the United States.”
Dylan Byers • April 14, 2023
The Fox News Fall Guys
Lawyers on both sides of the Dominion v. Fox News case have zeroed in on Lou Dobbs, Jeanine Pirro, and Maria Bartiromo as the epicenter of the network’s financially-driven indulgence of quack election conspiracies. But what if they genuinely believed in them?
On Wednesday, Judge Eric M. Davis sanctioned Fox’s legal team, indicating that he would launch an investigation into whether they had withheld details about Rupert Murdoch’s role as executive chairman of the news channel.
Dylan Byers • April 13, 2023
Rupert’s Headline Risk
As Fox’s Dominion case heads to trial, and Hannity and Tucker et al. face the prospect of testifying before a jury, many Murdoch-watchers are grumbling about why he didn’t settle in the first place.
Former press secretary Sean Spicer is back on the market after his contract negotiations with Newsmax went south.
Tara Palmeri • April 12, 2023
Sean Spicer Joins the Newsmax Exodus
The former White House flack turned television personality is out at Newsmax, alongside three high-level executives, amid a wave of testy contract negotiations. Could he return to the Trump bosom?
Chris Licht, chairman and C.E.O. of CNN.
Dylan Byers • April 7, 2023
Lichtology & Ari’s New Reports
News and notes on the latest in the media trade: a subtle pivot at CNN, more intrigue from Ari Emanuel’s combat deal, and murmurs from D.C.
Endeavor C.E.O. Ari Emanuel (pictured) and president Mark Shapiro’s emotional pitch to WWE leadership led to the deal.
Dylan Byers • April 5, 2023
The Art of Ari’s WWE Deal
Discussing deal points in a suite at Wrestlemania, a secret meeting at Raine, and an emotional pitch in Stamford: How Vince McMahon scored big and Endeavor took the next step in its leverage journey. Plus, some notes on CNN and Chris Licht 2.0.