Dylan Byers • July 22, 2022

The Tao of Ari’s Abs & Licht’s Deck Chairs

Notes on the yacht-hosing photo of our age, the latest dish on Apple’s battle with Amazon over N.F.L. rights, and the Chris Licht narrative shift.

Dylan Byers • July 20, 2022

Chris Licht’s New No. 2

Three months after taking the reins of a Zucker-less CNN, Licht is appointing a “head of editorial” to effectively function as the newsroom’s new Zucker, or the closest thing to him, and allowing himself to focus on the bigger-picture questions. Such as: Who will helm CNN’s new morning show?

Dylan Byers • July 15, 2022

Biden’s WaPo Headache

The president, whose polling has hit a Trump-like nadir, has his fair share of nemeses: the far left, Joe Manchin, Trump and DeSantis, and now perhaps the hometown paper, The Washington Post.

Tara Palmeri • July 7, 2022

The WaPo’s Momentous Non-Bennet-Quake

After months of speculation and second-guessing, Washington Post Co. C.E.O. Fred Ryan has selected Fred Hiatt’s successor as editorial page editor, one of the most august and coveted political posts in this town.

Dylan Byers • July 6, 2022

Fast Times at Sun Valley High

Stock prices may be down, but the mood isn’t dour—though companies that once fantasized about shedding linear assets for that coveted Netflix multiple are now thankful for their dual revenue streams. That may be one reason why Disney has abandoned talks to spin ESPN.

Dylan Byers • July 1, 2022

Will Licht Let CNN Digital Bleed?

In the months since Jeff Zucker’s departure, much of the focus on CNN has pertained to CNN+, talent decisions, and headline-friendly gimmicks like pumping the breaks on the Breaking News banner. But are Zaz and Licht hitting pause on Zucker’s other, less-discussed powerhouse, CNN Digital?

Dylan Byers • June 29, 2022

Is There Life After Maddow?

Alex Wagner is, by all accounts, a brilliant and seasoned anchor. The TV insiders I speak to sing her praises while simultaneously scratching their heads about the hire and what it suggests about MSNBC’s future.

Eriq Gardner • June 27, 2022

Charles Harder vs. Vice

Harder, the attorney who drove a stake through Gawker, is taking aim at the media industry again with a case against Vice Media that could tempt the Supreme Court to reverse The New York Times v. Sullivan—and another targeting The Times, itself.

Dylan Byers & Peter Hamby • June 24, 2022

The Media Braces for Its Second Trump Marriage

As the 2022 midterm cycle metamorphosizes into the 2024 presidential cycle at light speed, the media industry is bracing for the reality that it’ll be stuck covering Donald Trump again, for better or worse. Dylan Byers and Peter Hamby discuss how it will be different this time.

Eriq Gardner • June 20, 2022

The Times vs. Twitter, Round Two

Some of America’s most august media companies are struggling to get reporters off social media, where advocacy and backbiting have become a reputational risk. A series of legal tests could make that much harder.

Dylan Byers • June 17, 2022

Zaz & His Ax Man

Speculation inside Warner Bros. Discovery points to fresh “synergies” coming for HBO Max’s unscripted team. Plus other notes and news on Chris Licht’s town hall and Joe Kahn’s grand plans.

Theodore Schleifer • June 14, 2022

S.B.F.’s Media Dreams

Like previous mega-successful billionaires, the 30-year-old metal-haired crypto king is becoming media-curious. Plus new reporting from inside the Web3-political-fundraising industrial complex and some Harris-Biden fundraising dish.

Dylan Byers • June 10, 2022

Chapek’s Purge & The WaPo Aftermath

New reporting on the two biggest scandals roiling the media industry.

Dylan Byers • June 3, 2022

More Brian Roberts & Chris Licht Buzz

The inside conversation about Brian Roberts’ M&A appetite, and the truth about Shari Redstone and Bob Bakish’s Paramount position. Plus, some fallout from the ongoing anxiety inside Chris Licht’s CNN.

Dylan Byers • 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.