Trump-Backed Merger Threatens CNN, CBS

0:00This is your UK News Update for February 27, brought to you by NordVPN. If you use public Wi-Fi or care about your privacy online, NordVPN helps keep your connection secure across all your devices, links in the episode description. A major media merger is heating up with Paramount and Skydance media close to acquiring Warner Brothers Discovery. That will combine CBS News, where Bari Weiss serves as Editor-in-Chief with CNN and HBO under One Roof. Weiss, a conservative commentator with no prior TV experience, took the CBS role last October after Skydance made deals with Trump appointed, regulators to smooth the path. The deal builds on Skydance' chief David Ellison's push to expand, adding CNN's global reach launched by Ted Turner in 1980 and HBO's hits. Like succession alongside top documentaries, Trump has long pushed for changes at CNN, calling its leaders dishonest and urging new owners to replace them.

1:00Staff at both networks are reeling from the news. CBS producers vented frustration with strong language, fearing job cuts from overlapping operations, a common merger move. CNN insiders worry this could spell big shifts. Even the end of a network's original mission, though some see it as inevitable for a cash cow-like. CNN. Critics like those from press freedom groups warn Ellison my prioritized profits over journalism, potentially clashing with First Amendment values. Warner Brothers Discovery CEO David Zaslov sees upside, promising strong shareholder value in top journalism worldwide. While the merger faces anti-trust review from the Justice Department and possible state challenges, it signals more Trump-era influence on media, ownership, leaving networks and their futures in limbo for now.