It was once a hard-right outlet, more like some small town paper in the South. It briefly became more centrist, sometimes even veering center-left, but current ownership "fixed" that.
There was a time when Democrats knew to simply vote against anyone the Times picked. Then it got more complicated. Now I suspect it will go back to knowing who NOT to vote for.
The good news here is that no one reads it any more, so it doesn't matter. Its editorial offices moved from right next to City Hall to El Segundo, near the oil refinery. It's past its time.
Media
Re: Media
RIP CBS
FCC approves $8 billion Paramount-Skydance merger
The Federal Communications Commission cleared the way Thursday for an $8 billion merger between Paramount
The deal, which was announced more than a year ago, includes the CBS broadcast television network, Paramount Pictures and the Nickelodeon channel.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/24/fcc-app ... erger.html
FCC approves $8 billion Paramount-Skydance merger
The Federal Communications Commission cleared the way Thursday for an $8 billion merger between Paramount
The deal, which was announced more than a year ago, includes the CBS broadcast television network, Paramount Pictures and the Nickelodeon channel.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/24/fcc-app ... erger.html
Re: Media
Everything's gone. It may look like it isn't, but trace the ownership and you know it is.
RIP media. No loss. It had died years ago, except as divisions of the same corporate oligarchy which we, the people let the Republican Party consolidate into a ruling class with sole access to the means of information.
People were willing to let the established media consolidate and die because after all, Internet was going to free us all. Meanwhile, guess who took over the Internet.
Soon it will all be one big data center, controlled by the right wing hereditary oligarchy from heavily guarded offices in the northeast. We could fight this, but right now, no one really wants it badly enough to do a sixties Vietnam generational rebellion thing.
Humans are such easy prey.
RIP media. No loss. It had died years ago, except as divisions of the same corporate oligarchy which we, the people let the Republican Party consolidate into a ruling class with sole access to the means of information.
People were willing to let the established media consolidate and die because after all, Internet was going to free us all. Meanwhile, guess who took over the Internet.
Soon it will all be one big data center, controlled by the right wing hereditary oligarchy from heavily guarded offices in the northeast. We could fight this, but right now, no one really wants it badly enough to do a sixties Vietnam generational rebellion thing.
Humans are such easy prey.
"We must remember that we cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation." --Liz Cheney, Republican, 7/21/22
Re: Media
Grab the popcorn for this
FCC Investigating Comcast and NBCUniversal’s Treatment of Broadcast Affiliates
The FCC has opened an inquiry into Comcast and NBCUniversal’s treatment of broadcast affiliates, an investigation the company said in a statement Tuesday night it will “cooperate” with and “answer their questions.”
“We have received an inquiry from the FCC and will cooperate with them to answer their questions. We are proud that for many decades we have supported local broadcast TV stations with world-class sports and entertainment, enabling them to drive viewership in a media environment that has grown increasingly competitive. Local stations are a critical part of Americans’ lives as a trusted source for news and life-saving weather information, and we will continue to invest heavily in this partnership to keep the broadcast business strong,” the company said in a statement provided to TheWrap.
https://www.thewrap.com/fcc-investigati ... ffiliates/
FCC Investigating Comcast and NBCUniversal’s Treatment of Broadcast Affiliates
The FCC has opened an inquiry into Comcast and NBCUniversal’s treatment of broadcast affiliates, an investigation the company said in a statement Tuesday night it will “cooperate” with and “answer their questions.”
“We have received an inquiry from the FCC and will cooperate with them to answer their questions. We are proud that for many decades we have supported local broadcast TV stations with world-class sports and entertainment, enabling them to drive viewership in a media environment that has grown increasingly competitive. Local stations are a critical part of Americans’ lives as a trusted source for news and life-saving weather information, and we will continue to invest heavily in this partnership to keep the broadcast business strong,” the company said in a statement provided to TheWrap.
https://www.thewrap.com/fcc-investigati ... ffiliates/
Re: Media
FCC can investigate all they want, but the problem is inherent to how we do business today. It might be fun to watch the suits get their days ruined, but this is not your daddy's FCC. They're not in a position to break any eggs the way FCC chairmen used to do in happier less oligarchic times.
We would need a truly cataclysmic anti-consolidation anti-merger offensive to make any difference, better or worse, and this government isn't into that.
We would need a truly cataclysmic anti-consolidation anti-merger offensive to make any difference, better or worse, and this government isn't into that.
"We must remember that we cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation." --Liz Cheney, Republican, 7/21/22
Re: Media
Californians will definitely ignore this Fuck You Rupert
Rupert Murdoch Plots a Newspaper War In L.A.
In 2012, The Los Angeles Times’ ailing Chicago-based parent Tribune Co. was exiting Chapter 11 bankruptcy after a yearslong slog that its then-owner, brash real estate mogul Sam Zell, called a “deal from hell.” Rupert Murdoch reportedly took interest in snapping up the Times, but decided against a bid (the mogul was busy: he was aiming to cleave off less profitable papers the New York Post and Wall Street Journal into a separate firm from his more lucrative 20th Century studios business and Fox News).
Times change, but the 94-year-old’s interest in newspapers hasn’t. On Aug. 4, his Robert Thomson-run papers business, News Corp, unveiled a plan to bring the New York Post to the West coast with the launch of The California Post, a daily print tabloid headquartered in L.A. to be led by Nick Papps, a veteran of Murdoch’s Australian papers, by next year. Yes, the idea of an old-school newspaper war in L.A. — a metro area with 3.8 million led by one daily broadsheet, The Los Angeles Times, and no fiery tabloid — seems radically incongruous with media appetites in 2025, where executives are fretting about how to place TikTok-like vertical video templates on to news pages and AI-proof their business.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/busin ... 236337519/
Rupert Murdoch Plots a Newspaper War In L.A.
In 2012, The Los Angeles Times’ ailing Chicago-based parent Tribune Co. was exiting Chapter 11 bankruptcy after a yearslong slog that its then-owner, brash real estate mogul Sam Zell, called a “deal from hell.” Rupert Murdoch reportedly took interest in snapping up the Times, but decided against a bid (the mogul was busy: he was aiming to cleave off less profitable papers the New York Post and Wall Street Journal into a separate firm from his more lucrative 20th Century studios business and Fox News).
Times change, but the 94-year-old’s interest in newspapers hasn’t. On Aug. 4, his Robert Thomson-run papers business, News Corp, unveiled a plan to bring the New York Post to the West coast with the launch of The California Post, a daily print tabloid headquartered in L.A. to be led by Nick Papps, a veteran of Murdoch’s Australian papers, by next year. Yes, the idea of an old-school newspaper war in L.A. — a metro area with 3.8 million led by one daily broadsheet, The Los Angeles Times, and no fiery tabloid — seems radically incongruous with media appetites in 2025, where executives are fretting about how to place TikTok-like vertical video templates on to news pages and AI-proof their business.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/busin ... 236337519/
Re: Media
Nobody reads the papers in LA any more. They were rags for most of our history, then the Times tried to be a real paper for about 10 years, but now it's all gone to Internet.
Murdoch already owns TV news, with Faux propagandizing the masses and stocking Trump's wretched cabinet. He'll die soon, but the damage is all done. It was all over when Ray Gun signed on, and that was a generation ago now. Nothing's changed since. Everyone else except MSNBC follows the Faux playbook. It's hard to see this empire and its imitators as anything but a fascist putsch. One of its clones, Liberty Media, even owns Formula One. Everyone else asks how high when the oligarchy says to jump. They own the government, and they took control of public opinion, at least for a few years that we still are trying to recover from.
The FCC only covers broadcasting and some minor aspects of cable, both of which are obsolescent. Public broadcasting is defunded and running on fumes. Most radio listeners are in the car, and cars have satellite downlinks and cell phone connections now. My wife's car sends us texts.
Presumably the Republicans will continue their dominance of the FCC, since that's how they became the winning party in the first place, but the FCC really has very little to do beyond the routine licensing of transmitters, mostly specialized RF devices for various types of digital communication.
Movies are something that kids go to see in the summer. There hasn't been an original idea in 10 years. The money people fear originality, it's too much of a crap shoot. They go with the same old same old, year after year. Most new releases that they're betting big bucks on will be in the summer and aimed at an audience in its teens and younger, which suddenly has a lot of time. It's all sequels of pre-sold blockbusters or heavily formulaic good guys. Superman LXXXVII and such. They might still trot out a couple of star vehicles around Christmas, but it's not what it used to be.
We need something new, but right now the media are in a coma waiting to see what the next tech breakthrough will do to them. We are in a not-so-brave new world. In fact, it's a downright timid new world. The only thing changing is the climate, and they blame that on liberal propaganda, as the whole North American continent burns. For the second time this year, they're advising us not to breathe in LA.
Murdoch already owns TV news, with Faux propagandizing the masses and stocking Trump's wretched cabinet. He'll die soon, but the damage is all done. It was all over when Ray Gun signed on, and that was a generation ago now. Nothing's changed since. Everyone else except MSNBC follows the Faux playbook. It's hard to see this empire and its imitators as anything but a fascist putsch. One of its clones, Liberty Media, even owns Formula One. Everyone else asks how high when the oligarchy says to jump. They own the government, and they took control of public opinion, at least for a few years that we still are trying to recover from.
The FCC only covers broadcasting and some minor aspects of cable, both of which are obsolescent. Public broadcasting is defunded and running on fumes. Most radio listeners are in the car, and cars have satellite downlinks and cell phone connections now. My wife's car sends us texts.
Presumably the Republicans will continue their dominance of the FCC, since that's how they became the winning party in the first place, but the FCC really has very little to do beyond the routine licensing of transmitters, mostly specialized RF devices for various types of digital communication.
Movies are something that kids go to see in the summer. There hasn't been an original idea in 10 years. The money people fear originality, it's too much of a crap shoot. They go with the same old same old, year after year. Most new releases that they're betting big bucks on will be in the summer and aimed at an audience in its teens and younger, which suddenly has a lot of time. It's all sequels of pre-sold blockbusters or heavily formulaic good guys. Superman LXXXVII and such. They might still trot out a couple of star vehicles around Christmas, but it's not what it used to be.
We need something new, but right now the media are in a coma waiting to see what the next tech breakthrough will do to them. We are in a not-so-brave new world. In fact, it's a downright timid new world. The only thing changing is the climate, and they blame that on liberal propaganda, as the whole North American continent burns. For the second time this year, they're advising us not to breathe in LA.
"We must remember that we cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation." --Liz Cheney, Republican, 7/21/22
Re: Media
Disney & WWE Ink Billion Dollar Deal For New Streaming Rights
Disney and WWE have agreed to a billion-dollar-plus deal for new and exclusive streaming rights. As the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE has become a cultural phenomenon since it was originally founded in 1953, and since its merger with TKO in 2023, WWE ranks among the most popular entertainment franchises in the world.
In 2024, WWE announced a deal with Netflix, which would see the streaming giant acquire the international rights to WWE's weekly events and back catalog outside the United States, with WWE Network shutting down. And now, the company has signed a brand-new, multi-billion-dollar deal that will see WWE team up with another global powerhouse.
https://screenrant.com/disney-wwe-deal- ... ng-rights/
Disney and WWE have agreed to a billion-dollar-plus deal for new and exclusive streaming rights. As the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE has become a cultural phenomenon since it was originally founded in 1953, and since its merger with TKO in 2023, WWE ranks among the most popular entertainment franchises in the world.
In 2024, WWE announced a deal with Netflix, which would see the streaming giant acquire the international rights to WWE's weekly events and back catalog outside the United States, with WWE Network shutting down. And now, the company has signed a brand-new, multi-billion-dollar deal that will see WWE team up with another global powerhouse.
https://screenrant.com/disney-wwe-deal- ... ng-rights/
Re: Media
Ahhhh yes, another year, another WWE deal. They keep nearly as many media lawyers in business as Formula One.
"We must remember that we cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation." --Liz Cheney, Republican, 7/21/22
Re: Media
Nightmare is coming
Paramount appears willing to keep cable networks for now
In an era of streaming, some media companies are parting ways with their underperforming cable networks. Paramount appears willing to go in the other direction, refreshing the brand identities and programming of its cable channels as part of a broader effort to reach young, digital-savvy viewers.
That was one of the key takeaways from a Wall Street Journal report published on Saturday, which said Paramount’s new CEO David Ellison is embracing a revamp of MTV, BET, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and other cable networks, despite positioning the company as a streaming-first enterprise.
https://thedesk.net/2025/09/paramount-r ... -business/
Paramount appears willing to keep cable networks for now
In an era of streaming, some media companies are parting ways with their underperforming cable networks. Paramount appears willing to go in the other direction, refreshing the brand identities and programming of its cable channels as part of a broader effort to reach young, digital-savvy viewers.
That was one of the key takeaways from a Wall Street Journal report published on Saturday, which said Paramount’s new CEO David Ellison is embracing a revamp of MTV, BET, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and other cable networks, despite positioning the company as a streaming-first enterprise.
https://thedesk.net/2025/09/paramount-r ... -business/
Re: Media
Ahhhh yes, time to trot out that perennial young-audience fixation again. The more the entertainment industry changes, the more it stays the same.
"We must remember that we cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation." --Liz Cheney, Republican, 7/21/22
Re: Media
Paramount preparing all-cash bid to acquire Warner Bros Discovery
Executives at Paramount are preparing an all-cash offer to acquire rival entertainment giant Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), according to a report published on Thursday.
Paramount is preparing an offer to acquire Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) in an all-cash transaction, according to a report published on Thursday.
https://thedesk.net/2025/09/paramount-p ... discovery/
Executives at Paramount are preparing an all-cash offer to acquire rival entertainment giant Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), according to a report published on Thursday.
Paramount is preparing an offer to acquire Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) in an all-cash transaction, according to a report published on Thursday.
https://thedesk.net/2025/09/paramount-p ... discovery/
Re: Media
Yep Larry Ellison is a Trumper & corrupt
‘He lied to us’: CBS News staffers say new owner David Ellison ‘just can’t be trusted’
During his symbolic first stop at the CBS News offices after closing the Paramount-Skydance mega-merger last month, David Ellison – the network’s new owner – said “all the right things” during his meet-and-greet with staff.
Barely a month later, whatever goodwill the chief executive had built up had evaporated entirely, with multiple network staffers telling The Independent that Ellison had “lost the trust” of the newsroom, who now see him as nothing but a “liar” as he takes steps to appease the right and President Donald Trump
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 27230.html
‘He lied to us’: CBS News staffers say new owner David Ellison ‘just can’t be trusted’
During his symbolic first stop at the CBS News offices after closing the Paramount-Skydance mega-merger last month, David Ellison – the network’s new owner – said “all the right things” during his meet-and-greet with staff.
Barely a month later, whatever goodwill the chief executive had built up had evaporated entirely, with multiple network staffers telling The Independent that Ellison had “lost the trust” of the newsroom, who now see him as nothing but a “liar” as he takes steps to appease the right and President Donald Trump
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 27230.html
Re: Media
That's it, the real problem is the mergers and hostile takeovers. They are a form of tyranny that used to be reserved for the antics of 19th century European monarchs. The 21st century incarnation of this blood sucking hereditary upper class created a ruling oligarchy that rigged our election campaigns and took over the government. They fooled the less aware among us into thinking they'd fix the economy, when of course what they did was consolidate it into one huge interlocking directorate of tyrants dominating elected officials by controlling things like campaign donations and lobbying.
There was a big flap maybe 20 years ago, regarding whether we were going too far with deregulation of business, but that died down when it stopped being publicized. Yes, when the rulers seized the media, they neutered the grass roots that used to make America what it was. They did it by denying access, which in this media environment means that the entire class ceased to exist except as a large mass of confused and dissatisfied people who wonder why life doesn't work any more. They were denied the truth by the media taken over by said business interests, and the game was over.
Now there is no alternative which doesn't feel scary and/or deadly. If there is apathy concerning elections, it is largely due to the perception that elections are weighted to favor the oligarchy.
There was a big flap maybe 20 years ago, regarding whether we were going too far with deregulation of business, but that died down when it stopped being publicized. Yes, when the rulers seized the media, they neutered the grass roots that used to make America what it was. They did it by denying access, which in this media environment means that the entire class ceased to exist except as a large mass of confused and dissatisfied people who wonder why life doesn't work any more. They were denied the truth by the media taken over by said business interests, and the game was over.
Now there is no alternative which doesn't feel scary and/or deadly. If there is apathy concerning elections, it is largely due to the perception that elections are weighted to favor the oligarchy.
"We must remember that we cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation." --Liz Cheney, Republican, 7/21/22
Re: Media
Yeah Kimmel is returning tomorrow night but my bigger issue The GOP ass kissing billionaires who still control the media are still there & Brendan Carr is at the helm of The FCC i'd like to see Kimmel move on to something else
Disney says ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ will return to ABC on Tuesday
Disney plans to bring “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” back to air on ABC’s broadcast network beginning on Tuesday, the company said in a statement.
The decision was announced nearly a week after ABC said it was suspending the late night show indefinitely. The network had pulled the show days after the host made comments linking the alleged killer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk to President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/22/disney- ... eturn.html
Disney says ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ will return to ABC on Tuesday
Disney plans to bring “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” back to air on ABC’s broadcast network beginning on Tuesday, the company said in a statement.
The decision was announced nearly a week after ABC said it was suspending the late night show indefinitely. The network had pulled the show days after the host made comments linking the alleged killer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk to President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/22/disney- ... eturn.html
Re: Media
To be exact, the monster conglomerate which owns Disney and ABC and whatever else had a merger pending, and either the suits on the top floor chickened out or some corporate whore at one of the participating companies was afraid that the FCC would block the deal. It didn't help any that the FCC chair mouthed off, which must have been like the hammer of Thor to those chicken shits.
As I said somewhere else, we still don't know the Kirk shooter's motivations. Everything so far is speculation by people with mass media access.
As I said somewhere else, if a lefty actually did shoot Kirk, it was either a bad idea or a double-cover job, because it made Kirk, a junior league wannabe Trump himself, into a martyr. As evidence, consider the over-the-top Hitlerian memorial service this week. That had everything but a torchlight parade.
Fortunately, the shooter is in custody, and he appears to have a lot more going on in his life than the simplistic blather on the Nooz from the cowards running the media would have us believe. Presumably it'll all come out in the trial. Early indications point to an "It's complicated" type of explanation, possibly (though not confirmed yet) involving sexuality.
As I said somewhere else, we still don't know the Kirk shooter's motivations. Everything so far is speculation by people with mass media access.
As I said somewhere else, if a lefty actually did shoot Kirk, it was either a bad idea or a double-cover job, because it made Kirk, a junior league wannabe Trump himself, into a martyr. As evidence, consider the over-the-top Hitlerian memorial service this week. That had everything but a torchlight parade.
Fortunately, the shooter is in custody, and he appears to have a lot more going on in his life than the simplistic blather on the Nooz from the cowards running the media would have us believe. Presumably it'll all come out in the trial. Early indications point to an "It's complicated" type of explanation, possibly (though not confirmed yet) involving sexuality.
"We must remember that we cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation." --Liz Cheney, Republican, 7/21/22
Re: Media
Paramount taps Bari Weiss to run CBS News, acquires The Free Press
Paramount on Monday announced it is hiring Bari Weiss to serve as editor in chief of CBS News and is purchasing her start up media company The Free Press for a reported $150 million.
The move, which had been buzzed about in media and political circles for weeks, places Weiss at one of the top perches in the broadcast news business and will raise immediate questions about whether CBS’s coverage will move to the right.
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5540 ... ree-press/
Paramount on Monday announced it is hiring Bari Weiss to serve as editor in chief of CBS News and is purchasing her start up media company The Free Press for a reported $150 million.
The move, which had been buzzed about in media and political circles for weeks, places Weiss at one of the top perches in the broadcast news business and will raise immediate questions about whether CBS’s coverage will move to the right.
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5540 ... ree-press/
Re: Media
Don't hate the media. Become the media. 75 per cent of the action is online anyway. Leave that damn little screen in the living room to the superannuated whackos.
We're taking back this country one kilobyte at a time.
We're taking back this country one kilobyte at a time.
"We must remember that we cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation." --Liz Cheney, Republican, 7/21/22
Re: Media
https://www.snopes.com/news/2024/02/01/ ... -unbiased/
i'm down to AP, Reuters, PBS, BBC, and a few assorted channels on You Tube. I'm desperate and want to add to that list. This 1440 started showing up in my algorithm. i need more information before i'd consider signing up for 1440.
i'm down to AP, Reuters, PBS, BBC, and a few assorted channels on You Tube. I'm desperate and want to add to that list. This 1440 started showing up in my algorithm. i need more information before i'd consider signing up for 1440.
I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat. [Will Rogers]
Re: Media
FWIW, the various people who watch such things consider it relatively unbiased. It sounds like they don't cherry pick facts as much as most media do. This is dangerous ground, because of the human tendency to regard anything they don't agree with as biased.
"We must remember that we cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation." --Liz Cheney, Republican, 7/21/22
Re: Media
Dan Rather Says Bari Weiss Hire And Skydance-Paramount Merger Mark “A Dark Day In The Halls Of CBS News”
Former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather weighed in on David Ellison’s hire of Bari Weiss as editor in chief at CBS News, warning that it portends a culture of fear in the news division as staffers worry about their jobs.
On his Substack, Steady, Rather put Weiss’ hire in the context of the Skydance-Paramount merger, noting that the companies bowed to pressure from the Trump administration in order to get the transaction approved by the FCC.
https://deadline.com/2025/10/dan-rather ... 236575669/
Former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather weighed in on David Ellison’s hire of Bari Weiss as editor in chief at CBS News, warning that it portends a culture of fear in the news division as staffers worry about their jobs.
On his Substack, Steady, Rather put Weiss’ hire in the context of the Skydance-Paramount merger, noting that the companies bowed to pressure from the Trump administration in order to get the transaction approved by the FCC.
https://deadline.com/2025/10/dan-rather ... 236575669/
Re: Media
The lights were already out. Some of us tried to warn the people about what was happening to the media. Business carried as on as usual. Careful what you ignore.
"We must remember that we cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation." --Liz Cheney, Republican, 7/21/22
Re: Media
Let these stupid dumbass mergers go through The GOP controls The Trifecta the judges here are irrelevant to stop them & there's nothing we can do about it
Warner Bros Discovery rejects Paramount offer, source says, company ponders sale options
Oct 21 (Reuters) - Warner Bros Discovery's (WBD.O), opens new tab board rejected a nearly $60 billion offer from Paramount Skydance (PSKY.O), opens new tab on Tuesday, a source said, and the company announced it would explore its options for the sale of the company.
Reuters exclusively reported that the company's board rejected a mostly cash offer of nearly $24 a share for the company, whose assets include the Warner Bros film and television studios, its CNN and other cable television networks and its HBO Max streaming service, according to a source familiar with the matter.
https://archive.ph/20251022012403/https ... 0-1339.314
Warner Bros Discovery rejects Paramount offer, source says, company ponders sale options
Oct 21 (Reuters) - Warner Bros Discovery's (WBD.O), opens new tab board rejected a nearly $60 billion offer from Paramount Skydance (PSKY.O), opens new tab on Tuesday, a source said, and the company announced it would explore its options for the sale of the company.
Reuters exclusively reported that the company's board rejected a mostly cash offer of nearly $24 a share for the company, whose assets include the Warner Bros film and television studios, its CNN and other cable television networks and its HBO Max streaming service, according to a source familiar with the matter.
https://archive.ph/20251022012403/https ... 0-1339.314