The Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Skydance merger is complete, and Julie Roginsky and Jeff Jarvis break down what it means when the Ellison family, Trump-friendly money, and financing from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE end up controlling so much of America’s soft power. They dig into the debt load, the hedge fund and private equity playbook that already hollowed out newspapers and radio, and the open question of whether CNN, CBS, and HBO can still tell stories that challenge the powerful.
Then it’s Fox News at thirty years old, and Julie shares what she saw from the inside about how “debate” gets framed before anyone goes on air. Plus Barry Weiss’s future at CBS, the 2028 Democratic wish list (Ossoff, Ro Khanna, AOC, Rahm Emanuel, and more), whether broadcast ads still move voters or field operations matter more, a Steve Hilton campaign ad that has to be seen to be believed, Karoline Leavitt’s move to Fox News, and Don Lemon’s talk of a presidential run.
This week’s episode was pre-recorded on Thursday. Michelle Kinney is producing, because the construction in her apartment is so loud that putting her on mic would have been a hostage situation for your ears.
Jeff’s new book, Hot Type, is out now, and he’s speaking Saturday at 10 a.m. at Historic New England in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
Details and signed copies are at www.jeffjarvis.com.
Breaking the News is a weekly conversation about the stories shaping American politics and media, with Julie Roginsky, Michelle Kinney, and Jeff Jarvis. Part of The Mayday Network, an independent, women-led independent media where politics meets culture.
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0:00 Opening
1:10 Welcome
2:25 The deal is done
3:43 Gulf money
5:49 Debt and the distressed-debt playbook
8:01 Fox News turns 30
16:37 CNN, CBS, and Barry Weiss
21:06 Soft power and the next Bond villain
26:15 The 2028 wish list
32:37 Do TV ads still work?
39:23 The Steve Hilton ad
47:18 Don Lemon for president?
51:44 Jeff’s book, Hot Type
53:51 Why Mayday exists
