Ticker: David Ellison Believes CNN Plays a Role in Paramount-WBD Merger Delay

High of the Ticker: Paramount Skydance’s CEO David Ellison took to The New York Occasions to write an op-ed, the place he claimed the lawsuits introduced on by the state attorneys common and Writers Guild in regards to the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger don’t have anything to do with it violating antitrust legislation, however every little thing to do with him proudly owning CNN.

Within the op-ed, Ellison writes that newsrooms equivalent to these at CNN and CBS Information ought to replicate the “complete world, not one facet of it,” and that he’ll preserve CNN’s independence. He added, “Our journalists will proceed to reply to the info and to all of the folks they serve–to not any social gathering or trigger.”

California Lawyer Normal Rob Bonta stated in a social media assertion in response to Ellison’s op-ed that he’ll proceed to make their case in court docket and that he remained “dedicated to defending competitors, defending affordability, and making certain California’s economic system works for everybody—not simply the most important companies.”

All that is occurring as a trial date of March 2, 2027, was set by Choose Araceli Martínez-Olguín. Paramount hoped for a trial date that may happen this 12 months, ideally in November, however with this information and the way far out the trial has been set, the media conglomerate will incur round $650 million in ticking fees per quarter starting Oct. 1 until the deal is finalized.

Again on the ranch: In the meantime at CBS Information, correspondent Trevor Phillips, the community’s latest correspondent, made some shocking feedback about editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. Phillips, in an interview with The Telegraph, stated Weiss, who’s remaking the community, is “a type of individuals who will both change the world or crash and burn. However after they crash and burn, it’s in technicolor.”

In an effort to separate itself from its timeslot friends, CBS Night Information with Tony Dokoupil has launched a brand new function to the newscast, The Large Query, which focuses on frank discussions tied to the information of the day. According to Variety, Dokoupil stated these segments really feel genuine and “like an individual is simply speaking to you in regards to the day’s occasions.”

The Columbia Journalism Evaluate just lately profiled CBS Information president and government editor Tom Cibrowski, whose job responsibilities have rapidly evolved since he returned to the community in March 2025.

Lastly, former 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley is scheduled to obtain the 2026 Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism in the course of the group’s Bowtie Ball, scheduled to happen on Saturday, Nov. 14. Pelley is being honored for his braveness, integrity and dedication to impartial journalism, which has outlined his five-decade profession.