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Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Another day brimming with media news has come to an end. The NYT publishes a previously redacted Tucker Carlson text, Chris Licht marks one year at CNN, Benny Johnson parts ways with Newsmax, TikTok's head of T&S exits, and the "Guardians" are poised to knock out Mario at the box office. But first, the A1.

THE A1

Hollywood's Reckoning

CNN Photo Illustration/David Swanson/Reuters

The film and television industry has entered a state of reckoning. How long the reckoning lasts — and precisely how much pain it causes — remains to be seen.

After weeks of failed negations, the Writers Guild of America West executed a strike against major studios that commenced on Tuesday, immediately pushing new episodes of the networks' late-night comedy shows off screen and threatening to postpone programs slated to debut later this fall.

It's the first major work stoppage to rock Hollywood in 15 years. It comes just at the moment the industry has finally started to recover from the economic devastation wrought by the pandemic and some of the consumer changes it forced into place.

And while the media industry will bear the brunt of the pain, others will surely face the consequences of the walkout. The last strike, which lasted for 100 days in 2007, hit the Los Angeles economy hard, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage, sending ripple effects across the Southern California region.

A strike was long foreshadowed in this case. What is less clear is how long it will drag out for and how much havoc it will wreak on major studios. How many projects will be interrupted? How many movies and films will ultimately be delayed?

Some observers have signaled that, given how far apart the two sides appear on some key issues, the strike could last months. If that is the case, how will the networks and streamers respond? More unscripted shows and live sports?

But the WGA believes that the strike is necessary to deliver a new contract to writers that best positions them for the rapidly evolving industry and world.

That is what differentiates this strike from the others. In many ways, it is bigger than the media industry. At its heart are issues about how workforces and corporations grapple with advancing technology, including artificial intelligence, as it disrupts traditional ways of doing business and bring a litany of unknowns with it.

Damon Lindelof on Tuesday protested with a sign that declared, "Alexa Will Not Replace Us." The famed screenwriter told Deadline he wanted to make sure that everyone is "on the same page" and that "A.I. is going to be used as a tool for everyone, not as a replacement."

As writer, actor, and director Danny Strong told The Hollywood Reporter: "This is viewed as an existential moment for writers."

THE SIDEBAR

WGA members changed from coast to coast: "No contract, no content!" (Variety)
Major forces in Hollywood hit the streets and supported picketing writers. (Deadline)
Yvonne Villarreal spoke to several screenwriters who explained the WGA's reasoning for walking off the job. (LAT)
"Saturday Night Live" will also go dark and air repeats with other late-night comedy shows. (CNN)
CBS has delayed its fall schedule reveal, given the strike. (Deadline)
The Producers Guild of America issued a statement of solidarity with the "difficult decision" the WGA made. (The Wrap)
"With a walkout long expected, writers have rushed to get scripts in and studios have sought to prepare their pipelines to keep churning out content for at least the short term," Jake Coyle notes. (AP)
Studio execs "have said privately that they have their own share of problems, and this is not the best time to be giving significant raises," John Koblin and Brooks Barnes report, noting the layoffs that have afflicted the media industry as of late. (NYT)
Variety's cover this week: "No words." (Twitter)

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Illustration/Drudge Report

The Tucker Text: In a newly-revealed text message, which was redacted in the Dominion legal filings, Tucker Carlson made a racist comment and said he found himself briefly rooting for a mob of Trump supporters to kill a person, according to a Tuesday night report from The NYT's Jeremy Peters, Michael Schmidt, and Jim Rutenberg. "A couple of weeks ago, I was watching video of people fighting on the street in Washington," Carlson wrote in the text, per The NYT. "A group of Trump guys surrounded an Antifa kid and started pounding the living s**t out of him. It was three against one, at least. Jumping a guy like that is dishonorable obviously. It's not how white men fight. Yet suddenly I found myself rooting for the mob against the man, hoping they'd hit him harder, kill him. I really wanted them to hurt the kid. I could taste it."

"Then somewhere deep in my brain, an alarm went off: this isn't good for me. I'm becoming something I don't want to be," Carlson continued, per The NYT. "The Antifa creep is a human being. Much as I despise what he says and does, much as I'm sure I'd hate him personally if I knew him, I shouldn't gloat over his suffering. I should be bothered by it. I should remember that somewhere somebody probably loves this kid, and would be crushed if he was killed. If I don't care about those things, if I reduce people to their politics, how am I better than he is?" A spokesperson for Fox declined to comment to me on Tuesday night. Carlson did not respond.

🔎 Zooming in: Anti-Defamation League head Jonathan Greenblatt's point of view: "What's not news is the fact that Tucker Carlson is a white nationalist. What is news is the fact that this somehow is surprising to anyone."

📼 The Tucker Tapes: Meanwhile, it's not just Carlson's redacted texts that are now leaking. Someone is also leaking behind-the-scenes footage of the fired Fox News host. Media Matters published more embarrassing video of Carlson on Tuesday. The big question is: Who is leaking all of this and why?

Press Freedom Day: "Three decades ago, the United Nations established World Press Freedom Day to raise awareness about the importance of an independent media and impress upon governments their obligation to respect the free flow of information. This year, it falls on Wednesday," The WaPo's Editorial Board wrote Tuesday. "But there seems little to celebrate, given how journalists find themselves under constant assault and press freedom is being eroded around the world."

The paper's editorial board is not wrong. In recent years, journalists have been killed and imprisoned at higher rates. Most recently, of course, Russia arrested Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. Dow Jones publisher Altar Latour wrote on Tuesday, "As we observe World Press Freedom Day Wednesday, Evan's incarceration offers a reminder of the fight we're in: It's autocrats versus the pen—Orwellian manipulation of information versus reliable information as a cornerstone of free society. The stakes are high: Without press freedom there is no free society."

THE BUSINESS

Licht's Anniversary: "Believe it or not, today marks my first anniversary at CNN," Chris Licht wrote staffers at the end of a Tuesday memo summarizing recent accomplishments by the network. Licht, the chairman and chief executive of CNN, said that he is "humbled and deeply proud to lead the best news organization in the world" and that he is "incredibly bullish about our future and all that is to come in 2023." Licht thanked staffers for their "grit, dedication, and passion for the mission of CNN."

🔎 Zooming in: Licht's first year has not been easy. He oversaw layoffs last year and the network has seen its ratings fall to historically low levels, though I should note that ratings are down industry wide. While Licht has experimented with prime time, the 9pm-midnight lineup is still in flux. And Licht most recently ousted longtime anchor Don Lemon, raising questions about whether an additional host will be brought in to helm "CNN This Morning." Licht has, however, put his stamp on the network. In April, he revamped the dayside lineup, launching two three-hour blocs of "CNN News Central" — a show that aims to stimulate viewers with visuals and get the hosts out from behind the anchor desk. Licht has said that he believes the tone has shifted and that it is less hyperbolic. More Republicans are also appearing on CNN than before, including Donald Trump who is set to make his first appearance on the network next week since the 2016 campaign.

IN THE INDUSTRY

Claire Atkinson reports that Licht is "quietly working on a major brand refresh" of CNN that will "see a rethink of everything from changing the typeface of the lower-third captions on the TV screen and a new in-studio look to a revamp of CNN's website and overall digital presence." (Insider)
Charlotte Klein talks to CNN politics director David Chalian about next week's town hall with Trump: "We obviously can't control what Donald Trump says—that's up to him. What we can do is prod, ask questions, follow up, and try to get as revealing answers as possible." (Vanity Fair)
"A complaint filed by CNBC senior international correspondent Hadley Gamble accuses CNBC International executives of fostering a toxic workplace culture, in addition to allegations against other executives of sexual harassment and discrimination," Sara Fischer reports. (Axios)
The report also alleges now-fired NBCU chief Jeff Shell pressed Gamble "for sex over a period of years during her career at the business news network," Benjamin Mullin reports. (NYT)
Another from Fischer: Jimmy Finkelstein's The Messenger is set to launch on May 15 with 150 journalists. (Axios)
"Much of FiveThirtyEight's vital intellectual property — such as the election forecast models — is merely licensed to Disney. The license term for these models expires with my contract this summer. I still own these models, and can license or sell them elsewhere," Nate Silver confirms in a Substack post about his future. (Silver Bulletin)
✂️ Cuts, cuts, cuts: Newsletter publisher TheSkimm has laid off 13%, its second layoff this year, Lucia Moses reports. (Insider)
WaPo is launching a channel on Amazon's Freevee. (Deadline)
Conan O'Brien is also going FAST, launching Conan O'Brien TV with Samsung. (THR)

MEDIA MOVES

The NYT hired Jerry Gray as deputy editor of its international edition. (NYT)
Starz executive Jeff Cooke is exiting the company after Lionsgate restructured it. (Deadline)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/John Rudoff/Sipa USA/AP

First in Reliable | Benny Out: Fans of right-wing commentator Benny Johnson are no longer going to be able to get their fix on Newsmax. The relationship between the two has ended, a spokesperson for the right-wing network confirmed to me on Tuesday. "Newsmax is no longer carrying his weekend show as Benny decided he wanted to focus on his social media channels," the spokesperson said. Johnson does have sizable social followings, but news of his departure comes after he made a series of absurd claims, including that Attorney General Merrick Garland "loves baby murder" and that the "gestapo" Joe Biden-led federal government believes in "child sacrifice." It appears the last time Newsmax carried Johnson's show, "The Benny Report," was last month.

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

Trump might be returning to CNN, but it's possible he might skip the first GOP debate hosted by Fox News, per new reporting from Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan. (NYT)
Trump grew so furious in March with NBC News reporter Vaughn Hillyard that he grabbed his phones and tossed them aside, Charlotte Klein reports. "Get him out of here," Trump told his aides. (Vanity Fair)
Kirsten Fleming spoke to 10 former employees of Steven Crowder, who said the right-wing talk host ran an "abusive" company "where he often screamed at his employees — including his own father — exposed his genitals, sent out directives to arbitrarily fire people and made underlings wash his dirty laundry." (New York Post)
Crowder responded to the story by mocking it — and then performing a skit in which he exposed himself to a staffer. (MMFA)
The WaPo Editorial Board called out Elon Musk for "helping governments shut their citizens up" via Twitter censorship. (WaPo)
Musk is now threatening to re-assign NPR's account, which has gone dormant after being attacked by the erratic billionaire, to "another company," Bobby Allyn reports, citing an "unprompted Tuesday email" from the Twitter owner. (NPR)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images

Time's Up at TikTok: The head of TikTok's U.S. trust and safety is leaving the company later this month, The Verge's Alex Heath first reported Tuesday, citing sources and a memo he has seen. The executive, Eric Han, who was responsible for heading the unit that aimed to convince the U.S. government the short-form video service should not be banned, will officially depart May 12. The reason for Han's departure was not immediately known. Interim U.S. data security manager Andy Bonillo will fill his shoes until a permanent replacement can be found. CNN's Clare Duffy has more.

TOO MANY TABS

Another Elon Musk reversal: Twitter is restoring API access for for emergency notifications and weather reports. (Engadget)
Meanwhile... Musk has threatened to reassign NPR's Twitter account to 'another company' if it did not resume posting on the platform. (NPR)
A Wisconsin bill would require social media companies to verify user age in the state — and it would stop minors from using platforms between 10pm and 7am. (AP)
Meta is introducing features that make it easier to personalize Reels recommendations. (TechCrunch)
IBM boss Arvind Krishna said the company will not pause hiring people for roles that A.I. might be able to do. (Bloomberg)
Samsung has banned employees from using ChatGPT. (CNBC)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Tim Boyle/Getty Images

Guardians of the Box Office: The "Guardians of the Galaxy" are set to take on Mario at the box office this weekend — and it is finally game over for the beloved Nintendo character. The third and final installment of Guardians is eying a whopping $250 million opening at the global box office, powered by $110 million domestically, putting an end to the reign of the "Super Mario Bros. Movie." Deadline's Anthony D'Alessandro and Nancy Tartaglione have more here.

OFF STAGE

Two-thirds of Peacock subscribers have watched a Universal theatrical film on the streamer. (Deadline)
The teaser for the "Dune: Part Two" trailer dropped on Tuesday. Yes, it is effectively a trailer for a trailer. (IGN)
Episode six of "Succession" hit another viewership high with 2.7 million viewers this week. (Variety)
Fear not, "FBoy Island" fans. The CW has picked up season three after the reality series was canceled by HBO Max. (Variety)

Thank you for reading! This newsletter was edited by Jon Passantino and produced with the assistance of Liam Reilly. Have feedback? Send us an email here. We will see you back in your inbox tomorrow.