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Monday, August 14, 2023

Hello on this Monday night, where the nation's eyes are once again transfixed on another indictment related to Donald Trump's election lies. Meanwhile, the media world has produced another day packed with news: CNN announces lineup overhaul, surveillance video shows raid on Kansas paper, Ron DeSantis says he's "moved on" from Disney fight, Elon Musk's supposed fight with Mark Zuckerberg takes a strange new turn, and SAG-AFRTA toughens its Tinseltown tactics. But first, the A1.

THE A1

TV News Tumult

CNN Photo Illustration/Cindy Ord/Getty Images

It's been a tough year to be a television news chief.

Eight months into 2023, and the year has been merciless to the handful of executives tasked with leading the nation's most prized and recognizable news brands through one of the most tumultuous periods in industry history.

Chris Licht was fired from CNN after a turbulent run as chief executive and replaced with an interim leadership team of four; Noah Oppenheim stepped down as president of NBC News and his position was split into three; Kim Godwin remains atop ABC News, though she has been battling less-than-ideal morale and in recent weeks grappling with the fact that her boss, Bob Iger, has publicly floated selling the network; and Suzanne Scott, if you view her as a "news" executive, has had to deal with the voluminous fallout stemming from Fox News' 2020 election lies, including a historic $787 million settlement to Dominion Voting Systems.

Enter Neeraj Khemlani, who stepped down on Sunday as co-president of CBS News after leading the network's journalists for a little more than two years. Khemlani, I'm told, was under pressure to exit the role after a series of complaints about his behavior and managerial style. In his place, CBS announced Monday that Wendy McMahon will be chief executive and president of CBS News, the network's local stations, and CBS Media Ventures. Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, a veteran journalist and executive, was named as co-president.

The industry had, in effect, spit out another television news boss.

Helming a television news network, brimming with hundreds — if not thousands — of employees, is strenuous on a normal day. There are colossal egos to manage, painstaking editorial decisions that must be made, and harsh business realities to juggle. But coupled with the additional unsparing headwinds wreaking havoc on the entire industry, the job is downright Herculean.

The formidable task is reflective of the extraordinary challenges traditional media outlets are facing amid a period of rapid and existential change to their business models and advertising woes. In effect, television news chiefs are struggling to lead outlets that are themselves, broadly speaking, struggling to find a footing in an evolving landscape.

The secular decline of linear television has accelerated at a faster pace than many observers had anticipated, applying high levels of pressure upon the industry to hastily adapt to the streaming era and hulk up on digital platforms.

Meanwhile, amid the rapid change on the distribution and business fronts, news outlets have been thrown into stormy editorial seas, with the U.S. political landscape being consumed in ugly chaos spurred by the anti-democratic trends transpiring within the GOP.

Increasingly, there is no longer a single powerful media executive tasked with solving for the less-than-ideal set of circumstances. Instead, there is a growing trend in corporate owner ranks of splitting up responsibilities across several executives, all of whom lack the larger-than-life gravitas of the television boss of yesteryear. As one former television news executive put it to me earlier this year, the industry has a case of the "incredible shrinking news president."

In a conversation Monday with another former television news executive, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, this reality again arose. The industry veteran noted to me that there is less of a focus on making splashy — perhaps at times risky — moves to build for the future among the C-suite ranks. Instead, there is a mounting emphasis on slashing costs to best position the mammoth media companies for the inevitable decline of linear television.

"It's about how do we strip this thing down to its barest bones," the former executive said, grimly adding, "The reality of the day-to-day for these executives is that they are managing the corporate politics of their institutions and overseeing cost cutting as the top lines decline."

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/Getty Images

This Is CNN: CNN is finally cementing its prime time lineup — and a whole lot more. The network on Monday announced a sweeping new programming slate, elevating a new generation of rising stars as it seeks to improve lackluster ratings and reboot ahead of the 2024 election. Abby Phillip will host "CNN NewsNight" at 10pm; Laura Coates will host "Laura Coates Live" at 11pm; Phil Mattingly will ascend to Poppy Harlow's co-host on "CNN This Morning"; Kasie Hunt will helm "Early Start"; and Pamela Brown will lead a new 3pm program, "The Bulletin." On Saturdays, Victor Blackwell will host a new show at 8am; Chris Wallace will pioneer a politics-focused show at 10am; and Christiane Amanpour will debut a new program at 11am. On Sundays, Manu Raju will take over as host of "Inside Politics Sunday." Details in my full story.

🔎 Zooming in: The dramatic changes, which inject an added boost of diversity to the programming slate and will roll out in the coming weeks, are some of the most wide-ranging in the cable news landscape in years and represent a new chapter for CNN. The network has been aiming to reverse its fortunes after a tumultuous run under former boss Chris Licht, who was fired earlier this year. CNN's interim leadership team is hoping the new lineup will add stability to the network's programming slate, while also breathing some new life into it. Additionally, the team is making a not-so-subtle bet that CNN's younger, up-and-coming talent are best suited to position the network for the future.

THE INDUSTRY

Questions in Kansas: Surveillance video was released on Monday showing local authorities execute a widely condemned raid on a small Kansas newspaper. The astonishing raid on the Marion County Record has raised a number of First Amendment concerns and fits into the broader decline of press freedom that groups such as Reporters Without Borders have warned is occurring in the U.S. The authorities have defended their actions, insisting that when more information comes out, they'll be vindicated. But concern is mounting over their actions. In a four-page letter, dozens of major news organizations — including CNN — denounced the raid, noting that "newsroom searches and seizures are among the most intrusive actions law enforcement can take with respect to the free press, and the most potentially suppressive of free speech by the press and the public." CNN has more here.

First in Reliable | Catherine Herridge has until Wednesday to formally submit an appeal to a federal judge's order effectively compelling her to reveal her source(s) for a series of stories she published years ago at Fox News, according to a court filing. On Friday, Herridge's attorneys notified the court of her intent to appeal the decision, arguing that giving up the requested information "overrides a First Amendment privilege." We'll keep an eye on the docket.

THE FOURTH ESTATE

Monday marked the 11th anniversary of Austin Tice's capture in Syria. Reporters Without Borders again called for his safe return. (RSF)
Evan Gershkovich met on Monday with U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy for a third time. Tracy said he appeared "in good health and remains strong, despite his circumstances." (NYT)
The NYT has opted against joining the A.I. coalition being assembled by Barry Diller, Max Tani reports. (Semafor)
The Gray Lady is also pushing customers toward bundles, away from news-only subscriptions, Bron Maher writes. (Press Gazette)
"I love him. I really do." Barstool chief executive Erika Ayers Badan tells Emily Jane Fox she is sticking with Dave Portnoy, despite the controversial owner's habit of publicly demeaning his own staffers, among other things. So much for her maturing the brand beyond its childish roots! (Vanity Fair)

THE MARKET

Redbox owner Chicken Soup for the Soul "is forming a strategic review committee to evaluate its next steps, as the company is in the midst of enacting several cost-savings measures and prioritizing cash flow," Caitlin Huston reports. (THR)

MEDIA MOVES

The Miami Herald named Alex Mena its executive editor. (Miami Herald)
ESPN named Doris Burke and Doc Rivers to ESPN's and ABC's top NBA broadcast crew. (AP)
New York magazine named Matthew Schneier its restaurant critic. (NY Mag)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/Scott Olson/Getty Images

DeSantis' Disney Dance: Ron DeSantis is apparently tired of his feud with Disney. Once a centerpiece of his campaign, the Florida governor who is now struggling in his run for the GOP presidential nomination told CNBC's Brian Sullivan on Monday that he has "basically moved on" from the fight, which culminated in the Magic Kingdom suing him on First Amendment grounds. DeSantis said if Bob Iger were to call him, he'd simply urge the Disney boss to "drop the lawsuit" and, I guess, pretend everything is OK. While DeSantis seemed to be hinting that he will no longer demonize the company the way he has in the past, he did continue to stick to some of his main talking points about wanting to simply treat Disney "the same" as other major media companies that run theme parks in the Sunshine State. CNBC's Kevin Breuninger has more.

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

Another sign of Tucker Carlson's dwindling influence post-Fox News: a biography written about him, which Carlson participated in, bombed with only 3,227 copies sold in its first week, Jamie Frevele reports. (Mediaite)
Fox insiders dish to Diana Falzone and Aidan McLaughlin about why the company ditched its top lawyer, Viet Dinh. Hint: Because he cost the Murdochs a lot of money. (Mediaite)
Winston Cho writes that Fox News "can't escape" a lawsuit from Laura Luhn, with a judge having advanced it on Monday. (THR)
"Sound of Freedom" director Alejandro Monteverde broke his silence on the QAnon community embracing his film: "It's heartbreaking, and it hurts me. The minute they started labeling it with conspiracy theories, it discredits the purity of the work." (LAT)
Social media has been inundated with a flood of posts pushing conspiracy theories about the deadly fires in Maui. Many of these theories are, as you would guess, totally bogus, such as the preposterous claim the fires are part of efforts to build Maui into a "smart island." (PolitiFact)
Another false conspiracy theory: That a "directed energy weapon" was used by shadowy forces to create the disaster. (BBC)
Spanish-language mis- and disinformation on climate change has been on the rise as extreme weather events make headlines. (NBC News)
Charlie Kirk continues the inflammatory rhetoric, saying militias are important as "systems and backup plans of self sovereignty" (MMFA)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/Getty Images

Live From Palo Alto: It's safe to say Elon Musk is happy to gin up media attention, hyping a potential fight with Mark Zuckerberg. It's far less safe to say that he is actually committed to making one happen. Zuckerberg said Sunday that Musk "isn't serious" about the cage match, writing on Threads that he had offered a "real date" and that Musk refused to agree to one. "It's time to move on," Zuckerberg wrote. Musk, however, responded on Monday by writing on X that he would have a Tesla drive to Zuckerberg's Palo Alto house later that night. "Will also test latest X livestream video, so you can monitor our adventure in real-time," Musk wrote. "If we get lucky and Zuck my 👅 actually answers the door, the fight is on!"

🔎 Zooming in: There is nothing more to say about this situation other than it has exceeded unhealthy levels of stupidity. But if you really want more, read this piece from Casey Newton, who writes that Musk's "creep show" signals the billionaire "is appearing to lose his grip on reality."

TOO MANY TABS

Barbara Ortutay writes that for Threads, "the real rival" is TikTok, not the company formerly named Twitter. (AP)
TikTok is allowing E.U. users to shut off its powerful algorithm. It's letting people "think for themselves," writes Nita Farahany. (WIRED)
Amazon will start using A.I. to summarize the many customer reviews of products sold on its platform . (TechCrunch)
Keithen Drury floats the possibility that Meta could be a trillion dollar company by 2024. (Motley Fool)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Matthew Rodier/Sipa USA/AP

Tougher Tinseltown Tactics: The controversial decision by SAG-AFTRA to allow work on indie projects written under WGA contracts is coming to an end. The actors guild on Monday announced that it "will now exclude" such authorizations for projects being produced in the U.S. "We have been advised by the WGA that this modification will assist them in executing their strike strategy, and we believe it does not undermine the utility and effectiveness of ours," SAG-AFTRA said in a statement. "It is a win-win change." Per Variety's Gene Maddaus, 207 projects had been given a pass to continue filming, including those with major stars. Maddaus has more.

HOLLYWOOD HELL

The WGA is expected to respond to the AMPTP's latest proposal sometime this week after the two sides met for negotiations on Friday.
Sam Barsanti notes that Monday was the one-month mark of the SAG-AFTRA strike. (AV Club)
Joe Flint reports that there are "signs of progress on certain issues, giving the entertainment industry a glimmer of hope amid the monthslong labor dispute." (WSJ)

OFF STAGE

"Barbie" maintained the No. 1 spot at the box office for the fourth week and is on track to become the highest-grossing film of the year. (CNN)
Margot Robbie stands to make $50 million from the Warner Bros. Discovery film, Brent Lang and Matt Donnelly report. (Variety)
After much hype, Netflix is starting to finally stream video games in a test running in Canada and in the U.K. (The Verge)
The Broadway production of "The Wizard of Oz" — title "The Wiz" — has found its Dorothy with the help of TikTok. (AP)
The "Blind Side" is being sucked into a lawsuit alleging that the central premise of the movie — the adoption — was a lie. (ESPN)
Season six of "The Chi" has set a series record in its first seven days. (Deadline)
"Big Brother" contestant Luke Valentine was removed from the show after the contestant used a racial slur. (NYT)
The BBC's Maida Vale studios — which have hosted icons including The Beatles, Adele, David Bowie, and Beyoncé — were sold to a group from one of our favorite composers, Hans Zimmer. (Pitchfork)

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.