Skydance awaits Paramount's response, the Pulitzer Board praises student journalists, Truth Social's traffic surges, TikTok strikes a deal with Universal Music Group, Elon Musk says he will restore the X account of an infamous Holocaust denier, Sean Hannity throws 'a bone' to Jim Jordan, Rotten Tomatoes apologizes for "frustration" after prioritizing audience reviews over the critics, and so much more. But first, the A1. |
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CNN Photo Illustration/Eric Thayer/Bloomberg/Getty Images |
When ABC News staffers phoned into the network's daily editorial meeting on Thursday, they quickly took note of the absence of their ostensible boss, President Kim Godwin. Hours after we reported about how Godwin is skating on thinning ice, the embattled news chief was nowhere to be found as staffers assembled to discuss the day's coverage plans. Instead, the call was led by Debra OConnell, the Disney-appointed executive who was tapped in February for a new role overseeing the news outlet, and who is meticulously conducting a thorough review of Godwin's portfolio. After the meeting concluded, a person familiar with the situation told me that Godwin was simply at a prescheduled doctor's appointment. Regardless, the rampant speculation her absence spurred spoke to the apprehension of staffers, who are thirsty for change and whose patience is wearing thin. Over the last 24 hours I've spoken with more than 20 people inside and close to the network, many of whom contacted me on their own volition to candidly share their complaints about Godwin and the era of angst she has ushered in since taking the helm in 2021. The newsroom leader, they have told me, has made several profound errors, including her hands-off approach to governing, a lack of strategic vision for the newsroom, the elimination of talent-relations leadership, the appointment of an inner-circle that has alienated staffers, among a stream of other complaints. Internally, OConnell is viewed as a problem solver willing to personally get in the trenches and directly address issues, while Godwin is widely viewed as an absentee boss focused primarily on her self-image. Staffers I spoke with cannot offer enough praise for the former, while it seems that everyone has a gripe about the latter — a reality that I'm told very much irks Godwin. Akin to the final days of Chris Licht's tenure at CNN last summer, it is evident that Godwin has lost the room, her stewardship no longer sustainable. As one media executive familiar with ABC News told me, it is obvious she no longer has "the confidence of the newsroom." And it is clear to staffers that OConnell is now the actual leader of the network. OConnell, who was greeted with a firehose of complaints about Godwin upon assuming her post, surely understands that change is necessary. And her bosses in Burbank must too. Bob Iger is known to pay special attention to ABC News and OConnell wouldn't have been appointed had Disney brass not felt it necessary. Further, in private conversations, OConnell has been candid about the mistakes she believes her new subordinate has made. And it doesn't take a clairvoyant leader to feel the sense of frustration and anxiety radiating through the organization. "She knew it was bad, but I don't think she knew how bad it was," a network insider told me. Ironically, Godwin entered ABC News three years ago as the first Black woman to lead a broadcast television news division with the mandate of healing its culture, only to exacerbate its problems and help sap the competitive spirit that once coursed through and animated the newsroom. It's now up to OConnell to dig ABC News out of the ditch and infuse it with its old swagger. And she is hard at work on a plan to repair the organization, quietly soliciting advice from industry figures about who should be installed in the network's C-suite, according to people familiar with the conversations. I'm also told that initial inquiries have been made with potential candidates who might be interested in assuming the post of network president in a post-Godwin era. (An ABC News spokesperson denied the overtures had been made.) The 90-day milestone of OConnell taking the reins as top boss is quickly approaching on May 14. Some staffers are speculating that change could be on the horizon to coincide with the date. But that seems, for now, to mostly be wishful thinking. It is indicative, however, of how desperate some are to see a changing of the guard.
While some are asking when this ugly chapter at ABC News will come to an end, the number of pages remaining is a closely-guarded secret known only to OConnell and Disney brass. |
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CNN Photo Illustration/AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images |
Skydance Suspense: David Ellison and his Skydance Media are on pins and needles, awaiting word from the Paramount Global special committee over whether it will green-light their proposed deal to acquire the Shari Redstone-controlled media company. The talks between the two parties, I'm told, continue to take place as the exclusivity window nears its end, expiring on Friday night. Meanwhile, Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management are showing interest in acquiring the mountain of entertainment, having sent a letter proposing a $26 billion takeover. CNBC's Alex Sherman has details. |
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- The Pulitzer Prize Board released a statement recognizing "the tireless efforts of student journalists across our nation's college campuses, who are covering protests and unrest in the face of great personal and academic risk." (Pulitzer)
- Morale at the Daily Beast has suffered under new editorial boss Joanna Coles, reports Justin Miller: "By the end of her first week, at least a dozen staff were looking elsewhere for jobs or hoping for buyouts, and by the end of her second, two were on the way out." (NY Mag)
- The Guardian is cutting jobs as it deals with "challenging market conditions." (Telegraph)
- "The revenge of the home page": Kyle Chayka reports that "as social networks become less reliable distributors of the news, consumers of digital journalism are seeking out an older form of online real estate." (New Yorker)
- Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei sat down with Andrew Murfett to discuss the founding of POLITICO and Axios, as well as the power of prosperity/perspective at the heart of VandeHei's new book. (LinkedIn)
- Publishers continue to prepare themselves for cookie depreciation, Kayleigh Barber reports. (Digiday)
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- A coalition led by Fubo — which includes DirecTV, Dish Network, and Newsmax — sent a letter to Congress calling for hearings on the joint Warner Bros. Discovery-Disney-Fox Corporation sports streaming venture. (THR)
- 📈 Speaking of sports and WBD, the company's stock rose another 4% on Thursday, closing at $7.95, after having plummeted earlier this week over fears it could lose its NBA rights.
- But, analysts are still expressing alarm: "In light of the recent Disney-Charter renewal, the loss of the NBA could also have a derivative impact across the rest of WBD's cable networks," Bank of America's Jessica Reif Ehrlich wrote in a research note. (Axios)
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- SAG-AFTRA struck a deal with Nielsen to provide measurements and validate data studios provide as part of their new deal. (The Wrap)
- Live Nation boss Joe Berchtold said the company does not "believe a breakup of Live Nation and Ticketmaster would be a legally permissible remedy." (THR)
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- The forthcoming Warner Bros. Discovery-Disney-Fox Corporation joint sports streaming venture tapped Jessica Casano-Antonellis as head of communications. (THR)
- The NYT added Lynsey Chutel as a reporter for the International desk and hired Kami Rieck as a staff editor for audience and fact-checking on Times Opinion. (NYT/NYT)
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CNN Photo Illustration/Gabby Jones/Bloomberg/Getty Images |
First in Reliable | The Surge at Truth Social: Truth Social saw traffic to the platform soar in March, according to Comscore data compiled by Howard Polskin at The Righting. "Truth Social generated 5 million unique visitors in March, its largest traffic volume ever since its February 2022 launch," The Righting found in its latest report. That figure represents a 54% increase from the same time last year. The increase could be due to Trump Media and Technology Group going public and/or Trump saturating the news cycle with his legal woes. Meanwhile, Rumble, the right-wing video platform, saw its traffic plunge year-over-year, falling 54% to a little more than 6 million unique visitors. See The Righting's full report here. |
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- Sean Hannity threw "a bone to Jim Jordan," lending him his platform to "defuse MAGA criticism" coming from the more hardline faction of right-wing media, Matt Gertz reported. (MMFA)
- Elon Musk said he will restore the X account of the racist, Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes. (Mediaite)
- Oliver Bateman chronicled the "strange trajectory of Tucker Carlson's first 100 shows" on X, noting that he has seen a "precipitous drop" in viewership. (UnHerd)
- Kara Voght profiled right-wing extremist Laura Loomer, who complained that she has been blacklisted by Fox News and other right-wing media outlets. (WaPo)
- "The Sixth," a documentary about January 6, made by A24 and Change, will be released to purchase on digital Friday. (The Sixth)
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CNN Photo Illustration/Anna Kurth/AFP/Getty Images |
The Tunes on TikTok: Billie Eilish, Rihanna, Jay-Z, and Universal Music Group's biggest stars are back on TikTok after the two sides reached a deal to end their months-long bitter feud. "Music is an integral part of the TikTok ecosystem and we are pleased to have found a path forward with Universal Music Group," TikTok boss Shou Chew said. The "multi-dimensional" new deal included "improved remuneration" for UMG's music. The ugly back-and-forth between the two left both parties wounded. TikTok lost a roster of some of the most popular artists in the world and UMG didn't have the short form video platform to promote its artists. The NYT's Ben Sisario has more here. |
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- At the company's NewFronts presentation, TikTok exec Blake Chandlee hit back at the U.S. government over the recently passed divest-or-ban law: "I want you to know, we are not backing down." (Deadline)
- The House's China-focused panel asked the FTC to probe whether TikTok broke child privacy laws, Kyle Stewart reports. (NBC News)
- "The judge overseeing a landmark U.S. antitrust challenge to Google tried to poke holes in both sides' cases during closing arguments Thursday as he weighed a ruling that could reshape the technology industry," David McCabe and Cecilia Kang report. (NYT)
- Snapchat expanded its partnership with Live Nation. (Axios)
"I do not think Facebook is the dead internet," Jason Koebler argues. "Instead, I think it is something worse. Facebook is the zombie internet, where a mix of bots, humans, and accounts that were once humans but aren't anymore mix together." ( 404 Media) |
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CNN Photo Illustration/Richard Levine/Corbis/Getty Images |
Rotten Tomatoes' Reversal: The popular movie and TV review website Rotten Tomatoes is reversing course, after making the decision to prioritize audience reviews over critics' reviews. The change meant that when people Googled movies, the RT score for the audience was displayed, not the critics. "We sincerely apologize for any frustration or inconvenience this may have caused," RT said in a statement. The site promised a fix was en route to ensure critics reviews were restored to their prominence. The Wrap's Sharon Knolle has more here. |
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- Kevin Spacey is not pleased about an upcoming two-part docuseries about him, "Spacey Unmasked," saying he "will not sit back and be attacked by a dying network's one-side 'documentary.'" (Variety)
- Ryan Gosling told Ellen Gamerman that after having kids he has tried not to play in roles that takes him to "dark places." (WSJ)
- CBS was the most-watched network on primetime for the 16th season in a row, breaking its own record. (The Wrap)
- Paramount+'s "Knuckles" series has already been viewed for four million hours, setting a new platform record. (Variety)
- Andy Garcia will star opposite Billy Bob Thornton in Paramount+'s Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace-led drama, "Landman." (Deadline)
- Kevin Durand will star opposite Liam Neeson in Paramount's yet untitled remake of "Naked Gun." (THR)
- Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac will star in Panos Cosmatos' vampire thriller "Flesh of the Gods." (Deadline)
- Nick Jonas and Paul Rudd will star in Jon Carney's "Sing Street." (Deadline)
- Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close will star in Simon Curtis' "Encore," with Don Johnson and Henry Winkler set to co-star. (Variety)
- CBS ordered a "Fire Country" spinoff. (THR)
- Amazon has already ordered a second season of "Alex Cross." (THR)
- The final season of Netflix's "Cobra Kai" will be released in three parts. (Deadline)
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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. You can follow us on Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn. We will see you back in your inbox next week. |
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