President Donald Trump and FCC Chair Brendan Carr are pushing for major changes in American broadcast media, starting with CBS.
On Thursday, the FCC approved an $8.4 billion merger between CBS parent Paramount Global and Skydance Media by a 2-1 vote, with conditions to eliminate bias in CBS news and entertainment, hire an ombudsman for two years to handle complaints, and end diversity programs. Carr, speaking to CNBC, signaled a broader effort to address perceived liberal bias in mainstream media, leveraging the FCC’s public interest standard for broadcast outlets. Trump has criticized networks for biased coverage and urged license revocations.
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| Anna Gomez |
Paramount recently settled a $16 million lawsuit with Trump over a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris, prompting some Democrats, like Rep. Frank Pallone, to label it a bribe and pledge investigations. Carr has also revived complaints against ABC News for its debate moderation and NBC for Harris’s “Saturday Night Live” appearance, with ongoing scrutiny of “60 Minutes.”
Carr told Reuters Thursday the FCC is not closing its investigation into the "60 Minutes" interview.