MSNBC president steps down, Maddow returns to anchor desk for Trump return
Amid falling ratings since the November presidential election, MSNBC is shaking things up before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20. The network announced Tuesday, Jan. 14, that President Rashida Jones is stepping down but will stay on in an advisory role through March.
Jones said she is stepping down to “pursue other opportunities.” Senior Vice President of Content Strategy Rebecca Kutler, who previously spearheaded CNN+ in 2022, will take over as interim president.
The company also revealed Monday, Jan. 13, that Rachel Maddow, the network’s most popular host, will temporarily return to the anchor desk five days a week for Trump’s first 100 days in office.
MSNBC was reportedly the second most-watched cable news behind Fox News during the November election but has seen a sharp drop in ratings since then.
Beginning next week, Maddow will be on the anchor desk from Monday through Friday. Current anchor Alex Wagner will be deployed to cover Trump’s policies over his first 100 days.
The shift comes as MSNBC hedges its bets on viewers returning with a heightened interest in Trump as he takes office for a second term, according to the network’s leaders.
Maddow echoed that sentiment, telling USA Today that she believes viewers will want a “frontline perspective” of Trump’s early policies. Maddow and Wagner will return to normal programming after April 30, 2025.
Amazon eyes news expansion after election night special
Amazon could be making its next big move—into news. After the success of its free-to-stream special, “Election Night with Brian Williams,” the company appears to be exploring new opportunities in the media landscape.
The special, hosted by former NBC correspondent Brian Williams, was available to all viewers, including those without an Amazon Prime Video membership. According to Variety, the broadcast attracted approximately 4 million viewers, signaling strong interest in Amazon’s live news content.
While Amazon explores a potential news outlet, other media companies have faced challenges. Paramount Global laid off 2,000 employees from CBS News at the end of 2024. Meanwhile, BuzzFeed sold its popular series, “Hot Ones,” as part of a cost-reduction process. BuzzFeed announced that it cut over $150 million in debt by the end of 2023.
News wouldn’t be Amazon Prime Video’s only major endeavor. The platform holds an exclusive contract with the NFL to air “Thursday Night Football.” In addition, its new competition series, “Beast Games,” hosted by YouTuber MrBeast, showcases 1,000 contestants competing for a $5 million prize.
Amazon told Variety its news plans are in early development. The company is reportedly more interested in creating specials tied to major events rather than building a full-fledged news division.
Washington Post cartoonist quits after paper blocks Bezos-Trump drawing
A long-time cartoonist for The Washington Post has resigned after she said her latest cartoon was blocked. Ann Telnaes, who had worked at the paper for 16 years, said she has never had a cartoon scrapped due to its controversial subject matter. She criticized her former employer, calling the decision to pull the cartoon a “danger” to a free press.
In a Substack post, Telnaes shared a rough draft of the cartoon that she said criticized billionaire tech and media executives “who have sought to curry favor with President-elect Trump.”
The cartoon depicted figures kneeling at Trump’s feet with money bags, including The Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong and Mickey Mouse, the corporate mascot of Disney and parent company of ABC.
Telnaes wrote that while cartoons are sometimes rejected or revised, this was the first time her editor prevented her from holding powerful people accountable.
“That’s a game changer… and dangerous for a free press,” she said. “As an editorial cartoonist, my job is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable. For the first time, my editor prevented me from doing that critical job. So I have decided to leave the Post.”
In response, the Post’s opinions editor, David Shipley, said the paper had recently published a column on the same topic and had already scheduled another related column.
Shipley explained that the request to change the cartoon’s focus was due to the repetitiveness of coverage on tech billionaires’ meetings with and donations to Trump following his election. He added that he had asked Telnaes to reconsider her resignation.
This incident comes amid growing tension within the newsroom. In October, The Washington Post canceled a planned endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, a decision reportedly influenced by Bezos. The move led to the resignation of several high-profile writers.
According to media reporter Oliver Darcy, The Washington Post is also expected to lay off dozens of employees in the coming week. The latest round of layoffs follows hundreds of voluntary buyouts in 2023 and dozens of layoffs in September 2024.
Last year, the paper’s publisher outlined its financial struggles, revealing that The Posthad lost $77 million the previous year and had seen its audience drop 50% since 2020. The publisher described the paper as “being in the hole,” reflecting broader trends in the journalism industry amid a decline in subscribers and viewership in the digital age.
J.J. Abrams inks new first-look deal with Warner Bros.
Filmmaker J.J. Abrams and Warner Bros. Television are starting a new chapter in their nearly 20-year relationship, according to Deadline. The new agreement follows months of negotiations and could have a major impact on TV and film projects.
Bad Robot, Abrams’ production company, has secured a deal after its previous $250 million agreement in 2019. The 2019 deal came at the height of the peak TV era, when studios were eager to secure big-name creators. However, it didn’t fully meet expectations.
One of Abrams’ most anticipated projects, the sci-fi drama “Demimonde,” was pulled by HBO in 2022 before it could go into production. The ambitious series was canceled due to high production costs, especially after the Warner Bros. Discovery merger that same year.
Another setback came when plans for a “Justice League Dark,” universe, including a “Constantine,” reboot, were scrapped during restructuring at DC Studios.
Despite these setbacks, some of Abrams’ projects made it through development, like docuseries “The Yankees Win.” The HBO Max series, “Duster,” was also green lit early last year.
This new deal could signal a fresh start for both sides. In addition to his current projects, Abrams revealed he has several other projects in development, including the science fiction film “Flowervale Street,” which is slated for release in 2025. He’s also directing his first feature film in years, a mystery movie, with production set to begin in early 2025.
The new two-year deal is a first-look, non-exclusive agreement. This means Warner Bros. has the first opportunity to develop and produce Bad Robot’s new projects. However, if the studio passes, Abrams is free to pitch those projects to other studios. This flexible collaboration could pave the way for more diverse opportunities.
Neither Bad Robot nor Warner Bros. has commented on the details of the new agreement yet. As more information becomes available, it’s clear Abrams’ company isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
Rupert Murdoch blocked from changing family trust to cement Fox News control
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch lost in court trying to change the family trust to maintain his vision for Fox News and other properties. It’s the latest step in a real-life succession drama for the family that inspired the HBO series “Succession.”
Rupert Murdoch, 93, wanted to change the family trust to take power away from three of his four adult children. He wanted to ensure his eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch, would succeed him after he died.
Murdoch’s family trust
Nearly two decades ago, Murdoch set up a trust to evenly split the power over his companies between the children.
In the years that followed, Murdoch increasingly prioritized making sure Fox News maintained its conservative viewpoint.
James Murdoch and Elisabeth Murdoch are known to share less conservative views.
Rupert Murdoch spent nearly his entire life building a media empire of newspapers and TV stations.
The 93-year-old’s move to change the family trust is one he argued is in the company’s financial interests.
“Succession” plays role in Murdoch case
A Nevada judge wrote that Murdoch’s children took action after seeing an episode of the show “Succession.”
In the episode, the billionaire media mogul character died unexpectedly. In the immediate aftermath, three of his adult children quickly had to plan their next steps.
The New York Times reported James, Elisabeth and Prudence Murdoch met to discuss the response to their father’s death.
The judge’s ruling isn’t the final word. The judge served as a commissioner, sending his recommended ruling to a district judge. That ruling remains open to appeal.
There are other routes Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch could take. The two could make a deal to buy the ownership stakes from Murdoch’s other children.
Digital assets including Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes will also be part of the new standalone company. In its press release, Comcast is referring to the company as “SpinCo.”
Comcast’s NBCUniversal division is keeping cable network Bravo, the NBC broadcast network, its Peacock streaming service, and all other assets, like NBC Sports and the Universal theme parks.
“This transaction positions both SpinCo and NBCUniversal to play offense in a changing media landscape,” said Mike Cavanagh, President of Comcast. “Taken together, the entirety of NBCUniversal will be on a new growth trajectory, fueled by our world-class content, technology, IP, properties and talent – all working in concert with each other as an integrated media company.”
SpinCo will be led by Mark Lazarus, current Chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group, who will serve as the company’s Chief Executive Officer. Anand Kini, current Chief Financial Officer of NBCUniversal and EVP of Corporate Strategy at Comcast, will be its Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer.
Cavanagh previewed this move during an earnings call on Oct. 31.
“We are now exploring whether creating a new well-capitalized company, owned by our shareholders and comprised of our strong portfolio of cable networks, would position them to take advantage of opportunities in the changing media landscape and create value for our shareholders,” Cavanagh said. “We are not ready to talk about any specifics yet, but we’ll be back to you as and when we reach firm conclusions.”
Comcast said over the last twelve months, which ended Sept. 30, 2024, SpinCo generated approximately $7 billion in revenue. Comcast said it is targeting to complete the spinoff in approximately one year.
Vice President Kamala Harris concedes the election to former President Donald Trump. And President Joe Biden speaks to Trump to invite him to a meeting at the White House. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024.
Harris concedes presidential election to Trump
Donald Trump is once again president-elect, with more media outlets calling the election on Wednesday, Nov. 6. The former (and future) president not only won the Electoral College but the popular vote as well.
As of early Thursday morning, Nov. 7, Decision Desk HQ had Trump standing at 312 electoral votes, surpassing the 270 needed to win. His opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris earned 226. Trump also led in the popular vote at close to 73 million, with Harris getting just over 68 million.
We heard from Trump celebrating his victory in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Harris chose not to speak at that time.
Instead, the vice president waited until the afternoon to address a crowd of supporters at Howard University, where she conceded the election.
“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for,” she said, “but hear me when I say, hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”
Harris said she spoke with Trump on the phone to congratulate him. She also told her supporters it is important to accept the election results and engage in a peaceful transfer of power, calling it “a fundamental principle of American democracy.”
“At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our god,” she said. “My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”
Harris also told the crowd, they might “feel dark times are ahead” but she hopes that’s not the case and added that “sometimes the fight takes a while.”
Harris, as the sitting vice president, will be the one overseeing Congress’ ceremonial certification of the election in January.
Meanwhile, there is speculation Trump could soon begin announcing appointments to key positions in his cabinet, in just a matter of days. Some prospective nominees reportedly canceled their flights out of south Florida Wednesday after election night celebrations, in order to remain close to Trump.
Biden congratulates Trump on win, invites him to White House
President Joe Biden also reached out to President-elect Trump over the phone on Wednesday. During that call, he invited Trump to a meeting at the White House and offered his congratulations.
The White House released a statement saying, “President Biden expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition and emphasized the importance of working to bring the country together.”
A Trump campaign spokesperson confirmed the call, and that Biden invited the president-elect to the White House to “ensure a smooth transition between the current administration and the incoming administration.” The Trump campaign said the White House meeting would take place shortly and Trump very much appreciated the call from Biden.
Biden also spoke to Vice President Harris on the phone Wednesday. He released a statement following her concession speech saying in part, “Under extraordinary circumstances, she stepped up and led a historic campaign that embodied what’s possible when guided by a strong moral compass and a clear vision for a nation.”
President Biden added that selecting Harris as his vice president was “the best decision” he made.
The president is expected to address the nation Thursday on the election and the transition of power.
This morning at 11 AM ET, I’ll address the nation to discuss the election results and the transition.
Special counsel, DOJ reportedly in talks to end Trump prosecutions
Now that former President Trump is once again president-elect, Special Counsel Jack Smith is reportedly in talks with Department of Justice leadership to figure out how to end the criminal cases against Trump. That’s what sources familiar with the matter have told several media outlets.
The DOJ has had a longstanding policy against prosecuting a sitting president and Justice Department regulations say a special counsel must consult DOJ leaders — possibly even Attorney General Merrick Garland — on major decisions in an investigation.
Last year, Smith charged Trump with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and illegally keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Those latter charges were dismissed by a judge earlier this year, but Smith has appealed that ruling. Trump has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
Biden admin rushing billions in assistance to Ukraine: Reports
The Biden administration plans to rush billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine before President Biden leaves office in January, according to multiple reports. The goal is to make sure Ukraine’s government is in a good place when President-elect Trump takes office.
Trump has been critical of the scale of the U.S. military and financial support for Ukraine in its war with Vladimir Putin and Russia.
I had an excellent call with President @realDonaldTrump and congratulated him on his historic landslide victory—his tremendous campaign made this result possible. I praised his family and team for their great work.
We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 6, 2024
In April, the Republican-controlled House approved more aid for Ukraine, including an allocation for weapons. However, more than $6 billion in aid that has been set aside for Ukraine has not made it there yet.
Trump has vowed to end the war between Russia and Ukraine quickly but has not specified how.
Cuba’s power grid collapses after Hurricane Rafael makes landfall
Hurricane Rafael weakened after making landfall in Cuba as a powerful Category 3 storm, but not before causing the island’s electrical grid to collapse.
While the storm is expected to stay in the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico, heavy rain will be seen in Florida and neighboring parts of the southeast. One to three inches of rain are expected for parts of the Florida Keys.
Rafael is the fifth major hurricane of the year in the Atlantic and the strongest to hit this late in the year since 2020.
Fox News wins election ratings, overall viewership falls from 2020
Fox News once again led the pack, getting the most viewers on election night. During primetime hours between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET, 9.8 million viewers tuned into Fox News. However, that is down from the nearly 14 million viewers who watched in 2020.
On the broadcast side, ABC News came in No. 1 in primetime with 5.6 million viewers.
Overall, Nielsen said across 18 cable and broadcast networks, 42 .3 million people tuned into coverage. That’s down more than 25% from 2020, when election coverage drew nearly 57 million viewers.
*Corrections to Wednesday’s “Unbiased Updates”: We would like to correct that North Carolina did not ‘flip’ blue as the current governor, Roy Cooper, is a Democrat.And, in our final story, history was made in three states on Election Day as two of the elections we mentioned took place in Delaware.
Discrimination lawsuit against Hallmark claims exec looking to replace stars
An age discrimination lawsuit against Hallmark is claiming executives at the network known for its “Countdown to Christmas” films fired a 79-year-old casting director and looked to replace stars Lacey Chabert and Holly Robinson Peete. In the suit, filed earlier this month in Los Angeles Superior Court, Penny Perry claims she was released after nine years of work, alleging harassment and discrimination.
The lawsuit reads:
“As one Hollywood writer put it: ‘Hallmark Channel and holidays are almost synonymous with each other, especially when it comes to the Christmas season. Fans and families turn to the network’s seemingly endless offering of thematic TV movies to get into the spirit of the season, and because they know they’re in for a comfy, feel-good ending.’ In Ms. Perry’s case, there was no happy ending, and no feel-good episode to wrap up her career with Hallmark. Instead, her finale episode was marred by ageist and ableist harassment, and a callous termination which robbed her of her illustrious career, her pride, and her well-being.”
The suit says Perry was let go by Hallmark Executive Vice President of Programming Lisa Hamilton Daly during what she had believed to be a casting meeting on Zoom last April.
In the meeting, Perry was allegedly told by Hamilton Daly that she was “too long in the tooth” to keep her job. She was offered another position with a more than 50% pay cut or she would be terminated.
The suit says Hamilton Daly had previously told Perry that the company needs to “bring in someone (other than you) who knows more young talent” and “not to cast old people” in roles.
Hamilton Daly is also accused of saying, “Our leading ladies are aging out. We need to find new talent to take their place.” The suit says Hamilton Daly singled out a few famous names popular in Hallmark movies, Holly Robinson Peete and Lacey Chabert.
Of 60-year-old Robinson Peete, Daly is accused of saying, “No one wants her because she’s too expensive and getting too old. She can’t play leading roles anymore.” And of 42-year-old Chabert she allegedly said, “Lacey’s getting older and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she gets older.”
The suit says Perry suffers from serious health conditions including multiple sclerosis and being legally blind in one eye. She had recently returned to work after having heart surgery. Perry says Hallmark failed to accommodate her.
According to the lawsuit, within days of her firing, Hallmark hired a younger male employee to fill a role identical to Perry’s position. The suits claims Hamilton Daly had it out for Perry since the vice president came over from Netflix in September 2021 and wanted to move Perry “out of the company due to her age.”
The suit goes on to say that Perry, whose credits include movies like “Young Guns” and “The Never Ending Story,” was moved to the production department on a different floor of the building and taken off projects including the new streaming series “Chicken Sisters.”
Perry is seeking a jury trial.
Hallmark replied to the suit in a statement to Variety saying, “Lacey and Holly have a home at Hallmark. We do not generally comment on pending litigation. And while we deny these outrageous allegations, we are not going to discuss an employment relationship in the media.”
CBS responds to allegations of deceitful editing in ’60 Minutes’ Harris interview
CBS is responding to claims that the network engaged in deceitful editing when it aired two different answers to the same question in its interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. While CBS has issued a statement, calls for the release of the full transcript continue. A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commissioner also advocated for an investigation.
Harris was asked whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “listening” to the Biden-Harris administration. The responses she gave in a clip aired on CBS’ “Face the Nation” and during the “60 Minutes” program differed, raising questions about how the network edited the interview.
Former President Donald Trump, CBS’ most prominent critic, called for the network to lose its license over the incident. In its statement, CBS directly addressed Trump’s claims of deceitful editing.
“Former President Donald Trump is accusing ’60 Minutes’ of deceitful editing of our Oct. 7 interview with Vice President Kamala Harris,” CBS said in a statement. “That is false. ’60 Minutes’ gave an excerpt of our interview to ‘Face the Nation’ that used a longer section of her answer than that on ’60 Minutes.’ Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response. When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or a movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate, and on point. The portion of her answer on ’60 Minutes’ was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide-ranging 21-minute-long segment.”
CBS also noted that Trump had the opportunity to sit down with the network and that the invitation remains open. However, Trump’s campaign responded, demanding the release of the transcript for transparency.
“’60 Minutes’ just admitted to doing exactly what President Trump accused them of doing,” the Trump campaign told the New York Post. “They edited in a different response—from another part of her answer—to make Kamala Harris sound less incoherent than she really was. Their statement is not a denial; it is an admission that they did exactly what they were accused of. This is another reminder of how hopelessly biased ’60 Minutes’ is, and how correct President Trump was to decline their invitation to be subjected to their fake news hackery. Release the transcript!”
FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington confirmed that a complaint has been filed with the FCC by the Center for American Rights, questioning whether CBS intentionally distorted its coverage. Simington said he believes the complaint has merit but is doubtful it will be investigated under the current FCC leadership.
“The FCC does not regulate, or really even respond to, allegations of politically unfavorable coverage or legitimate editorial discretion,” Simington told the Daily Caller. “The recent complaint regarding WCBS-TV raises a fully different set of issues regarding whether or not coverage was intentionally distorted.”
FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel already dismissed Trump’s claims, stating that the FCC should not get involved. Sources told the Daily Caller that under Democratic leadership, the complaint is unlikely to advance, especially with the election just weeks away. However, they noted that if Trump is elected and appoints a Republican as FCC chair, the commission could investigate CBS’s editorial process regarding the “60 Minutes” interview.
Netflix adds 5M subscribers as others deal with cancellations
A day after the Federal Trade Commission unveiled its “click-to-cancel” rule in its fight against businesses that make it difficult for consumers to cancel subscriptions, Netflix announced Thursday, Oct. 17, that it has added subscribers — a lot of them. In its third-quarter earnings report, the streaming giant highlighted its paid subscriber growth of 5.1 million, bringing its total number of global subscribers to over 282 million, a growth of more than 14% year-over-year.
Netflix reported revenue of $9.83 billion beating Wall Street estimates, as the company cements its status as No. 1 TV streaming service.
The last rise in subscriptions was mostly attributed to Netflix’s crackdown on password sharing, but co-CEO Ted Sarandos pointed this time to the streamer’s varied content connecting with viewers.
“This year, we’ve maintained very healthy engagement, about 2 hours of viewing per member per day, and engagement on a per owner household is up through the first 3 quarters of 2024,” Sarandos said. “So if you look at where we’re sitting now, we finished Q3 with some big hits: Perfect Couple, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Nobody Wants This. And we’re really excited about our Q4 slate because it’s filled with great big titles from the U.S., from Brazil, from Korea, from the U.K., from Germany. And we also have got some really amazing live events coming up.”
But 2024 has not been all good news for all streamers, with several losing thousands of subscribers since the beginning of the year.
Subscription research firm Antenna reported over the summer that the streaming service owned by cable network Starz lost more than 800,000 subscribers, almost 9% of its total subscription base
Apple TV+ lost over 528,000 subscribers in the first quarter of the year, while Hulu lost over 500,000 and Disney+ said farewell to nearly 300,000 subscribers.
And these subscribers who want to say goodbye to these platforms, or any subscription-based service, are at the crux of the FTC’s new rule. The agency wants to make it as easy to cancel a subscription or membership as it was to sign up for one.
One man is already trying to make that task easier: YouTuber Jeff Gerlitz of Washington state, whose JMG Enterprises page is filled with dozens of how-to videos on how to cancel everything from Uber, to Spotify, and yes, even Netflix.
Gerlitz, who has over 84,000 subscribers himself, told Straight Arrow News he started making these how-to cancel videos because he felt there was a need for them.
“When I began uploading YouTube videos regularly, I realized there was a lack of how-to videos instructing people on how to cancel their memberships or subscriptions,” Gerlitz said via e-mail. “I realized most companies make it not so easy to find the cancel membership button.”
“I began looking at the search volume for these inquiries on Google and saw it was quite high with low competition,” Gerlitz continued. “Meaning, I could most likely get my videos ranked high on Google (and) YouTube and help a lot of people. So far, it appears to be working.”
Gerlitz said he receives comments daily thanking him for streamlining the process with many saying it was a frustrating experience for them trying to figure it out on their own.
Netflix is Gerlitz’s most popular how-to cancel video. The YouTube creator said he gets close to 500 new views per day on that one video. He attributes it to Netflix having such a large subscriber base and, in his opinion, Netflix having the most complicated cancellation process. Gerlitz said it appears the company revises its website often.
Now while Netflix is currently in a profitable place right now, in 2022 the company lost nearly 1 million subscribers. All those customers had to deal with the cancellation process.