"The clearest sign yet of Ellison's willingness to ruffle feathers and fundamentally remake iconic American media brands was his Monday installation of Bari Weiss atop Paramount's CBS News, the 98-year-old institution home to the likes of Walter Cronkite and "60 Minutes." Weiss, a former New York Times Opinion writer who resigned from The Gray Lady in 2020, has spent the years since building an anti-woke alternative to traditional media. That effort, The Free Press, is far from CBS News in sensibility and approach."
"It's digital-first, subscription-focused, peppered with commentary, and routinely takes stances on hot-button issues, such as Israel's war in Gaza and campus speech. In buying The Free Press for about $150 million and putting Weiss in charge of CBS News as editor-in-chief, Ellison is sending a message: I'm not just a walking checkbook. Warner Bros. Discovery, with its century-old studio and established news network CNN, could be his next target, according to a Wall Street Journal report from last month, which said the Ellison family was interested in acquiring it. Ellison's move fast and break things approach - backed by his father's billions - has inspired both anticipation and fear among his employees and industry insiders."
David Ellison, son of tech billionaire Larry Ellison, is transforming Paramount and acquiring media assets to create a new media empire. He installed Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News and purchased The Free Press for about $150 million. The Free Press operates as a digital-first, subscription-focused, commentary-driven outlet that takes clear stances on polarizing issues. Ellison has shown willingness to remake iconic media brands and is reportedly interested in acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery. His 'move fast and break things' approach, backed by significant family wealth, has generated anticipation and concern among employees and industry insiders.
Read at Business Insider
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]