AT&T buying Time Warner?

[Eat News 4738]

Amen! Ted's maverick spirit never should have given way to Time Warner's rudderless blandness. It's what happens when a company whose sole reason for existing is as a marriage of convenience (Time Inc. didn't want to be subject to a hostile takeover, Warner Communications's Steve Ross wanted to get Chris-Craft's Herb Siegel off his back) gets a hold of anything interesting.

 

Turner never should have married that commie Jane Fonda. That was the end of the end of Turner. Now all he does is stick flower butts into rifle barrels.

 

(any excuse to use the word "commie" is a special occasion)

 

[channel2 869]

Ted's maverick spirit is what forced him into selling out in the first place. He became overextended when he bought out the MGM library.

 

I'm aware. I also shudder to think of what Kerkorian's Turner Broadcasting could have been like (you Braves fans who complain about the single championship, be glad)

[newsbot 269]

I'm aware. I also shudder to think of what Kerkorian's Turner Broadcasting could have been like (you Braves fans who complain about the single championship, be glad)

It still amazes me that Kerkorian bought MGM three times!

[ATLNewsHawk 13]

Yeah they really ought to move CBS to WPCH. I mean the 700 Club on a CBS affiliate is just laughable. Only good syndie programming WGCL has is Inside Edition.

 

This is great and all but this is Meredith you are talking about. While it would be a sensible move, they won't go there.

[Guest Former Member 207]

This is great and all but this is Meredith you are talking about. While it would be a sensible move, they won't go there.

 

There is precedence there with Meredith...as they as soon acquired KPTV in Portland after Chris-Craft/United was bought by Fox, within months they moved the Fox affiliation from their own KPDX, to KPTV. Meredith moving CBS from WGCL to WPCH would have to be if CBS allows it.

[CircleSeven 1944]

Well folks, it didn't take a while for the 17 deal to get the greenlight. Six weeks.

 

Let's see how long that other deal with the satellite trucks last.

[CircleSeven 1944]

.....and it is DONE! For the first time in 37 years and as of last Friday, 17 has a new owner. And its Meredith.

[Rusty Muck 4158]

Yeah they really ought to move CBS to WPCH. I mean the 700 Club on a CBS affiliate is just laughable. Only good syndie programming WGCL has is Inside Edition.

This is great and all but this is Meredith you are talking about. While it would be a sensible move, they won't go there.

I believe WPCH is still carried on cable systems across Canada, dating back to when WTBS-17 was licensed for carriage by the CTRC, not TBS the network.

 

When Ted Turner split the TBS/WTBS feeds in 1981, cable systems outside of Atlanta got TBS the network. Meanwhile, Atlanta and Canadian cable systems got WTBS-17, which effectively simulcast TBS outside of separate ads and occasional Headline News simulcasts. (That got WTBS-17 and TBS the network a way out of having to comply with Syndex, as it was an opposite arrangement to what WOR/WWOR and WGN had.)

 

Meredith won't kill off what has to be a good source of revenue at insanely no cost.

[atlnews2 557]

buried in this NY Times article is the revelation that the White House has discussed using the AT&T-TimeWarner deal as leverage over CNN.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/05/business/media/jeffrey-zucker-cnn-trump.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

[TennTV1983 742]

By leverage, the administration could say something like "either put more favorable coverage about President Trump on CNN, or our justice department will make sure your merger never sees the light of day."

 

But wasn't it Trump himself who said he was against this merger anyway?

[A3N 996]

Yeah, good luck with that. Should they use that as leverage, TW will have a nice reason to take the Justice Department to court. The merger should be looked at and approved/rejected solely on the grounds of 1.) Public's Best interest, 2.) whether or not it reduces competition, etc., not on the grounds of feeding Trump's ego.

 

Now, should the Justice Department reject the merger, then TW should take them to court. If they cite "Public's Best Interest" in denying the merger, then TW has a good argument with the Sinclair/Tribune deal. How does is that merger in the Public's best interest? Then they can point out the cozy relationship Sinclair has with this administration and the quid-pro-quo between the two.

 

For the record, i'm against this merger.

[Eat News 4738]

Yeah, good luck with that. Should they use that as leverage, TW will have a nice reason to take the Justice Department to court. The merger should be looked at and approved/rejected solely on the grounds of 1.) Public's Best interest, 2.) whether or not it reduces competition, etc., not on the grounds of feeding Trump's ego.

 

Now, should the Justice Department reject the merger, then TW should take them to court. If they cite "Public's Best Interest" in denying the merger, then TW has a good argument with the Sinclair/Tribune deal. How does is that merger in the Public's best interest? Then they can point out the cozy relationship Sinclair has with this administration and the quid-pro-quo between the two.

 

For the record, i'm against this merger.

 

 

Whats wrong with requiring them to report the truth...and facts...real stuff?

CNN is the worst offender.

[A3N 996]

Whats wrong with requiring them to report the truth...and facts...real stuff?

CNN is the worst offender.

Truth is a subjective term when it comes to this administration (and to past administrations as well, but this one takes the cake with the fake news crap when it doesn't favor them). I'm not against forcing the media to report the truth, but the flipside of this argument then becomes: Who determines what is the truth? and will they require the same standard(s) with conservative-leaning news outlets as well?

 

This is a real slippery-slope they're going down on.

 

As far as CNN being the worst offender... They're bad, but I think that InfoWars has them beat on that.

[Georgie56 3059]

Like that's gonna happen. He's not gonna be president, so how can he do it if he can't even run his own companies right?

 

This post aged well

[mre29 1338]

Yep. My finger sure was on the pulse that day...

 

Don't quit your day job.

[Action Newsroom 1149]

Don't quit your day job.

Thanks for the advise, Mr. Belding. (/s

[CircleSeven 1944]

From Bloomberg, AT&T announced some organizational changes post-Merger, should the deal get the greenlight.

 

The company will be structurely divided into two separate businesses. One for the Media business (which includes assets from Time Warner), and its traditional Telecommunications and Wireless business. DirecTV will move into the Telecom side.

 

John Shankey, who currently oversees DirecTV operations, will be the new CEO of the Media side, based in LA. And John Donovan will be the new CEO of the Telecom side, based in Dallas.

 

Both will report to Stephenson, which he'll remain chairman and CEO of the whole company.

 

Current TW CEO Jeffrey Bewkes will stay with the merged company "in some capacity" for at least one year post-merger. And they're also plan on keeping "key executives" from the Time Warner unit as well.

[Rusty Muck 4158]

buried in this NY Times article is the revelation that the White House has discussed using the AT&T-TimeWarner deal as leverage over CNN.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/05/business/media/jeffrey-zucker-cnn-trump.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

This is Trump WWE husksterism at its most stupid. Trump and his cronies are casting CNN as a heel among his 4chan nazi creepo base, and the ending is so blatantly phony and scripted.

 

They'll let this go through with a wink and a nod, just like they'll let the Sinclair-Tribune merger go through with next to no divestments (and permitted triopolies and quadopolies). Because it gives the GOP's big business cronies even more power to oppress us.

[Eat News 4738]

Because it gives the GOP's big business cronies even more power to oppress us.

 

US?

What's this "us" stuff?

 

I'm just signed up for the guns and booze part...

Oppression is your department...I got a couple million square miles off Hawaii to hang out at.

[Megatron81 179]

I hope the DOJ says no to the evil empire that is AT&T buying TW since AT&T is way too big like in the 80's. AT&T shouldn't have Direct TV I was against that merger like I was against Comcast buying TWC was glad when that was killed off I was for Charter & TWC merger. Time for the government to disband AT&T like they did in the 80's AT&T shouldn't have gotten this big again.

[CircleSeven 1944]

A piece from Deadline Hollywood yesterday (8/4) stated that there's some talk among the suits at AT&T that they're might be spinning off some Time Warner assets. Assets includes CNN & TMZ.

There are rumblings at the highest executive levels that AT&T’s top executives are considering divesting some Time Warner assets — including news organization CNN and celebrity gossip site TMZ — after they merge.

 

AT&T expects the Justice Department to approve its $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner, and for the deal to close, by year end. The telco has already named longtime exec John Stankey to be CEO of AT&T’s media properties. He’s leading the Time Warner Merger Integration Planning Team, working with Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes.

______

 

For TMZ, Deadline was told that AT&T is considering a sale to a private equity company. “They don’t want any controversy,” one source with knowledge of AT&T’s intentions says, adding that the communications giant may also be looking to sell other properties under Turner.

 

Selling CNN might help avoid a different kind of controversy for AT&T: President Donald Trump loathes the news network. That could be troublesome for telco CEO Randall Stephenson. His company frequently does business with the FCC, now controlled by Trump appointees.

 

Now the article also states that CBS has long had its eyes on the network and Moonves stated last month that he was interested in the network, if it became available.

 

But I'm saying this. Spinning off CNN just to please Trump would be the dumbest move I've ever seen. Whoever runs CNN, he will continue to bash the network, whether its AT&T, CBS or whoever else running the show.

 

Spinning off CNN should be the last thing they should do. In fact about it, they shouldn't (or to be told to) spin it off at all.

[CalItalian2 163]

A piece from Deadline Hollywood yesterday (8/4) stated that there's some talk among the suits at AT&T that they're might be spinning off some Time Warner assets. Assets includes CNN & TMZ.

 

 

Now the article also states that CBS has long had its eyes on the network and Moonves stated last month that he was interested in the network, if it became avalible.

 

But I'm saying this. Spinning off CNN just to please Trump would be the dumbest move I've ever seen. Whoever runs CNN, he will continue to bash the network, whether its AT&T, CBS or whoever else running the show.

 

Spinning off CNN should be the last thing they should do. In fact about it, they shouldn't (or to be told to) spin it off at all.

Sinclair should buy it and hire Bill O'Reilly.

 

AT&T is not interested in CNN or TMZ.

[CircleSeven 1944]

Sinclair should buy it and hire Bill O'Reilly.

 

AT&T is not interested in CNN or TMZ.

 

First of all, Sinclair shouldn't get shit.

 

And second of all, that's not what CEO Stephenson said when the merger was first announced.

In October, shortly after agreeing to buy Time Warner, Stephenson said he’s “committed to continuing the editorial independence of CNN. Independence is what makes CNN so popular and so valuable. We will not do anything to change that.”

[Rusty Muck 4158]

A piece from Deadline Hollywood yesterday (8/4) stated that there's some talk among the suits at AT&T that they're might be spinning off some Time Warner assets. Assets includes CNN & TMZ.

 

 

Now the article also states that CBS has long had its eyes on the network and Moonves stated last month that he was interested in the network, if it became available.

 

But I'm saying this. Spinning off CNN just to please Trump would be the dumbest move I've ever seen. Whoever runs CNN, he will continue to bash the network, whether its AT&T, CBS or whoever else running the show.

 

Spinning off CNN should be the last thing they should do. In fact about it, they shouldn't (or to be told to) spin it off at all.

If AT&T sheds CNN, it's because Jeff Zucker's tenure has destroyed the integrity of the network (and - but especially - HLN) beyond repair.

 

And second of all, that's not what CEO Stephenson said when the merger was first announced.

Mr. Stephenson... who sullied the reputation of the Boy Scouts by freely allowing Trump to deliver an unhinged political rally at their Jamboree two weeks ago....

[mre29 1338]

Whoever ends up owning CNN, they should shut down HLN, move its best anchors to the main channel, and replace it with either CNN International or something new.

 

Or just go all-in on its crime and legal shows (Forensic Files, etc.), dump the news entirely, and rebrand as Crime TV or Justice TV or something along those lines.