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☆ Fox sends Tucker Carlson cease-and-desist letter - Axios
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

June 12 (Reuters) - Fox News (FOXA.O) has sent a "cease-and-desist" letter to Tucker Carlson over a competing Twitter series from the channel's former star host that drew a combined 169 million views for its first two episodes, Axios reported on Monday. Last week, Axios said the news organization had notified Carlson's legal team of contract violations related to the launch of his Twitter show. Carlson released the first episode last Tuesday, weeks after he parted ways with the media group. His exit from the channel had come shortly after parent company Fox Corp settled for $787.5 million a defamation lawsuit in which the top-rated host played a starring role. Reporting by Urvi Dugar in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tucker Carlson, Axios, Carlson, Urvi, Devika Organizations: Fox News, Fox Corp, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Fox News Tells Tucker Carlson to Stop Posting Videos on Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Jeremy W. Peters | Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After the discovery of one particularly incendiary text from Mr. Carlson, the Fox Corporation board decided to begin an internal investigation into his conduct. Mr. Carlson’s cancellation — he is still an employee of Fox unless the network decides to let him out of his contract — has upended Fox’s lucrative and popular prime-time lineup. Roughly one-third of its prime-time audience has tuned out since Mr. Carlson was taken off the air. Mr. Carlson’s lawyers have argued that Fox News breached its contract with Mr. Carlson first, in part by failing to prevent his private messages from being disclosed. The former Fox host also believes his Twitter show is protected speech under the First Amendment, according to a person with knowledge of Mr. Carlson’s legal strategy.

Persons: Carlson, —, Fox, Mr Organizations: Fox Corporation, Fox, Fox News, Twitter

☆ Raj Shah out at Fox in wake of historic Dominion settlement
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Raj Shah, the Fox Corp. brand protection executive who pushed Fox News in an even more pro-Trump direction after the 2020 election, has left the company. “Raj brought talent and creativity to his role at Fox,” Fox spokesperson Brian Nick told CNN on Thursday. Hear what Fox News viewers think about the Dominion settlement 03:30 - Source: CNNA cache of internal Fox communications brought to light in Dominion Voting Systems’ massive defamation lawsuit against the right-wing network included several messages from Shah. “This is the kinda s—t that will kill us,” he wrote, according to legal filings. We cover it wall to wall and then we burn that down with all the skepticism.”

Persons: Raj Shah, “ Raj, ” Fox, Brian Nick, “, ” Shah, Trump, Shah, Neil Cavuto’s, Kayleigh McEnany, Fox, Joe Biden, Lachlan Murdoch, Suzanne Scott, Viet Dinh, Donald Trump, ”, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, texted Organizations: New, New York CNN, Fox Corp, Fox News, Trump, Fox, CNN Locations: New York

☆ Fox Corp. board under investigation by Oregon’s attorney general for violating its fiduciary duties
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ These are the 7 most hated brands in America—Elon Musk's Twitter is No. 4
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Twitter, Meta and TikTok are three of the world's biggest social media giants. Meta and Twitter both scored poorly in the "culture" and "ethics" categories. Here are the seven brands with the worst reputations in America, according to the poll:The Trump Organization FTX Fox Corporation Twitter Meta Spirit Airlines TikTokAmericans named the Trump Organization as the company with the worst public perception in the country. The Trump Organization, TikTok and Spirit Airlines held their spots from last year's rankings. Meta and Twitter became slightly more reputable, by one spot each, and Fox Corporation went from fifth-worst to third-worst.

Persons: They're, Axios Harris, Elon Musk, TikTok, Donald Trump, FTX, Sam Bankman, Fried, Bitcoin, FTX's, Kelly Evans Organizations: Twitter, Meta, Fidelity, Elon, Trump Organization FTX Fox Corporation Twitter, Airlines TikTok, Trump Organization, CNBC, . Fox Corporation, Voting Systems, BP, Company, The Trump Organization, Spirit Airlines, Fox Corporation Locations: U.S, America, BP's Gulf, Mexico, Nos

☆ The top Hollywood exec made $498 million in the last 5 years—384 times as much as the average writer
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Jennifer Liu | In Jljenniferliu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

That's a staggering 384 times the average pay of a Hollywood writer. Overall, average pay for Hollywood's top execs climbed to $28 million in 2021, up 53% from 2018 (and roughly 108 times the average writer's pay) according to the analysis, which uses compensation data from the research firm Equilar and includes stock options, base salaries, bonuses and other perks. Meanwhile, average pay for Hollywood writers has remained virtually flat at about $260,000 as 2021, the Times reports. Hollywood executive pay dropped in 2022 due to stock market volatility and investor pressure to make streaming profitable. From 1978 to 2021, CEO pay grew by 1,460%, adjusted for inflation, versus just 18.1% for the typical worker.

Persons: David Zaslav, That's, Ari Emanuel, Reed Hastings, Bob Iger, Walt, Ted Sarandos, Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch, Brian Roberts, Joseph Ianniello, Patrick Whitesell, Kaitlin Fontana, Kelly Evans Organizations: Hollywood, Los Angeles Times, Warner Bros, Discovery Inc, Times, Writers Guild of America, Endeavor Group Holdings Inc, Netflix, Walt Disney Co, Fox Corp, Comcast Corp, Paramount Global, Endeavor, Paramount, Disney, Company, WGA, Alliance, Television Producers, LA Times, Economic, Comcast, CNBC Locations: U.S, California

Fox will pay $6 million, and CBS, now known as Paramount Global (PARA.O), will pay $5 million, the court filing showed. Representatives for Cox, Fox and CBS either declined to comment or did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Representatives from those defendants either declined to comment on the pending litigation or did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Plaintiffs' attorney Megan Jones at law firm Hausfeld, on Tuesday did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. The case is In re: Local TV Advertising Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, No.

Persons: Cox, District Judge Virginia Kendall, schemed, Sinclair, Kendall, Megan Jones, Hausfeld, Freed, Robins Kaplan, Jennifer Giordano, George Cary, Cleary Gottlieb Steen, Nathan Eimer, Eimer Stahl, Weil, Brian Sher, Bryan Cave Leighton, Mike Scarcella, Leigh Jones Organizations: Fox, CBS, Cox Media Group, Fox Corp, CBS Corp, Northern, Northern District of Illinois, Paramount Global, U.S, District Judge, Cox, Sinclair Broadcasting Group Inc, Scripps Company, TEGNA Inc, U.S . Justice Department, Local, Antitrust Litigation, Northern District of, Millen, Latham, Watkins, Hamilton, Thomson Locations: U.S, Northern District, Chicago, Northern District of Illinois

Despite the uncertain macroeconomic backdrop the market faces, some companies have been able to buy back their shares without relying heavily on debt to finance the purchases. PYPL YTD mountain Shares of PayPal are under pressure this year with a decline of more than 15%. MPC YTD mountain Marathon shares are down roughly 8% from the start of 2023. Meta shares have been on fire this year as the company focuses on efficiency, rallying more than 100%. META YTD mountain Meta stock in 2023

☆ Justice Department opens criminal hacking probe into leaked Tucker Carlson videos
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

After Fox News fired Carlson in April, the progressive watchdog Media Matters published embarrassing behind-the-scenes video of Carlson making crude remarks while joking with staff and denigrating the Fox Nation streaming service. The Justice Department specifically said in its letter to Fox News that the criminal probe it is conducting is connected to the leaked video published by Media Matters. In a statement to CNN on Friday, Media Matters reiterated its decision to report on newsworthy material. The Justice Department letter stressed that it was not “making any suggestions or allegations of wrongdoing” against the publishers of the leaked videos. The Justice Department letter to Fox News made no mention of Burke.

☆ Tucker Carlson was fired before he could give a conspiracy theory-laden monologue alleging a Jan. 6 protester was actually an FBI informant, biographer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tucker Carlson was kicked off Fox News ahead of a monologue about January 6, per his biographer. Carlson reportedly planned to talk about Ray Epps, who is falsely accused of sparking the insurrection. Epps is the subject of a false conspiracy theory that he's an FBI plant. Carlson has nonetheless repeatedly promoted the conspiracy theory on his show, as have far-right Republican lawmakers including Sen. Ted Cruz and Reps. Matt Gaetz, Thomas Massie, and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Carlson and Fox News are negotiating the terms of Carlson's exit from the network.

☆ Desperate for streaming profits, media giants look to a soft ad market for help
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

(AP Photo/Universal Pictures) Photo Credit: Universal Pictures/Tippett StudioAfter spending years amassing streaming subscribers at great cost, media companies now need to make some profits. Look no further for proof of that than the most recent annual Upfronts, the events where media companies like Fox Corp ., Warner Bros. During Disney's earnings call earlier this month, CEO Bob Iger put new emphasis on ad-supported streaming. 'We need ads'There's been an uptick of consumers signing up for ad-supported streaming subscriptions. But media companies are struggling with the question of whether ad-tier subscriptions make up for other losses.

☆ Anheuser-Busch loses top LGBTQ+ rating over its Bud Light response
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Last year, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation gave Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch a top rating for LGBTQ+ equality. Bud Light sales dropped in the ensuing weeks. Bud Light has been embroiled in controversy since April. But Bud Light hasn’t gotten the benefit of support for its initial deal with Mulvaney because of its subsequent reaction. During the discussion, he mentioned that Bud Light is just one brand within the company’s broad portfolio, which has not changed its full-year outlook.

☆ Winner of 'Prove Mike Wrong' contest takes Mike Lindell to court for $5 million after successfully proving him wrong
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Mike Lindell owes Robert Zeidman $5 million over a contest to disprove the 2020 election was rigged. Lindell told Insider that Zeidman, a computer scientist, "isn't even a cyber guy." Joshi told Insider there's no basis for Lindell's claim that Zeidman should not have been in the "Prove Mike Wrong" contest. "Mike Lindell is not gonna take this big sham," he told Insider, speaking in the third person. Lindell told Insider Friday he was frustrated that Fox News caved.

This year, advertisers and ad agencies may well use the strike as a bargaining tool, said Erin Firneno, vice president of business intelligence for researcher Advertiser Perceptions. The writers’ strike, which has entered its third week, is also injecting a new element of uncertainty for ad buyers, at a time when television viewership is declining and the possibility of recession looms. While the TV networks have long contended with splintered viewership amid the rise of social media and streaming, the writers' strike puts content production at risk, said Rishad Tobaccowala, a former executive at advertising and public relations giant Publicis Groupe and advisor on business transformation. Last year, NBC’s upfront presentation emphasized star power as the network returned to a live event after a COVID-19-imposed hiatus. Ahead of the upfront presentations, media executives sought to reassure investors about the strike’s impact.

☆ $787 million settlement with Fox News rested on an unwritten agreement to fire Tucker Carlson: Variety
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tucker Carlson's ouster at Fox News was reportedly linked to a secret deal with Dominion Voting Systems. According to Variety, Dominion made Carlson's departure an unwritten condition of its settlement with Fox. Variety cited multiple unnamed sources who were aware of an April 26 conversation Carlson had with an unnamed member of Fox Corporation's board who reportedly told Carlson about the agreement. Instead, Carlson's ouster as the highest-rated cable news host was based on a verbal agreement. "That condition was intended to hurt Fox, and Tucker is just collateral damage," a source told Variety.

Fox Corp. , Disney , Warner Bros. Media executives' messaging to advertisers could center around value this year, particularly as companies continue to offer more content on their streaming services. Cost cuttingWhile media executives will try to convince advertisers to maximize their spending, they'll be pushing that narrative while making fewer shows. The logo of the streaming service Paramount+ on a logo wall at the Paramount+ launch event. Jörg Carstensen | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesParamount, in particular, has seen a big reliance on franchises, especially for its Paramount+ streaming service.

Poulos, Dominion’s co-founder and chief executive, spoke about his experience settling the historic lawsuit during an interview at the Sir Harry Evans Global Summit in Investigative Journalism in London. Dominion sued Fox News and parent company Fox Corp (FOXA.O) in 2021 over the network’s coverage of false vote-rigging claims about the voting technology firm. The settlement, which legal experts said was the largest struck by a U.S. media company, was announced by the two sides and the judge in the case at the 11th hour. Dominion’s settlement with Fox is part of a broader legal campaign by the company to seek accountability from companies and individuals whom it claims have spread falsehoods about its technology. The company is also suing former Trump lawyers Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, conservative media networks One America News Network and Newsmax Media, and others.

☆ Disinformation researcher who led now-defunct DHS unit sues Fox News for defamation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The researcher, Nina Jankowicz, briefly served in the Biden administration as head of the now-defunct Disinformation Governance Board, which was housed in the Department of Homeland Security. The lawsuit is the latest in a series of high-profile defamation cases brought against Fox News in recent years. The network last month settled a lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million, the largest publicly known settlement in US history. Smartmatic’s case survived a motion to dismiss filed by Fox News last year and continues to move through the court system. Lachlan Murdoch, the chief executive of Fox Corporation, the parent company of the right-wing channel Fox News, said on Tuesday that the company will fight Smartmatic’s lawsuit.

☆ Tucker Carlson just moved from one mercurial media boss to another
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Tucker Carlson announced Tuesday his plans to bring his prime time show to Twitter. Tucker Carlson is picking up his megaphone again, but it's unclear how much he'll poke the bear on Twitter under Elon Musk. "I'm stuck with Fox," a text from Carlson to Brett Baier reads. Meanwhile, Carlson's former boss, Rupert Murdoch, reportedly made the decision to oust him, according to the Los Angeles Times. Musk has said that Carlson would be considered a content creator and that he had no hand in Carlson's production deal.

☆ Voting technology company Smartmatic subpoenas Trump campaign as part of $2.7 billion lawsuit against Fox News
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The voting technology company Smartmatic has subpoenaed Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign for a wide array of documents as part of its $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News over its airing of election lies. Once served, the Trump campaign can fight it in court. CNN reached out to Trump’s 2024 campaign for comment and was directed to the 2020 campaign. It was unclear who, if anyone, was still affiliated with the 2020 campaign. A New York judge in 2022 rejected Fox News’ motion to dismiss Smartmatic’s defamation lawsuit, allowing the case to move forward to discovery.

☆ Fox bucks ad weakness to top profit expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 9 (Reuters) - Broadcaster Fox Corp (FOXA.O) beat estimates for third-quarter revenue and adjusted profit on Tuesday, as recession-wary companies continued to advertise on its network even as they cut their spending on other marketing channels. Shares of the company rose more than 4% in premarket trading. Total revenue rose 18% to $4.08 billion, inching past analysts' estimates of $4.03 billion, according to Refinitiv data. Fox's ad revenue also surged 43% to $1.88 billion, well past the expectation of $1.67 billion. The upbeat results from Fox, which operates Fox News and a range of sports channels, underscore the cautious approach by advertisers who are mostly buying ad slots on dominant networks given their reach.

☆ Lachlan Murdoch says there's 'no change to our programming strategy' at Fox News in wake of Tucker Carlson's firing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Lachlan Murdoch told analysts Tuesday that "programming strategy" at Fox News wouldn't change. Murdoch, CEO of Fox Corp. and Rupert Murdoch's son, was involved in Tucker Carlson's firing, Insider reported. Media scion and Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch told analysts on Tuesday that it would be programming as usual in the wake of host Tucker Carlson's abrupt firing from the network. Murdoch, the son of News Corp. mogul Rupert Murdoch, said on the company's earnings call that "there's no change to our programming strategy at Fox News. Representatives for Fox Corp. and Fox News did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment ahead of publication.

☆ Tucker Carlson announces plans to relaunch his show on Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Right-wing extremist Tucker Carlson announced Tuesday that he will relaunch his program on Twitter, which he praised as the only remaining large free-speech platform in the world after Fox News fired him late last month. Carlson made the announcement in a video posted to the social media website, which Elon Musk acquired last year. Twitter has devolved in recent months into a chaotic platform where the traditional press has come under assault from the billionaire. He did not mention Musk has censored speech on Twitter, including banning several prominent reporters from the website just last year. Although Carlson did not directly address his abrupt firing from Fox News in the video, he strongly alluded to it.

☆ Fox’s Costs From Defamation Suit Lead to a Quarterly Net Loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Michael M. Grynbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Lachlan Murdoch, the executive chairman of the Fox Corporation, conceded on Tuesday that a Delaware judge’s pretrial rulings against the company “severely limited our defense at trial” and contributed to his decision to settle the landmark defamation case brought by Dominion Voting Systems. Mr. Murdoch, on a call with investors and analysts, called the $787.5 million settlement — believed to be the largest in the history of defamation law — “a decision clearly in the best interest of the company and its shareholders.”In a remark that echoed the trademark defiance of his father, Rupert Murdoch, he also defended the conduct of Fox News personnel, saying the settlement “in no way alters Fox’s commitment to the highest journalistic standards across our networks, or our passion for unabashedly reporting the news of the day.”His remarks came after Fox revealed a real-world consequence of the landmark settlement: The company swung to a net loss in the first three months of the year, its quarterly revenue erased — and then some — by payments associated with resolving the lawsuit with Dominion, an election technology firm.

☆ Carlson, Still Under Contract at Fox, Says He Will Start New Show on Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Jeremy W. Peters | Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, declaring, “We’re back,” said on Tuesday that he was starting a new show on Twitter, a sign that negotiations to reach an amicable separation with the network, where he is still under contract, had broken down. Mr. Carlson offered no details of when his new program would begin or what kind of content it would have — questions that highlight the uncertainties surrounding his departure from Fox News, which ultimately could block any attempt by the host to return to a prominent role in conservative media. A representative for the Fox Corporation, which has been engaged in negotiations over the details of Mr. Carlson’s exit from the network since he was taken off the air last week, had no comment. Mr. Carlson’s remarks, posted on Twitter, consisted of a three-minute monologue delivered directly to the camera. The post itself could violate the terms of his contract with Fox, which prevent Mr. Carlson from hosting a show on an alternate network.

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