In Paramount Takeover Effort, Silicon Valley And Hollywood Worlds Collide

David Ellison, 41, would not be the first rich guy to arrive in Hollywood with a fat bank account and dreams of making movies, though the son of billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison boasts the rarest of attributes for a budding media mogul: a Silicon Valley pedigree. In an industry where many get their start fetching coffee or moving props, Ellison spent summers writing computer code for his father’s software company and getting insights on the movie business from Pixar Animation Studios co-founder Steve Jobs. Those geek sensibilities will come in handy if he succeeds in his bid to take over Paramount Global, a storied studio whose fortunes have been upended by technological change.

Paramount CEO Bob Bakish’s 2023 Pay Falls To $31.3M

Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish saw total compensation in 2023 of $31.3 million, compared with $32.0 million in 2022.

Huw Edwards Leaving BBC On ‘Medical Advice’ After 40-Year Career

BRAND CONNECTIONS

Scripps News Adds Former Presidential Candidate, Ark. Gov. Asa Hutchinson As Political Analyst

Scripps News has tapped former Republican presidential candidate and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson to serve as a political analyst for the network. He made his debut on Monday, April 22. […]

Don Alhart To Retire From WHAM Rochester Later This Year After 58 Years

Former KTLA Anchor Mark Mester Joins KMIR Palm Springs

Disney Entertainment Chief Technology Officer Aaron LaBerge To Step Down After 20 Years

The executive will join PENN Entertainment, which operates ESPN’s online sportsbook.

Dusty Kay, Writer And Producer On ‘Entourage’ And ‘Roseanne,’ Dies At 69

John Malone Quits Director Emeritus Role At Charter Amid Antitrust Concerns

John Malone has stepped down from his role as director emeritus on the Charter Communications board, citing concerns that his simultaneous presence on Warner Bros. Discovery’s board of directors violates the Clayton Act.

WVTM Birmingham Adds Morning Anchor Scott Carpenter

Hearst’s NBC affiliate WVTM Birmingham, Ala., has hired Scott Carpenter as an anchor and reporter. He will co-anchor WVTM 13’s 4, 5 and 6 a.m. newscasts every weekday morning alongside […]

CNN And Its Discontents

Six and a half months after Mark Thompson’s arrival at CNN (almost half of Chris Licht’s disastrous tenure), a restless and dour mood is once again enveloping the network. What is Thompson’s true plan, many wonder, and why won’t he articulate it?

David Ellison’s Journey From Trust Fund Kid To Media Mogul Vying To Buy Paramount

Skydance Media CEO David Ellison, son of billionaire Larry Ellison, has emerged as a strong contender to take over the iconic Paramount studios.

Terry Anderson, AP Reporter Abducted In Lebanon And Held Captive For Years, Dies

Terry Anderson, the globe-trotting Associated Press correspondent who became one of America’s longest-held hostages after he was snatched from a street in war-torn Lebanon in 1985 and held for nearly seven years, died April 21 at 76. (Mark Duncan/AP)

50 Cent Officially Launches G-Unit Studios In Louisiana

The opening of the studios in Shreveport will aide in “fostering talent, creating opportunities, and building a community that thrives through creativity and innovation.”

Meg Bennett, Soap Opera Actress And Writer, Dies At 75

Alyssa Donovan Named WGN Midday And Evening News Weather Anchor

Nexstar’s Chicago independent WGN-TV has promoted Alyssa Donovan to a weather anchor effective April 29. Her forecasts will be seen on WGN Midday News at 11-1 p.m., as well as WGN […]

Adam Bennett Leaves KHOU Houston For KVUE Austin

Voice Of America Will Get A New Director

Michael Abramowitz, a former Washington Post journalist who is currently the president of the nonprofit Freedom House, is expected to start in the role this summer.

Charlotte Deleste Leaving WISC Madison After 18 Years

Dick Van Dyke Earns Historic Daytime Emmy Nomination At Age 98

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dick Van Dyke is vying for a historic Daytime Emmy at age 98. The actor was nominated Friday as guest performer in a daytime drama series […]

‘FBI’ Showrunner Rick Eid Stepping Down

Change is afoot on another Dick Wolf series: Rick Eid is stepping down as showrunner of FBI but will remain an executive producer on the series. Eid has been the showrunner on FBI since its debut in 2018. The drama is currently in its sixth season and was renewed by CBS through 2027.

Jeff Boone Joins Fremantle As VP Of Scripted Development

He will be responsible for developing new series.

Former Soccer Player Isabella Echeverri Joins Telemundo Deportes As Soccer Analyst

Isabella Echeverri joins Telemundo Deportes’ commentary team as a network soccer analyst, starting this weekend for Premier League’s Everton v. Nottingham Forest on Saturday, April 20, at 8:25 a.m. ET on Telemundo. […]

Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav Pay Package Just Shy Of $50 Million In 2023

David Zaslav saw his total compensation package last year jump by more than $10 million to $49.7 million in 2023 — with Warner Bros. Discovery awarding him a base salary of $3 million, plus $23 million in stock awards, and non-equity incentive plan compensation (a cash bonus) of $22 million. It’s the second rather princely CEO package in as many days in an industry known for them as Netflix yesterday unveiled a similarly sized package for co-CEO Ted Sarandos.

Reporter-Anchor Emily Giangreco Exits WTAE Pittsburgh

Shel Winkley To Leave Meteorologist Post At KBTX Bryan-College Station

Anchor Farrah Walton Leaves KTXS Abilene

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Rod Hissong Named News Director At WAND Decatur

Block Communications moves him from its WDRB Louisville, Ky., to oversee journalism at its NBC affiliate in Illinois.

Fox Sports Hires Veteran Ad Sales Executives

Fox Sports has appointed Jen Durda and Kathy Lydon both named VPs. Durda previously was a VP with Warner Bros. Discovery and Turner Sports. She will work from Fox’s Detroit office. Lydon was with ESPN/Disney leading a multimedia sales team. At Fox, she will lead sales for the Big Ten Network.

Reality TV’s Chrisleys Appealing Bank Fraud And Tax Evasion Convictions In Federal Court

The Chrisleys rose to fame with their USA network show Chrisley Knows Best, which chronicled the exploits of their tight-knit family. But prosecutors said they engaged in an extensive bank fraud scheme and hid their earnings from tax authorities while showcasing their extravagant lifestyle.