Veteran TV reporter Bill Carter is pointing fingers at the White House over the cancelation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Carter told MS NOW that he believes President Trump played a direct role in ending the CBS program.
What We Know: The Late Show aired its final episode on May 21. CBS cited financial losses — reportedly $40 million annually — as the reason for cancellation last summer. Colbert publicly and repeatedly disputed that explanation. President Trump shared a video to his social media accounts following Colbert’s last program which featured Trump dumping Colbert into a trash can.
What They Said: Bill Cater (via MS NOW’s ‘The Weekend’ program): “It’s not a good development for the country, obviously. Certainly the idea that he throws a man in the dumpster at the end of it indicates that he was personally involved… I think CBS, when they capitulated in the lawsuit that Trump filed against ‘60 Minutes,’ was sending a signal. They’re not going to be the independent journalism outfit that they should be. And not just giving up Colbert, but wiping out the time period. They basically said, we’re not even the same business anymore. We’re backing away. We’re giving up on this because maybe it would be too hard to hire somebody who wasn’t going to make jokes about the president.”
What Remains Unclear: Carter’s assertions are just that. The White House has not responded to Carter’s allegations. Furthermore, it remains unknown whether internal CBS communications will ever surface to signal anything other than what’s been said by the network already.
What It Means: Whether or not Carter’s assertions have any fact are simply unknown. Stephen Colbert’s late-night exit ends a legacy brand that CBS revived after bringing over David Letterman in the 1990s. If there is any truth to Carter’s accusations, it would be interesting to see whether the President confirms them.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
