Megyn Kelly questioned whether Bari Weiss can successfully oversee CNN after Paramount Skydance’s Warner Bros. Discovery deal. Kelly said the network faces broader challenges as linear television continues to decline.
What We Know: Kelly made the comments during an appearance on Next Up with Mark Halperin on her SiriusXM channel. Her remarks came after Paramount Skydance, the parent company of CBS News, reached a settlement with 12 states that cleared a major obstacle to its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company. The agreement calls for an independent editorial oversight board covering CNN and CBS News, while the merger is expected to close in the coming weeks.
What They Said: “With all due respect, I don’t think anyone could turn CBS around, but somebody with no television experience really can’t turn CBS around. Let’s face it, CBS’s day has come and gone. They had their day in the sun. They were huge. And they had enormous numbers. The country has moved past linear television. It’s in its last throes. That’s fine. It’s not completely done, but it’s in its last throes. I just don’t know why you’d want the job, right? The numbers are only going one direction, and you’re just going to be the last person blamed. I don’t understand the whole effort. I think it’s spinning wheels, it’s embarrassing, it’s brand-damaging, and it’s a pointless waste of time.
“You actually do have to approach it with at least the semblance of a heart, which they didn’t get over there. They got a public black eye, and they got a black eye within the company, and she couldn’t afford it. They already disliked her and didn’t trust her. It’s just not going well. It’s not being managed well.” -Megyn Kelly
What Remains Unclear: The merger still faces final steps before Paramount Skydance assumes control of Warner Bros. Discovery. Meanwhile, it remains unclear how Weiss would oversee CNN alongside CBS News and how the companies would structure their shared editorial leadership.
What It Means: Megyn Kelly’s remarks add another media-industry reaction to the pending combination of CBS News and CNN. However, the companies’ new ownership structure and oversight requirements will determine how much operational and editorial control Weiss ultimately has over CNN.
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