Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has reported financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31st 2022. The CEOs of some of the biggest companies in the United States have started ramping up their donations to Republican causes as concern grows about Joe Biden's plan to raise the corporate tax rate. His Facebook page is full of old school friendships and trips with the former GE CEO, Jack Welch. His Greenwich Village home where the WarnerMedia deal was cooked up is now on the market, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Yet Zaslav's fight for Scripps created bad blood with then-Viacom chief executive, Bob Bakish, who was significantly outbid on the deal. Zaslav didnt clarify in response, and it immediatelywent viral on social media, where users pointed to it as an acknowledgement that CNN leans left politically. "CNN is a fantastic asset, I cant wait to get in there. Of those donations, $1 million went to America First Action, a pro-Trump super PAC. People helping raise money for these Republican organizations told CNBC that the idea of taxes going up has struck a nerve with GOP donors and forced them off the sidelines after being largely absent throughout the 2020 election cycle. But Zaslav is likely to get at least a warm initial reception. All rights reserved. So I think it's going to be around a lot longer than people think.". Follow him on Twitter: @joe_depaolo. Hilton Howell of Gray Television gave $17,600. Zaslav, 61, his wife Pam, and his adult children, mingled with TV and movie industry friends, Page Six, CNBC and Fox News anchors, plastic surgeons, and interior designers. John Malone said it would be good if CNN had some journalists, that would be where Id start," CNBC anchor Joe Kernen said, paraphrasing Malones 2021 remarks. Zaslav made a similar remark during an AT&T and Discovery joint news conference in May 2021, describingthe left side of the joint company as everything other than the content.. Zaslav then declared his company is "the leader of news in Poland" and noted that Trump and Biden administrations have both helped Polish news channelTVN24 stay afloat despite the Polish government trying to shut them down. Discovery CEO Zaslav Surprises CNBC Host By Saying CNN is The Leader in News to the Left of Discoverys Portfolio (Correction) By Joe DePaolo Feb 4th, 2022, 9:07 am Twitter share button Last November, Zaslav told Deadline that he would take a hands-on approach at CNN and other WarnerMedia properties. Listen to a portion New York (CNN Business)Discovery ( DISCA) CEO David Zaslav praised CNN on Friday and said "news is going to be really critical" to the future of the soon to be combined Warner Bros. Discovery, despite the sudden ouster of CNN boss Jeff Zucker earlier this week. ", Zaslavs comments contradict a Deadline report that Malone "made it known that corporate procedures had to be followed to the letter in regards to Zucker," therefore, "being that WarnerMedias standards of business conduct require disclosure of relationships that develop with a boss and subordinate, Zuckers goose was officially cooked.". [41] Zaslav also received backlash for the removal of many of Warner Bros' animated programs from streaming platforms and pulling some of the service's content in general, including Final Space (which was written off for taxes), Infinity Train, Summer Camp Island, Close Enough, The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo and several hundred episodes of Sesame Street, among others, a decision Infinity Train creator Owen Dennis remarked rendered many of the programs effectively as "lost media". Where do they give money for political gain around regulation and governance? SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, Less Than Half of U.S. Discovery+ Subscribers Are Also HBO Max Customers, David Zaslav Says, Discoverys David Zaslav Wants Industry to Leave Nielsen in the Dust. We want to hear from you. AT&T Inc., agreed to merge its WarnerMedia division with Discovery Communications Inc., creating a streaming giant to compete with Walt Disney Co.'s Disney+ and Netflix. Did Elon Musk, one of the biggest donors to Wikipedia, reallygive only $40,000 to political leaders and causesin 2020-21? We now live in a much less transparent time. Insider say he's known for relationship building but also being demanding with staff. "I think of CNN in a totally different way than I thought about it years ago. But storm clouds were on the horizon. For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the Settings & Account section. I found these figures wanting. Zaslavs battles will be more expensive. Jeff Zucker is considered to be the person responsible for the CNNs shift away from the nonpartisan outlet it was before his tenure. According to Deadline, he even made it known that corporate procedures had to be followed to the letter in regards to Zucker., Have a tip we should know? "Sometimes it is difficult for his staff to keep up with his expectationsbut this is characteristic of a good leader who is on a mission," Discovery founder John Hendricks said of Zaslav. tips@mediaite.com, Joe DePaolo is a Senior Editor at Mediaite. David Zaslav does not give an answer when asked about Jeff Zucker's future at a combined WarnerMedia and Discovery because the deal hasn't closed yet, Ken Auletta: "What's the future of cable? One Warner executive told friends that Zaslav's unexpected arrival would bring structure and order versus the "move-fast and break things" style of the WarnerMedia's current chief executive, Jason Kilar, whose future with the company is still unclear. [9][10][47] In 2012, he received the Steven J. Ross Humanitarian Award from the UJA-Federation of New York[48] which honors people of vision, energy and sustained achievement in the entertainment, media and communications industries. When Discovery assumes control of CNN, Zaslav will have a key decision to make right out of the box as it will have to replace newly-resigned CNN chief Jeff Zucker. The total accounted loss was nearly $25 billion off the company's market cap. Any changes made can be done at any time and will become effective at the end of the trial period, allowing you to retain full access for 4 weeks, even if you downgrade or cancel. David Zaslav, Discovery's CEO, will lead the combined Discovery-WarnerMedia. LIBERTY MEDIA CHAIRMAN CHIDES CNN TO 'ACTUALLY HAVE JOURNALISTS' FOLLOWING AT&T-DISCOVERY MERGER, "None of us had anything to do with it. I probably shouldnt have said that.. Frederick Smith, who runs the billion dollar Sinclair media empire that once offered to do anything for Trump, must not have meant with cash, donating $6,800 to the GOP and $5,800 to Democratic Sen. ChuckSchumer. It is nearly impossible to know where the money is spent,even if you can run down the roster of donors. 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Jake Tapper Promises His Interview With Bill Maher Will Air Uncensored, NEW POLL: Trump Holds Gargantuan 30-Point Lead Over DeSantis And 61-Point Lead Against Nikki Haley, Buttigieg Defends Biden Not Going to East Palestine: His Visit Could Have Disruptive Effects, Nate Silver and Mehdi Hasan Throw Down Over Media Coverage of Covid-19 Lab Leak Theory, Ex-Obama Flack Jen Palmieri Praises Trump Visit to Train Wreck Site On MSNBC Says Biden Must Go. James Zelter, co-president and CIO of Apollo Global Management that owns Yahoo News, gave $35,900 to Republicansand $25,200 to Democrats. Biden has said he wants to raise the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%. It is intended to be the backbone of our civilization and functioning governance. U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a roadside stop in Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S., July 26, 2020. Zaslav is on the board of Mexican programming giant Televisa, now merging with Univision. Pre-pandemic, David Zaslav's end-of-summer parties in the Hamptons were a legendary networking event for anyone in media. Who is David Zaslav? Zucker's leadership of CNN since 2013 saw the network lurch farther to the left, particularly after the political rise of former President Donald Trump. In September 2020, Zaslav confided to a close friend that he was concerned about the fate of the company he'd spent 15 years building. Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue, gave $6,000. Zaslav interrupted, "John is going to be a board member of this company, and I am the operating--," before Kernen spoke over him asking if he had anything to do with Zuckers exit. The executive who is soon to take over CNN appeared to make a candid admission about where he sees the network. Zaslav also oversaw NBCUniversal's interests in A&E, The History Channel, The Biography Channel, National Geographic International, the Sundance Channel and TiVo. They credited the CEO with safeguarding the companys financial performance during difficult and rapidly changing economic times and growing its direct-to-consumer business. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. and other data for a number of reasons, such as keeping FT Sites reliable and secure, That leaves $1 billion unaccounted for. But even if that crowd decided to arrive, it would not include the late Evans or his panache (he died in 2019). "After Biden released his economic plan, I would expect CEO donations to President Trump to accelerate. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, whose media giant is set to close its merger with CNNs owner WarnerMedia this spring, made the surprise remark during a [40] Some of those projects were "practically finished" or in the late stages of post-production, including Batgirl and Scoob! "Squawk Box" co-anchor Andrew Ross Sorkintold Zaslav his phone was "blowing up" from CNN staffers who are "desperate to know" his personal views about the Zucker situation. If only houses could talk: This one, however, is a battered shadow of its proud Regency past, its interior walls torn apart, trucks parked on its tennis court. Zaslav wondered how he would stack up against the likes of Netflix and Disney without more content and if he would be forced to sell if he couldn't get bigger to compete with those companies, with their seemingly bottomless pockets. It's unclear which political direction Discovery CEO David Zaslav wants to take the network in. Zaslav earned a BS degree from Binghamton University. Something we can likely all agree on is that trust in media is at an all-time low and Americans want reliable, nonpartisan news. Fifty years ago, Evans had to worry about filling seats in Westwood, not expanding the subscriber list in Belarus. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2022 and Malones comment left many CNN staffers with a sense of uneasiness about the networks future. [2] Zaslav spearheaded the transaction between AT&T and Discovery to combine with WarnerMedia and create the combined Warner Bros. The answer would soon come. Though Zaslav himself did not dispute the context of the comment when Joe Kernen asked for clarification, his true intent was made clear when Zaslav followed up by saying he views sports as being on the right side of the portfolio. His corporate boss, Charles Bluhdorn, facing him in his screening room, shouted that public companies could not dabble in porn. He then decided to re-run the films. Zaslav is also one of the highest-paid CEOs in media history. Market data provided by Factset. 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Where the country was when we launched MSNBC was much more fact-based and less divided.. [22] Zaslav instigated a shift in strategy by the company, aiming to see itself as a "content company" rather than a "cable company" by bolstering its main networks (such as its namesake Discovery Channel) as multi-platform brands. A Real Clear Politics polling average shows Biden ahead of Trump by close to 10 points. Oprah Winfrey is a great example of someone who the world wanted to do business with, but David had an incredible knack for making people want to work with him," said his former boss Tom Rogers, who was president of NBC Cable where Zaslav was head of distribution and new media. Raising the corporate tax rate is not exactly conducive to growing revenue or earnings," Eberhart said. 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Premium Digital includes access to our premier business column, Lex, as well as 15 curated newsletters covering key business themes with original, in-depth reporting. This time, the bulk of Zaslavs compensation came from stock awards ($12.5 million) and non-equity incentive plan compensation ($21.8 million). Zaslav spearheaded the transaction between AT&T and Discovery to combine with WarnerMedia and create the combined Warner Bros. I think Fox News is much more of an advocacy network than a news network, Zaslav said, according to Washington Post media reporter Jeremy Barr. Barry Diller, owner of The Daily Beast and Investopedia, gave $120,000. In media news today, an AP reporter spars with the State Departments Ned Price over allegations on Russia, a report claims that Jeff Zucker and Allison Gollust gave Andrew Cuomo COVID talking points to combat Trump, and an MSNBC broadcast gets interrupted by a Lets Go Brandon flag. Of the top 10 political donors among S&P 500 CEOs, a majority gave big to GOP groups in the second quarter, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. When Discovery assumes control of CNN, Zaslav will have a key decision to make right out of the box as it will have to replace newly-resigned CNN chief Jeff Zucker. There will once again be parties and stars and perhaps arguments. Biden and the Democratic National Committee outraised their opponents in the second quarter. Following this, he graduated from Boston University School of Law with a JD with honors in 1985 and started his career as an attorney with LeBoeuf, Lamb, Lieby and MacRae in New York. [42][43][44], Zaslav serves on the boards of Sirius XM, The Cable Center, Center for Communication, Grupo Televisa, Partnership for New York City, Syracuse University and USC Shoah Foundation. Too many people in power are gaming the system. Not long ago when he dropped by his new home he ordered some changes: Michael Smith, the celebrity designer who President Obama hired to design his private quarters at the White House, will now tackle the Evans house. [33], Under his leadership, Discovery began trading as a public company in 2008, became a Fortune 500 company in 2014 and acquired Scripps Networks Interactive in 2018. If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for $69 per month. But we dont. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis. Zucker abruptly resigned this week after admitting he failed to properly disclose his relationship with another senior executive, CNN chief marketing officer Allison Gollust. Brooklyn-born Zaslav attended high school in Rockland County, where he was captain of the tennis team. ", Warner Bros. International Television Production, Warner Bros. Sen. The TV deal maker will head the new venture formed by his companys merger with AT&Ts WarnerMedia, as he seeks to build a streaming juggernaut. Pamela Wasserstein, owner of Vox and New York magazine, gave $8,100. Running WarnerMedia's top-tier assets like HBO and spending big on movies and shows is a far different game from the unscripted business that's Discovery's bread and butter. And when asked about the future of cable, the former protector of the cable bundle acknowledged that the medium is declining, but believes it will still stick around a lot longer than people think.. Same goes for Jason Kilars future, we presume. [20][21], Zaslav became CEO of Discovery Communications in November 16, 2006, succeeding Judith McHale. Where the country was when we launched MSNBC was much more fact-based and less divided.. Super PACs have the freedom to report only twice a year, so there may be more to come. Craig Newmark has donated close to $100 million to journalism schools, content moderation research, new digital media outletsand journalists, as have Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, and big foundations like the Knight Foundation, Heritage Foundation, Open Markets Instituteand Pierre Omidyars Democracy Fund. Brian Flood is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. The company did not break out Discovery+ numbers specifically, so this tally includes its other, much smaller SVOD platforms, but the majority of that 20 million figure is made up of Discovery+ numbers, per Discovery. Simply log into Settings & Account and select "Cancel" on the right-hand side. The boss ofCNNs new parent companysaid on Friday the network was the leader in news to the left but his communications team soon scrambled to walk back the frank admission, insisting he wasnt talking about politics. offers FT membership to read for free. Then, sheepishly taking back his question, Kernen said, that was an aside. Most importantly, they're already global. He's known for sporting the sleeveless fleece vests popular with financial industry executives and for bringing swag bags to meetings. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison has also been close to the president and was one of the donors advising Trump at the start of the pandemic. James Murdoch, who left the family Fox News business, donated over $2.25 million. A continuously updated summary of the news stories that US political commentators are discussing online right now. The Discovery Channel started in 1985 with a documentary about the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. Despite the increased support from CEOs, Biden and the Democratic National Committee outraised their opponents in the second quarter. What investors need to know about Biden's economic vision. That was down from the $45.8 million that Zaslav pulled in the pr Scuba Certification; Private Scuba Lessons; Scuba Refresher for Certified Divers; Try Scuba Diving; Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) Discovery cant play any role in CNNs operations until the deal concludes. Safra Catz, the CEO of Oracle, gave $125,000 in May to the Trump Victory committee, a joint fundraising operation between the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee. He's used his salary to buy some of the most sought-after real estate around, buying the Hollywood home of "The Godfather" film director Robert Evans for $16 million and snapping up Conan O'Brien's apartment on Central Park West. Discovery, Zaslav is turning off the content spigot and reorienting the company into something much more fiscally (and potentially culturally) conservative. [37][38][39], Since August 2022, Zaslav received heavy criticism for his decision to heavily shrink down the content library on the streaming service HBO Max, to be used as tax write-offs. The government needs to catch up and revamp how we track media money in politics. See an updated version of our story below. In fact, Zaslavclaimed Discovery didn't have anything to do with Zucker's stunning exit, when he was bluntly asked on CNBC about the future of CNN, as well as remarks by Liberty Media chairman John Malone last year that he wanted CNN to revert to more traditional journalism. Check if your Story tips can be sent tobrian.flood@fox.comand on Twitter: @briansflood. Using the original ownership index, we tracked the political donations at 90 of the top U.S. news organizations. [6][7], Zaslav was born to a Polish and Ukrainian Jewish family[8][9][10][11] in Brooklyn, New York. All Rights Reserved. The tennis court, he decided, needed to be moved three feet, and changed to a clay surface. ", JEFF ZUCKER OUT AT CNN AFTER FAILING TO DISCLOSE CONSENSUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH COLLEAGUE: I WAS WRONG. We've received your submission. Evans fought valiantly for Paramount to release Last Tango in Paris and Tropic of Cancer. According to OpenSecrets, an independent nonprofit that tracks money in U.S. politics, as of last week, 2,276 groups organized as super PACs have reported their numbers. Overall, I think wed be better off if we just had news networks, but we dont.. Discovery, weighing in on content, forcing out executives and cutting costly projects like CNN+ while schmoozing with top Hollywood talent. David Zaslav the CEO of Discovery Inc., and Bob Iger, the former CEO of Disney who is now the company's executive chairman, are among the top executive Democratic donors from the second quarter. Other top-paid Discovery executives included Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels, who earned $6.9 million in total compensation, down from the $7.4 million he earned in 2019. Zaslav needs the house as badly as it needs Zaslav. No surprise, Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan collectivelygave over $2.5 million, mostly to Republicans. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Jeff Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, gave but $15,000over the past20 months through his PACs Blue Origin and Amazon while his net worth grew to near $200 billion. Evans top films might share a weekend with two or three other wannabe hits; Zaslav confronts a mind-bending blur of some 300 services, subscription-based or video on demand, all competing for eyeballs. "I, and we as a company, we are a fighter for news. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. Add to that the billions of dollars from super PACsused to fund political content pushed by new digital channels and influencers. Discovery CEO David Zaslav praised CNN on Friday and said news is going to be really critical to the future of the soon to be combined Warner Bros. Definitely to the left, Kernen said. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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Longtime Discovery chief David Zaslav, who will soon oversee CNN as part of his companys merger with WarnerMedia, called his future competitor Fox News Channel much more of an advocacy network than a news network on Wednesday. CNNs political stance is a source of frequent scrutiny in the news industry. David Zaslav, who led the merger with CNN and Discovery, donated over $240,000. both parties caucus processes. stretch its balance sheet, bet-tentially having little incentive tential of that. day in the state. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Scrambling to walk back the comments, Discoverys team said Zaslav often uses the phrases the left or the right to reference current and future business initiatives. Why? The Bloomberg, Powell Jobsand even Murdoch setups are now bizarrely comforting: At least we know where they stand, and the money is domestic. Zaslav and other Discovery brass reportedly heard about the resignation just hours before it happened. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said Friday on CNBC that he had nothing to do with Jeff Zuckers CNN exit.
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