Comes after California AG reverses course; WGA also settles

In an unexpected development, the twelve states attorney generals who were suing to stop the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, have come to a settlement, requiring concessions that don’t really amount to much.

California AG Rob Bonta’s momentum to take the case to trial evaporated quickly as California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass abandoned the effort, and the merger was approved by every international territory, and the Justice Department months earlier. The feeling was the case would cost taxpayers a lot of money- especially if the twelve states were required to post a $1.8 billion bond to cover the $7 million “ticking fee” Paramount would have to pay per day to Warner if the deal wasn’t closed by the end of the month. Paramount also threatened to move out of the Los Angeles area to a more business-friendly climate (such as Texas, Georgia, or Tennessee) if the lawsuit continued to proceed. Also, Iowa’s and Montana’s support of the merger – which are red states with Republican AGs – also helped derail the blue states’ case as they asked the U.S. Supreme Court to step in to approve it, with the high court asking Bonta and the other states to respond by September 25. 

Neither Illinois or Indiana were part of the lawsuit trying to stop the Paramount-Warner merger.

Paramount can close the deal within the next two weeks, as the company will now own one of the biggest television and film libraries on Earth, with ownership of two studio lots, CBS and its owned stations including CBS Chicago, 25 percent of The CW, streamers Paramount + and HBO Max, and more than fifty cable channels. Paramount owner David Ellison used a hostile takeover to beat Netflix in their pursuit of Warner Bros. last February and succeeded, stunning everybody in the industry. 

There are those aforementioned concessions in the settlement:

– Paramount agrees to increase domestic (in the U.S.) production by $300 million annually, and agreed to keep the Paramount and Warner Bros. lots separate in Los Angeles – at least for now. 

– The studio agreed to release 30 films in theaters for the first two years and 32 in the following three years. Four films must be indie productions and Paramount has to establish a fund to buy  them. Paramount would face a financial penalty if they didn’t meet the quotas, including divesting production company Miramax. 

– Paramount and Warner Bros.’ networks are required to negotiate retransmission deals with cable, satellite, and virtual providers separately. For example, Paramount can negotiate for Nickelodeon, VH1, and BET, but not Cartoon Network, TBS, and TNT at the same time. Failure to do so would mean the company would be forced to divest several cable channels. This move prevents Paramount from having too much leverage in negotiations. 

– Paramount must also invest $9.5 million a year for workforce training and career development in film and TV production, film programs, and community arts organizations. 

– An independent board must be established for oversight of both CBS News and CNN to ensure editorial independence. 

– Maintain a free ad-supported streaming service, referring to Pluto TV.

Bonta will be watching. 

“Together, we’ll select a trustee to monitor’s Paramount’s compliance with these terms”, he said. “And if they ever fail to comply with the many critical terms we have in our settlement, we can go to court.”

Despite agreeing to settle, Bonta was still against the merger, but basically conceded defeat. So did the Writers’ Guild of America, who received a promise of no layoffs of any CBS News employees and will receive $17.5 million toward the guild’s health fund in their settlement. Both parties realized a long trial – set to begin in March 2027 – would be too costly, and moreover if a jury found in in favor of the states and the WGA, Paramount would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court – something Ellison said he would do. And with a 6-3 conservative majority, as the Court has historically ruled in favor of big business, the chances both the states and the WGA winning would have been slim. 

The settlement also gives the Trump administration a major victory; the President was in favor of the merger, given Ellison and his father Larry have strong ties to him, as he wants to remake CBS and CNN into another Fox News-type outlet. Now they have that chance, despite the “independent board” devised in the settlement – which is basically, a sham. 

This move is very disappointing as we’ve seen over the last few decades what media consolidation has done, with fewer choices of programming, and numerous job layoffs – which have become a regular occurrence in radio now with the latest example of WSSR-FM morning personality Eddie Volkman being dropped for a nationally syndicated show. A trial would have been worth it, fighting against these big corporate monoliths and these billionaires who have ruined this business with their inept decision making. Instead, Democrats Bonta, Newsom, Bass, and the state AGs ran away with their tails between their legs, being the true cowards they are. 

The post Paramount settles with states, clearing way for Warner Bros. merger first appeared on T Dog Media.

A look back at what’s changed in media and what to look forward to

After 4,385 posts, T Dog Media has reached the age of 20. And it’s been a long, strange trip to get here. 

The last time an anniversary landed in a “0”, I wrote a rather crabby, dystopian post, one where media’s future would be one giant mess. Yes, it has turned out that way, but for this anniversary post, I will be more positive – but realistic, as I talk more about me, how I fell in love with this profession, a look back at 20 years of writing, and a look ahead.

When I was a kid, I regularly read the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times, listened to radio, and watched a lot of TV. I guess you can say I’m a TV historian, since I know a lot about it (not to mention owning so many books on the subject.)

When I was twelve, my older brother – who was working at an advertising agency at the time (and went on to work for WSCR-AM and ABC News in New York), brought home an issue of Broadcasting and the 1985 NATPE edition of TV/Radio Age. I was fascinated with the trade ads, featuring TV shows being sold to local stations, and yeah, I was instantly hooked, I also read the Tribune and Sun-Times’ media sections a lot, with columns by Robert Feder, Ron Aldridge, Marilyn Preston, and others. When I was sixteen, I subscribed to Electronic Media, based right here in Chicago where I learned the ins and outs of the media business, from journalism to syndication and international sales to the equipment radio and TV stations used. Journalists such as Diane Merigas, William Mahoney, Tom Thayer, Adam Buckman, and others taught me all I needed to know and they were smart media people.

When I went to Chicago State University, I spent a lot of time in the library, reading Broadcasting and Cable, Variety, and the Calendar Live section of the Los Angeles Times. I also read columns from the Dallas Morning News’ Ed Bark and the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Gail Shilster. When the Internet came along, I read more columns from TV columnists, such as the Kansas City Star’s Aaron Barnhart (and his sorely missed TV Barn website), the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Tim Cuprisin, Mediaweek’s Marc Berman, and many others. I guess you can say I was exposed to media…a lot.

With blogging a brand new thing in 2006, I decided to write about my knowledge of TV and radio on Google’s platform. Since I also had a love of writing since I was fifteen (at the time, I was taking playwriting classes at ETA Creative Arts), I thought, why not combine the two? And so The T Dog Media Blog was born. I decided to launch the site on September 18, 2006 to coincide with the new TV season (I thought about launching it on the 11th, but didn’t due to obvious reasons.) It’s hard to believe now but at the time, cable was growing, cited as one of the reasons why UPN and The WB merged to become The CW. Social media was in its infancy, and streaming and “viral video” hardly existed. YouTube was around only a year, while the iPhone was yet to launch – and I still had a standard definition TV set. In the first few years, I wrote at least at least one to three posts a day, but slowed down as I shifted much of my breaking news stories to social media in 2009 when I launched my Twitter and Facebook accounts – which exposed my work to a whole new audience. 

In 2008, I began to be noticed – by none other than Feder himself, as he became a big fan of my work, and a source of pride for me. Other well-known people have read my work, including Nichelle Nichols of Star Trek fame and radio sports host David Kaplan. Several local journalists have also taken note – I’ve seen some of them in person at the Better Business Bureau dinners I went to when I was employed there (I attended six of them, from 2009 to 2014.) It was a thrill to see people like Rob Stafford, Allison Rosati, Darlene Hill, and Robin Robinson in person, and getting to see Bill Kurtis and Geoffrey Baer speak. It was a lot of fun, and was happy to see these personalities support their mission (of course, they didn’t know who I was, as I couldn’t say where I worked at the time.) Other news personalities visited the BBB while I was there, including Dorothy Tucker and the now-retired Sylvia Perez.

The subjects I wrote about were quite varied in the early years – from a feud between comedians Carlos Mencia and Joe Rogan (before he became a big-time podcaster) to R&B superstar Mya finishing second on Dancing With The Stars (who I got to meet three times after her concerts and is very nice in person.) The first few years also featured what I call the “jackass” phase of T Dog Media, writing snide articles and bashing people who annoyed me – like Jim Belushi, and christening CBS as “The Church of Tisch”, named after the cheapskate owner Larry Tisch, who owned the network in the late 1980s and let the NFL slip away to Fox in 1993 – which grew out of an article I wrote about then-WBBM-TV GM Joe Ahern. You have to read it to believe it. 

So what is the wildest and most unusual story I wrote? It came in July 2007, when former WMAQ-TV reporter Amy Jacobson was caught at alleged murder suspect Craig Stebic’s house coming out of his swimming pool – by a rival station’s camera crew, WBBM-TV. The bizarrest post? One about about a character ESPN created for the X Games called “Darkmane”.  Oh, those were the days…

Enemies? Yeah, I made a few. After both Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Wil Wheaton and former Miss USA Kenya Moore both blocked me on Twitter, I wrote scathing articles about them. I feuded with FCC Chairmen and the Parents Television Council. I ripped into Larz from the former Chicagoland Radio & Media website several times, called Luke Bouma from Cord Cutters News a fraud, called out tons of media executives ranging from Ben Silverman to Jan Jeffries to Dawn Ostroff, and of course, Mancow Muller and Jay Mariotti. But I also wrote some important articles ranging from how the media failed the people of Ferguson, Mo. after Michael Brown’s murder by Police to the media coverage of the mayhem on Chicago streets during two rounds of looting in 2020. 

I also wrote industry pieces from time to time, showcasing my knowledge oft he business. The first piece I wrote was in October regarding off-network dramas in broadcast syndication as NBCUniveral was offering Law & Order: Criminal Intent to local stations. I’ve also took a deep dive into alternative rock radio, cord-cutting (aka, the decline of cable TV), Donald Trump’s short-lived game show, the rise of FAST networks, and true crime programs, such as Dateline. I enjoy writing these pieces because it gives me a chance to educate readers about the ever-changing media business.

In addition to Chicago, I also wrote about happenings in other media markets such as Fort Myers, Fla. after a hurricane devasted the area (and yes, that infamous “Trump Country” radio format) to several head-spinning affiliation switches in San Diego. I even wrote about a radio station in Denver promoting the pot lifestyle and something called “Y’all-FM” in Birmingham, Ala. Yes, I’ve covered some weird stuff over the years.

But perhaps the standout for me is the T Dog Think Tank, where I write opinions on everything from living in Chicago to the the future of late-night TV (though I haven’t written one in a year.) Some of them were doozies, especially the one about Mayor Daley and a press conference he gave, where I channeled wrestler The Rock for some reason. 

For every T Dog Think Tank, T Dog Media Turkey Awards, and Media Notepad, I tried some things that didn’t work, such as a weekly winners and losers column, and the T Dog Hall Of Shame full of bad TV shows, which grew so large, I had to close it. I reviewed a handful of TV shows, such as The Orville, Heroes: Reborn, and Pat Tomasulo’s Man Of The People. There was even a time I wrote an awful Bill O’Reilly-Jay Mariotti skit on here. You’ll have to search this site for that one. 

In the past, I written about San Diego Comic-Con, NATPE gatherings, the Television Critics Association Press Tour, and my visits to C2E2 at McCormick Place. But things change, and as those events withered in interest, I pivoted away from covering them. But I had a lot of fun writing about those events.

Over the last few years, T Dog Media has evolved to a serious publication covering the business of sports, pop culture, and media, with less theatrics and nastiness than I did during the first decade (though to be sure, I blasted White Sox broadcaster John Schriffen here just two years ago.) I’m now 54 years old, and as my former boss Steve Bernas said at one of the our meetings at the BBB, you have to evolve, or you die.

Have I thought about ending T Dog Media? Yes, several times, including when the site would reach its twentieth anniversary. As fewer and fewer people are writing about media and the closure of numerous trade magazines and websites in the last decade – not to mention the steady beat of bad news such as layoffs, I considered hanging up my pen as writing about this business really wasn’t fun to do anymore. Most recently, I announced a break from writing due to mental health issues related to my job (I won’t say where, but if you look at my LinkedIn page, you’ll see why. And yes, I wrote about them in 2024 when they acquired a TV set manufacturer.) Writing is a form of therapy for me – something I didn’t even realize, believe it or not. 

But I feel a voice is needed in these unprecedented times as President Trump is looking to seize the airwaves to silence his critics through his hand-picked chairman, Brendan Carr as the First Amendment is in danger with media consolidation – which has taken place throughout the duration of this site, continues unabated. The piece I am most proud of is one I wrote two weeks after George Floyd died, saying there needs to be more racial diversity in media – in our city’s and nation’s newsrooms, executive suites, and in Hollywood. As one of the few Black men writing about this business, I feel it’s my duty to write about the struggles our people continue to have in this business, with most companies being forced to eliminate their DEI programs.

And responding to criticism from someone on Twitter a few years ago, I’ve written more about Black TV and radio than anyone, from marking WVON’s 50th anniversary to a now-closed local restaurant in Calumet Heights naming itself after a hangout of the TV show Martin to Amanda Seales’ firing by a Philadelphia radio station for being “not being funny enough” last year. And I’ve written about Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey, Howard McGee, and how Kanye West’s antics impacted Black radio, not to mention the continuing digital divide, the racial divide among what TV shows we watch, and the tense relationship between the Black community and the media.

So yes, I’m continuing – though at a reduced frequency than it was in the past as other things (such as working an awful job while looking for another one) and other personal matters have gobbled up much of my time. 

When I began this site in 2006, it was a different media world than the one we live in now, one that is making legacy media nearly irrelevant as viewers can watch whatever they want, whenever they want, or what platform they want. Podcasting has exploded as even legacy radio companies such as iHeartMedia, SiriusXM, and Audacy has gotten into the game while Spotify and YouTube Music gives listeners music on-demand anytime. And of course, there’s the looming threat of artificial intelligence, or AI, which has already eliminated jobs by humans, especially when it comes to writing (of note, except for a brief time when I used the awful Grammerly app to spell-check and correct my work, I have never used AI to write anything, and won’t plan to.) After all, I feel society needs a human perspective on issues – unless the AI bots rises up and kills us all.

I would like to thank you for reading my website and my social media pages for the last twenty years, and I hope to continue for another twenty (or, at least until I reach 25 years.) As the media world continues to change for better or worse, there needs to be a local voice to document it all – and it might as well be me. And I am proud of the work I’ve done here. Well, most of it.

But hey, at least I outlasted The Rachael Ray Show, which launched the same day I did. 

The post T Dog Media at 20 first appeared on T Dog Media.

Joins other NBC-owned stations in expanding local programming

With Access Hollywood ending Friday, NBC-owned WMAQ-TV (NBC 5) made official on  Wednesday news that was speculated for weeks – the station was launcing a new, weeknight  local prime access (6:30 p.m.) show on Monday – and it features the newly-hired Lou Canellis.

Titled Tonight With Lou Canellis with an auto manufacturer as its main sponsor, the show plans to not only tackle sports, but other topics such as the news of the day and inviting former athletes, coaches, celebrities, and others for discussions. The show also plans remote editions from Chicago’s biggest cultural, entertainment, and sporting events. For example, if the Cubs or White Sox make the playoffs, a remote edition could take place from outside their respective ballparks.

Former Bears coach Dave Wannstedt will appear on the show on Mondays to recap the previous day’s game, and Thursday to preview the upcoming game. Canellis, who was hired last January as the station’s main sports anchor after a long stint at Fox 32, will also appear with Wannstedt on Sports Sunday, starting this week. With those Sunday duties, 104.3 The Score’s Laurence Holmes will host on Fridays.

The program plans to have Canellis open with a monologue; a rapid rundown of the day’s stories, answer viewers’ questions through social media; breaking news coverage (if applicable); expert analysis on upcoming matchups; Chicago trivia; and more.

“Chicago isn’t just my hometown, it’s the only home I’ve ever known,” said Canellis in a sfatement. “I was born here, raised here, went to high school and college here, and spent my entire sports broadcasting career here, so the opportunity to host a show that celebrates the people, stories and experiences that make this city so great is truly a dream come true.”

“Lou has built a special connection with Chicago audiences through his authenticity, passion, and deep love for this city,” added NBCUniversal Local Chicago President and General Manager Kevin Cross. “Whether it’s sports, entertainment, culture, or the people who shape our community, Lou brings a perspective that resonates deeply with Chicago viewers. We’re excited to build a show around his passion for our city and his ability to connect with audiences every night.”

Excluding two months in the summer of 1991 and for a short period in the spring of 2020 when the station ran local news, Tonight With Lou Canellis marks the first time NBC 5 has had local programming in the prime access slot since the Big 3 networks were forced to give up a half-hour to stations due to the FCC’s Prime Time Access Rule, which took effect in September 1971 and was repealed 25 years later. WMAQ has always aired syndicated programming at 6:30 p.m. (including an ill-fated “checkerboard” sitcom block in 1987) and has aired Access Hollywood since September 1996. Both WBBM-TV (from 1973-87) and WLS-TV (from 1971-84) once aired hour-long 6 p.m. newscasts.

Tonight With Lou Canellis will air opposite not only syndicated staples Wheel Of Fortune, Entertainment Tonight, and Family Feud, but also other local programming including local news and The Point on WGN-TV and The Chicago Report on Fox Chicago Plus (WPWR-TV.) Lou Canellis’ show will also be available to stream on NBC 5’s platforms.

The new show is a part of NBC 5’s revamped lineup with Access and The Kelly Clarkson Show leaving syndication. NBC 5 is expanding its midday 11 a.m. newscast to a full hour, pushing Chicago Today to noon, where it was a fifteen-minute Monday-Thursday show at 11:45 a.m. and half-hour on Fridays at 11:30 a.m., is now a half-hour all week long. At 12:30 p.m. is Hollywood Reel Time, an entertainment news show produced by sister station KNBC Los Angeles, and NBC News Daily at 1 p.m. Syndicated Dateline reruns fill out the rest of the daytime schedule at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, replacing Clarkson in the latter time slot.

NBC 5 is following a pattern set by other NBC-owned stations after sister company NBCUniversal Syndication Studios announced it was no longer producing any first-run programming by adding more local shows and adding more editions of Dateline. As far as prime access is concerned, New York’s WNBC is airing a repeat of its New York Live at 7:30 p.m.; KNBC is adding the aforementioned Hollywood Reel Time; WTVJ Miami is adding local show South Florida Live; KXAS Dallas-Fort Worth is adding local news at 6:30 p.m. (and 3 p.m.) and WCAU Philadelphia is also adding a 7:30 p.m. news show.

The post NBC 5 launches new prime access show, “Tonight With Lou Canellis” first appeared on T Dog Media.

Reports differ on how she was released

Fox Business’ move to dump longtime host Maria Bartiromo means viewers who were spending Mornings With Maria will now .&on Thursday after twelve-and-a-half years at the helm of her morning show. 

“We thank Maria for her work over the last 12 ½ years and wish her all the best on her next chapter,” Fox said in a terse statement. Bartiromo anchored the morning business show, Friday show Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street, and Sunday Morning Futures. Effective immediately, two of those shows were renamed as Morning with Fox Business and FBN’s Wall Street.

Speculation immediately centered on Bartiromo landing a new position at NewsMax, NewsNation, or perhaps becine President Trump’s press secretary, given her close ties.

But on Thursday evening, two media newsletters – Puck and Status – reported Bartiromo was fired from the channel because she leaked an internal memo to the White House regarding Fox’s decision issuing gudiance on how to cover Trump’s false claims about the 2020 Presidential Election in a primetime speech two months ago. Fox had to pay $787 million to settle a lawsuit against Dominion Voting Machines for falsely reporting that their machines were switching votes from Trump to Biden.

According to Status, the White House was wondering why Fox wasn’t devoting as much time covering the President’s speech.  Bartiromo shared an internal text on the matter and sent it to the White House – a violation of the company’s guidelines. Bartiromo’s last appearence on Fox Business was August 9 on her Sunday Futures show.

On Friday, a lawyer for Bartiromo released a statement regarding the employer’s status with Fox News: “The irresponsible reports that have been published stating that Maria Bartiromo was fired or is no longer an employee of Fox are absolutely and unequivocally false. Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out whether through the courthouse or otherwise. Those reporting her firing or the incredulous facts supporting that fiction have exhibited a complete and utter reckless disregard for the truth.”

Fox said Friday its terse statement “speaks for itself”. Bartiromo declined to comment.

Once a media darling known for her expertise on the stock market, Bartiromo began her career at CNBC and was the first person to report directly from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Bartiromo was also on the floor on the morning of the terrorist attacks that took place on September 11, 2001, which destroyed the nearby World Trade Center.

In 2014, Fox News chief Roger Alies – who hired Bartiromo at CNBC when he was there, lured her away, giving her a new morning show on the then-upstart Fox Business, as it was looking to take on CNBC. Bartiromo also became more opinionated, supporting the policies of the Trump Administration and interviewing members of his cabinet – not to mention being cited in the Dominion lawsuit, where she was spreading falsehoods about the 2020 election to keep Fox Business’ audiences from bailing.

The alleged faux pas may have given Fox an opportunity to drop her. Even though Fox Business still leads CNBC in total-day ratings, recent ratings reports reveal that Mornings With Maria was in decline, falling behind CNBC’s Squawk Box in total viewers and even further in the key 25-54 demo. Moreover, Mornings With Maria also showed erosion in ad revenue, with just $3.7 million earned in 2025, down significantly  from $8.9 million in 2022, according to iSpot. 

While speculation centered on where Bartiromo was land next, she is still under contract with Fox until 2029, meaning it’s likely Fox Corporation will buy out her contract, though with three years left, it would be a hefty sum. 

The post Maria Bartiromo out at Fox Business first appeared on T Dog Media.

WFLD continues to overhaul its newsroom

With the midterms and Chicago mayoral race looming in the next six months, Fox-owned WFLD announced Wednesday the hiring of Brandon Pope as the station’s new political editor.

“Chicago politics has plenty of power players. I want to focus on the people impacted by them,” Pope told Axios, which first reported this story. “I’m excited to join FOX 32 Chicago and bring curiosity, accountability and a people-first approach to one of the most fascinating political cities in America.”

An Emmy Award-winning journalist who covered local and national politics, Pope was previously at Weigel’s WCIU, where he hosted the now-canceled On The Block newsmagazine show. Pope also interviewed stars of CW programming for the station when WCIU was an affiliate. Pope also hosted Making, a WBEZ podcast from 2022-24 and is the president of the Chicago chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). Pope’s work has also been featured on WGN-AM, WVON, Ebony Magazine, and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Pope is also producing a documentary of Chicago State’s first college football season, giving Chicago proper its first Division I team since 1939 (the person who wrote this article is a CSU alum, graduating in 1996.)

“Brandon brings a deep understanding of Chicago, a strong command of the political landscape and a real ability to connect policy decisions to the people they affect,” said WFLD VP of News Content and Programming Sean O’Heir. “His experience, perspective and commitment to thoughtful reporting make him a terrific addition to the Fox 32 team.”

Pope replaces Paris Schutz in the role, who left Fox 32 in April to join NBC 5 (WMAQ.) The station is in the process of overhauling its newsroom and its programming schedule, adding new faces and bringing its streaming-only shows on its Fox Local app to linear TV, such as Chicago Live. Taking a cue from what WGN-TV has done (with the exception of syndicated Judy Justice reruns at 3 p.m.), Fox 32 has dropped most syndictated programming from its daytime schedule, moving The Jennifer Hudson Show to its lower-rated Fox Chicago Plus outlet (WPWR), which this week replaced the canceled GMFB Overtime at noon. This comes as the syndicated marketplace for shows have dried up. 

Fox Chicago Plus also added Battleground: Midterms, a new political show hosted by Bill Anderson and S.E. Cupp, with the latter hosting the first edition of the show in 2024 in the run up to the Presidential elections. It airs weekdays at 2:30 p.m. and also streams on Fox Local and USA Today’s streaming channel.

So what drew Pope to Fox 32? The station’s expansion of programming on multiple platforms, allowing him to tell his stories in more places as viewers are consuming content on more than just one platform. “What excites me most about Fox Chicago is their commitment to telling stories on multiple platforms, especially streaming and podcasting,” Pope said to Axios. “It’s a perfect fit for a jack-of-all-trades journalist like me.”

The post Brandon Pope joins Fox 32 as political reporter first appeared on T Dog Media.

Targets gamers, who are among the most prominent cord-cutters

In a first, a gaming console will have a built-in portal to access free advertising supported streaming television (FAST) channels – and you don’t have to even download an app. 

Starting Monday (August 31), Sony’s PlayStation 5 – or PS5 for short, is introducing Live TV on PS5 for game console owners, offering the typical fare found on such services – movies, comedies, reality shows, podcasts, sports, children’s programming, creator-curated content, anime, and more. Viewers can access the services on the “media” tab on their home page, and click on the TV icon, leading you to Live TV on PS5. You will need to sign in to your Playstation account to access the channels. 

Content providers includes fare from Amazon MGM, A&E, Fox, Lionsgate, NASCAR, NBCUniversal, The NFL, and UFC, among others.

The portal has movie streaming from MovieSphere by Lionsgate, 50 Cent Action, FilmRise Free Movies, Sony One Horror Hits and Cinevault, with all also providing 24/7 streaming channels. Sony itself also has several other dedicated channels, incluidng Sony One Comedy, Get Comedy, Sony One Faves, and the TV sitcoms Bewitched and Community. 

The rest of the content is those you would commonly find on other portals, including news channels NBC News Now, ABC News Live, Fox Weather, and LiveNow from Fox; sports programming include the NFL Channel, NBC Sports Now, and UFC; and other genres including true crime, gaming, automotive, and curated creative content.

And yes, you’ll find tons of anime content on Live TV on PS5 with fourteen dedicated channels (including one devoted to Sailor Moon) with Sony’s Crunchyroll providing content for two of them.

So why launch a Live TV FAST portal on a PS5? Simple – so advertisers can target gamers, who are among the hardest people to reach in media, especially young male demos who owns these machines (hence, all the anime channels.)

“When you look at sort of the habits and behaviors of this community, they are gaming and engaging with video and they’re probably not showing up in other connected TV environments often,” says Peter Wood, executive vice president of consumer platforms and services at Sony Pictures Entertainment, as reported by Variety.

Sony plans to continuously update programming and add new channels, and launch the service in Canada and other international territories soon. Notable channels missing so far include CBS Sports HQ and Dateline, which are available just about everywhere else. 

This is not the first time Sony has had a TV service on its Playstation consoles. In 2015, Sony launched a paid Playstation Vue virtual streaming service on its PS3 and PS4 models, which like current offerings YouTube TV and Fubo, let you subscribe to numerous cable and broadcast TV channels for a lower price, targeting cord-cutters. But after Sony dropped Viacom’s channels from the service in late 2016, Playstation Vue started losing subscribers, and folded in January 2020, with Sony blaming high content and retransmission costs.  

Even though Sony is offering Live TV on PS5 starting Monday, apps for similar FAST portals were already available through their app store with Plex, Pluto TV, Tubi, and Amazon’s Prime Video, which folded its Freevee FAST channel service into the Prime Video app under the “live TV” tab (and for some reason, the now-defuct Redbox app is still available to download.)

In all, there are a little over 100 channels available in Live TV on PS5 to start. Guiding through the channel guide is difficult, using the L1 and R1 buttons on the controller, which does not make for a great browsing experience. Sound was also missing at times on some of the channels, so not exactly a great start, but should improve other time. 

Disclosure: The person who wrote this piece is a Playstation 5 owner.

Editor’s Note: An earlier draft incorrectly stated Bloomberg TV was not on the service. 

The post Sony’s PS5 console adds FAST channel portal to system first appeared on T Dog Media.

He’ll sit opposite David Haugh; Payton left WGN-TV last month

As speculated this weekend, David Haugh’s new co-host in morning drive on Audacy-owned 104.3 The Score (WSCR) is Jarrett Payton, the former WGN-TV sportscaster who departed the Nexstar-owned station nearly four weeks ago. Payton replaces Mike Mulligan, who was fired last Friday after more than a decade at the station.

The new Haugh & Payton show premieres next Monday, August 31 – nine days before the NFL season is officially set to kickoff. 

The shift from a nightly television role to a radio one is rare; current 104.3 The Score midday co-host Leila Rahimi was also a sports anchor at NBC 5 (WMAQ-TV) while maintaining her TV gig, but she gave up her daily role (cut back to just one appearance a week) at the sports talk station when she was promoted to a full-time a sports anchor after only appearing on Sports Sunday. Rahimi was later dropped by NBC 5, but resumed her daily presence on The Score in April 2025.

This is Payton’s first full-time radio gig. 

“I’m truly excited and deeply honored to join the team at The Score”, said Payton in a press release. “I’m looking forward to working alongside everyone there and connecting with the loyal listeners who make this station what it is. This place has always felt like family to me. My dad graced these airwaves back in the ’90s, and the thought of being part of that same legacy means everything. Grateful beyond words for this opportunity. Let’s get to work.”

“Today marks an exciting new chapter for The Score,” added WSCR vice president Mitch Rosen. “We’re excited to welcome Jarrett Payton and believe his experience, perspective and deep connection to Chicago and its great fan bases will be a tremendous addition to our morning show alongside David Haugh.”

As the son of Bears legendary running back Walter Payton, he played football at the University of Miami, then for the Tennessee Titans and in the CFL before transforming into broadcasting, where he joined CLTV’s Sports Desk in 2015, then joined WGN-TV’s news team after CLTV closed in 2019. 

In 2020, WGN launched GN Sports, a late-night sports wrap-up show with Payton being paired with Dan Roan. The show has held its own in the ratings opposite late-night talk show hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert, whose show has since been replaced by Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed. Payton also appeared on WGN’s prime-time streaming show The Sports Office.

Payton’s departure from WGN came six months after Nexstar laid off staff at its big-market local stations with nine let go at WGN (one of those names – Chris Boden – has since returned to partially fill the departure left by Payton.) While Payton stated he wanted to “spend more than with his family”, he may have seen the handwriting on the wall with the Nexstar layoffs and his soon-to-expire contract. As everyone knows, television journalism is subtracting employees, not adding them as evidence by the 250+ layoffs at Scripps earlier this month as they pivot more toward AI. Payton let it be known he did not want another television gig at another local station, stating he was open to working with WGN down the road, so he left on good terms. 

But is Payton’s shift to radio a good move? Radio is notorious for regular cutbacks over the last two decades as layoffs lists have become common in the medium. Two weeks ago, Cumulus announced it was cutting staff at its stations, including staff at an entire hip-hop station in Kansas City – including the format itself. Audacy could use Payton in other roles with the company (perhaps as a podcaster, which is a rapidly expanding medium), as he is more nationally recognizably known nationally as he and his sister Brittany are at the NFL Honors every year presenting the Walter Payton Man Of The Year Award and hosted football-related specials syndicated exclusively to Nexstar stations. 

But as we all know, media companies are looking to consolidate, which means tons of cutbacks to pay off the debt incurred (Nexstar is in the process of buying rival broadcaster Tegna, but the transaction is on hold due to antitrust issues.) Payton trading one declining medium for another sounds crazy where job security is even worse, but hey, we’ve all got to eat.  

The post Jarrett Payton joins 104.3 The Score as new morning co-host first appeared on T Dog Media.

Station plans to announce a new co-host Monday for David Haugh 

Audacy sports talk 104.3 The Score has dropped longtime host Mike Mulligan and Marshall Harris in what appears to be a cost-cutting move. Mulligan had been WSCR since 2008, and co-hosted AM drive with David Haugh since 2018, who replaced Brian Hanley in the role. Mulligan is a former Sun-Times sportswriter and contributor to Fox 32’s Bears pre-game shows.

Marshall Harris was also dropped by the station. He co-hosted middays with Leila Rahimi and Mark Grote as they will continue in those roles. Harris arrived at WSCR in September 2024 after being laid off from CBS Chicago, where he was sports director and anchor. Harris was first paired with Dan Bernstein, but after he was fired after posting a controversial item on social media, Rahimi became his co-host. Harris has recently appeared as a fill-in sports anchor at ABC 7.

104.3 The Score vice President Mitch Rosen shared this memo with staffers: 

“Today, we made some very difficult programming decisions. After more than 20 years with The Score, we have parted ways with Mike Mulligan of the “Mully and Haugh Show.” Mully has been a vital part of The Score family and a major part of our history and success. We are incredibly grateful for his many contributions over the past two decades.

I wish Mully nothing but the best in whatever comes next from the bottom of my heart. We will announce a new morning show co-host on Monday.

Also, we parted ways with Marshall Harris. We thank Marshall for his time with The Score. He has been a great teammate and an important part of our team, and we wish him the very best in the future. Starting Monday, the “Rahimi & Grote Show” will air in its current timeslot of 10am-2pm.” These decisions are never easy, and today was especially difficult for everyone involved. I know there will be questions, and I understand that.”

WSCR plans to hire a new host to replace Mulligan; the announcement is expected on Monday.

The moves come as the new NFL season kicks off in over two weeks. Audacy expanded the reach of WSCR by replacing its low-rated classic hip-hop format on the 104.3 frequency February 1 and rebranded as 104.3 The Score. In July, the combined WSCR AM/FM broadcast placed thirteenth according to Nielsen (Hubbard’s 101.9 The Mix remained on top.). WSCR’s performance is flat from June, despite airing games from a red-hot Cubs team. Still, WSCR remains ahead of Good Karma Brands’ ESPN 1000 (WMVP-AM), which tied for 23rd, just behind Power 92, whose ratings crashed right back to earth after a surge in June.

The post Audacy cuts Mulligan, Harris from 104.3 The Score first appeared on T Dog Media.

The latest chapter in dramatic saga

Disney laid down the gauntlet like Thor against the FCC Tuesday as the company has filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the agency over its broadcast licenses of its eight ABC-owned stations, stating its regulatory actions and investigations are “retaliatory”.

In the lawsuit, Disney stated that “[A]cting through the Federal Communications Commission, the [Trump] Administration has waged a retaliatory campaign against ABC for a single reason: it disapproves of what ABC broadcasts,” referring to Jimmy Kimmel’s jokes about the President on his late-night show and whether or not to count The View as a talk show exempt from equal-time rules. 

Filed in Washington D.C. District Court, the lawsuit also seeks to stop proceedings through a restraining order and an injunction related to broadcast licenses in eight cities, including WLS-TV in Chicago. In April, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr ordered an early license renewal review of ABC’s eight stations, which weren’t due until 2028 or later. Carr was named in the suit, as was commissioners Olivia Trusty and for litigation reasons, Anna Gomez, who as a Democrat, blasted her own agency for its actions.

The suit mentioned numerous infractions Trump has accused the network of, including the 2024 Presidential debate they aired, and a joke Kimmel made about Charlie Kirk after his death last September, which led station groups Nexstar and Sinclair to temporarily pull the show, which forced ABC to suspend it.

The license review came shortly after Kimmel made a joke about Trump’s appreance, saying his wife Melania looked like “an expected widow”, with the FCC stating it was because of “DEI violations”. With the public comment period now closed, the agency could start a hearing designation soon, which starts the adjudication process. 

“Any FCC adjudication would be a charade. The Commission cannot lawfully grant renewal this early in the license terms—the only outcomes on the table are adverse to Plaintiffs”, ABC’s lawsuit continued. “At one extreme, the Commission may intentionally prolong the adjudicative process, miring ABC in years of costly litigation, with the threat of adverse action ever present and with every editorial judgment shadowed by the prospect of provoking the Administration into further retaliation.”

In recent comments, Carr said that ABC’s refusal to air a Presidential address on its linear network on July 16 (they streamed it through ABC News Live instead) would be part of the review – even though major networks and local stations are not required to, something this space has pointed out before. The address, featuring Trump’s continuing (and tiring) claims about the 2020 elections, wasn’t carried by NBC, or Nexstar’s WGN-TV in Chicago, which usually carries Presidential addresses but decided to stick with CW programming instead.The FCC responsed to the lawsuit with the same canned language it has always used throughout this ordeal: “Disney is obviously very concerned about the FCC’s proceeding, as evidenced by their ongoing campaign of disinformation as well as their decision to ask a court to stop the FCC from further pursuing matters. The FCC will continue to follow the facts and law wherever they lead”, which is odd given Trump made, once again, repeated false claims about the 2020 elections in his primetime speech. Carr thought it was in the “public interest” (it wasn’t), a phrase he has pushed repeatedly since he was appointed FCC Chair. 

In June, ABC took the issues with the FCC to the streets, asking viewers to send comments to the agency. More than 150,000 comments were received, including from some local Chicago organizations, including the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Lurie’s Children’s Hospital, The Chicago Urban League, and the Illinois Broadcasters Association, according to the Chicago Tribune. 

In Raleigh-Durham where ABC owns WTVD, support came from the Big Brothers Big Sisters Of The Triangle, Carolina Theater of Durham, Food Bank Of Eastern and Central Carolina, and the Duke Cancer Institute, according to the Raleigh News & Observer. 

Other support across the eight markets came from local police, firefighters, churches, schools, non-profits, and businesses. In all, 95 percent of the comments were supportive of Disney and ABC. 

Many former FCC chairs, commissioners, and staff across the political spectrum also filed their support for Disney, including former chairmen Al Sikes and Tom Wheeler. 

The real question is this – would Carr factor this outpouring of support in his decision to pursue this? Or would he follow the orders of his boss at the White House because he doesn’t like what content the network puts on? Keep in mind only four stations have ever lost their licenses in history, with the last being 35 years ago when the then-owners of WSNS lost theirs during a decade-long battle. No station group has ever lost their entire group of licenses – it’s advisable that Carr does not get on the wrong side of history. 

The post Disney files First Amendment lawsuit against the FCC over station license challenges first appeared on T Dog Media.

Another way to watch White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks

Just in time to watch the second leg of the Crosstown Classic, Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) announced Monday that Amazon Prime subscribers can buy the streaming version of the regional sports network on their platform throughout its territory.

“From day one our goal has been to make CHSN as accessible as possible for Chicago sports fans”, said CHSN President and CEO Mike McCarthy. “Launching on Prime Video gives fans another convenient way to watch the Bulls, Blackhawks, and White Sox while continuing to expand how and where they can access our live games, and original programming. “

The price point remains the same: $19.99 a month for one team, and $29.99 a month for all three. 

The announcement comes as the Crosstown Classic between the Cubs and the White Sox is taking place over the next three nights at Wrigley Field, with a simulcast of all three games on Weigel independent WCIU (for Cubs fans, games will air on Marquee Sports Network, but with no over-the-air outlet.) WCIU is carrying ten White Sox games this season. 

The network is available on i9n the subscriptions section on Prime Video’s app, where consumers can also subscribe to other streaming services including Marquee, Peacock, Paramount Plus, Apple TV, Fox One, NBA and WNBA League Pass, CNN All Access, and more. 

The Cubs and the White Sox are having successful seasons this year as both are in playoff contention. The White Sox’s run is quite remarkable given just two years ago, the team finished with a 41-121 record – the worst Major League Baseball record of all time. As of this writing, the White Sox are in first place in the AL Central, with a commanding 5.5 lead over the Detroit Tigers. With the success, ratings for White Sox games on CHSN are up from last season and from 2024. The first Crosstown Classic series at Rate Field earlier this year was also a big ratings hit for WCIU, prompting the station and the team to swap two non-Cubs games off WCIU’s schedule and add the rest of the Wrigley Field games. Originally, WCIU was to carry only the August 17 game.

CHSN is also excited to have the Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane in the fold as the three-time Stanley Cup winner re-signed with the team after being traded to the New York Rangers several years ago. He will be teammates with Connor Bedard, who is experiencing yet another injury and won’t be ready to be in the lineup until sometime in November. Kane previously played in the Detroit Red Wings. 

CHSN is available on its own app and website, and also on Fubo, DirecTV, Comcast, Astound, DirecTV and its streaming counterpart, U-Verse, and over-the-air digital subchannels in a handful of markets outside of Illinois.  

The post CHSN now available on Amazon Prime Video first appeared on T Dog Media.