The Paramount PSA Origin Story
Last month, as Shari Redstone’s Paramount Global quietly worked to resolve Donald Trump’s lawsuit over the “60 Minutes” Kamala Harris interview, the president’s legal team made an unexpected request: Why not include public service announcements, promoting causes Trump supports, as part of the deal? The ask, of course, came during a pivotal moment for Paramount—just as it was simultaneously working to gain approval for its Skydance Media merger from the Federal Communications Commission, which finally signed off on the deal Thursday.
The PSA proposal, which has not been previously reported, first surfaced as Trump’s team began to show increasing urgency to settle the case, apparently spooked by a looming court deadline that could have moved the proceedings out of Amarillo, Texas. According to people familiar with the talks, Trump’s team initially demanded a staggering $200 million from Paramount to end the litigation. But that figure began to fall—first to $100 million, then to $49.5 million, notably just days after Skydance boss David Ellison sat ringside with Trump at a UFC event. From there, the ask dropped further to $35 million, and then into the mid-$20 million range.
But things took a turn when..
The remainder of this newsletter is for paid subscribers only.
Scoop-driven reporting and sharp-edged analysis. See why thousands of industry professionals rely on Status.
Already a subscriber? Sign in.
A subscription gets you full access to our nightly newsletter, which includes:
✅ Essential reporting on and analysis of the Fourth Estate, Silicon Valley, Hollywood, the Information Wars, and more.
✅ Hand-curated links to the most consequential stories moving the needle in the key corridors of the industry.
✅ Unlimited access to our online archive where you can read previous editions of the newsletter.
Related Knowledge Center: The White House vs. the press
Whether it’s the Des Moines Register’s publication of an unfavorable election poll, a routine edit of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, or the Associated Press’s decision in its authoritative stylebook to continue to use “Gulf of Mexico,” Donald Trump and the White House have used executive authority and legal reprisals in an effort to punish and suppress press coverage that runs contrary to the administration’s preferred narratives.
Democracy and politics | Signalgate | The CBS submission | Voiceless America
Related Knowledge Center: Free speech and public protest
The First Amendment is facing challenging times: Crackdowns on campus protests prompted both-sides claims of intolerance. Attempts to head off dangerous health misinformation have been characterized as violations of free speech. Donald Trump is publicly punishing news outlets that deviate from his administration’s version of events while privately suing some outlets into submission.
The White House vs. the press | Voiceless America
Related Knowledge Center: State of the business model
The traditional journalism business model has long since collapsed, and news organizations have shrunk or disappeared entirely. While a number of promising experiments are under way, the public has not shown a willingness to buy what news organizations are selling.