The Commentary Magazine Podcast Mergers and Inquisitions
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Feb 27, 2026 
Eliana Johnson, editor and media commentator, and Seth Mandel, senior editor and political analyst, explore shifting media economics and television’s struggle to adapt to digital habits. They debate bold programming experiments, talent moves, and whether legacy TV can pivot. They also discuss the U.S. military buildup in the Middle East and the prospects and practicalities of action toward Iran.
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Ellison Bid Puts CNN Under New Centrist Ownership
- Paramount Skydance's full bid for Warner Bros. Discovery brings CNN under David Ellison's umbrella, signaling a serious Ellison push into news ownership.
- John Podhoretz notes David Ellison is 43, backed by Larry Ellison, and willing to buy loss-making news assets to reshape media.
Cable News Is An Aging Shrinking Market
- Cable news audiences are aging and shrinking; Fox's January 2026 prime-time average dwarfs CNN's by roughly 3.5x.
- Podhoretz cites Nielsen's Big Data Plus: Fox ~2.046M viewers vs. CNN ~660K, with Fox's demo heavily 55+.
Carriage Fees Mask Cable News Fragility
- Carriage fees have insulated cable news profitability but those fees are unsustainable as cable declines.
- Podhoretz explains CNN and MSNBC earn hundreds of millions from carriage per-subscriber fees that will erode as cord-cutting continues.