When I Wasn’t Looking, All Media Became Fox News

Stephen Colbert’s show has been cancelled as of March (I think it’s March) of next year, and Jimmy Kimmel just got the indefinite axe for Charlie Kirk comments.

How on earth did we get here, and what does it mean for media? Let’s go back a bit to get a taste for what’s going on.

· In mid-2025, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved a merger between Skydance Media (owned by David Ellison, with backing from RedBird Capital) and Paramount Global, which includes CBS News.

Walter Cronkite and Ed Murrow were stars at CBS in times past. Walter would have said, "And that's the way it is,” were he still with us, but he and Murrow (both incomparable icons in the news business) are long gone, and mostly forgotten.

After the merger, there have been reports that the new ownership is making changes in leadership (e.g. installing a Trump-ally as ombudsman) and potentially shifting editorial direction. Some staffers say promises made about non-politicization are being breached.

Really? You think?

Then there’s the Murdoch Family Succession Deal.

· Rupert Murdoch finalized a $3.3 billion deal to buy out his children (James, Elisabeth, Prudence), consolidating control under his eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch. This secures conservative leadership of the News Corp / Fox News / Wall Street Journal empire until at least 2050 (given the structure of the family trust).

It’s amazing what three thousand, three hundred million dollars will do to assuage a few family bruised feelings within the upper, upper, upper echelon of big bucks.

In September of last year, The Spectator Magazine was acquired by British investor Paul Marshall (also co-owner of GB News), for about £100 million.

· Announced in September 2020 and launched in June 2021 from studios at Paddington Basin, London, GB News became Britain's first television news start-up since the launch of Sky News (Murdoch/Comcast) in 1989. It was set up with the aim of broadcasting "original news, opinion and debate", with a mix of news coverage and opinion-based content.

The acquisition was accompanied by concerns among staff about editorial independence. (Surely though, there was no reason to worry) Soon after, Michael Gove, a well-known and highly controversial conservative figure, was appointed editor.

No foul, no penalty, or so it is said.

Nexstar Media Group (which already was conservative-leaning / local-broadcast heavy) acquired Tribune Media in 2019.

· This enlarged the network of local TV stations under a more centralized conservative or right-friendly ownership, potentially influencing local news content.

Elon Musk (self-described libertarian / right-of-center leanings) and world’s richest man, bought Twitter in 2022.

· He shifted the platform’s moderation policies, sparking employee resignations, and increased the prominence of conservative voices. Musk’s purchase was seen by many as a key conservative moment in media/tech.

RedBird Capital Partners (US private equity) takes over Telegraph Media Group (UK) with a minority stake for IMI (Abu Dhabi) within stated foreign ownership caps.

· The Telegraph is historically Conservative-leaning. Its sale to a firm with right-leaning media holdings suggests a consolidation of conservative media influence. It’s also notable because of regulatory and political concern over foreign influence in British media.

Big fish are always interesting, but small fish feed the wider public, and often (read that always) get less oversight.

Sinclair Broadcast Group is a great example. Sinclair is the largest owner of local TV stations in the U.S., with 185 stations across more than 80 markets, covering 40% of American households.

· Sinclair buys up the local affiliates of ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC in medium and small markets, keeping the look and feel of “local news” but mostly producing centrally produced segments. Local anchors are required to air commentaries or pre-produced packages with conservative framing (e.g., Boris Epshteyn, a former Trump advisor).

In 2018, Sinclair became infamous for requiring anchors nationwide to recite the same script, condemning ‘fake news,’ echoing Trump talking points. Local content is still produced, but a single national message is the main menu. 40% of Americans, in mostly small-town audiences, hear the same spiel, sprinkled with local bake-sales and obituaries.

Other Small-Area Consolidations:

· Nexstar Media Group (U.S.) Owns 200 TV stations in 116 markets, reaching 68% of households. Purchased Tribune Media in 2019, expanding into major cities such as Chicago, New York and Los Angeles). Generally less overtly ideological than Sinclair, but has faced accusations of centralizing content and cost-cutting, that weaken local reporting. Owns The Hill, an important Washington political site, where subtle editorial shifts matter.

· Alden Global Capital (U.S.), a private equity acquisition with a reputation for ‘strip-mining’ newspapers. Owns the Chicago Tribune, Denver Post, San Jose Mercury News, and dozens of smaller dailies, with an ideological tilt that is less explicitly conservative than Sinclair. But the argument is that consolidation weakens local journalism, creating partisan narratives that can dominate via other channels.

Why Small-Area Consolidation Matters.

Surveys consistently show that people trust local outlets more than national media. When national ideological content is injected into local formats, it has disproportionate influence.

· Then, there’s swing-state impact: Sinclair and Nexstar stations blanket areas like Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, and Arizona, which are all states that are crucial in U.S. elections. Information deserts form when chains like Alden hollow out local papers, and communities are left with little scrutiny of local government as well. That vacuum is often filled by partisan outlets posing as ‘local news’ such as The Kalamazoo Times, run by political groups.

Unlike Fox News, consolidation strategy doesn’t announce itself. It blends national talking points with school board stories, crime coverage, and mayoral races. Its main purpose is to influence voter perceptions quietly.

Every nation in the world that moved in the direction of fascism, began by controlling print and visual media.

Here’s a quote from Ed Murrow, the best of the best:

"A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves. No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices.”

Followed by Murrow’s iconic sign-off,

"Good night, and good luck"