Senior White House officials have discussed their preference for Paramount Skydance to acquire Warner Bros Discovery, with one official engaging in talks about potential programming changes at CNN with Larry Ellison, the largest shareholder of Paramount, according to people familiar with the matter.
In at least one phone call, Ellison discussed possibly removing CNN hosts whom Donald Trump is said to dislike, including Erin Burnett and Brianna Keilar. The conversation also touched on replacing Burnett and airing CBS assets like "60 Minutes" on CNN, proposals that have animated the White House.
The call was described as informal since Ellison does not have a formal role at Paramount, though he holds a major ownership stake in the company run by his son, David Ellison. Spokespeople for the White House and CNN declined to comment, while Ellison, Oracle, and Paramount did not respond to requests for comment.
Paramount is preparing a bid for Warner Bros Discovery ahead of a 20 November deadline for non-binding first-round offers. The company previously made unsolicited bids that were unsuccessful. Trump already views the Ellisons positively after Paramount paid a $16m settlement over a "60 Minutes" interview with Kamala Harris.
Former antitrust officials suggested the bid would not pose serious competition issues, and FCC Chair Brendan Carr said a review by his commission would be unlikely. Other interested parties include Netflix and Comcast, though Trump's animosity toward Comcast's MSNBC could affect its bid.
