NPR
Media correspondent for NPR
PROFILE
David Folkenflik
Guest
FROM David Folkenflik
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
What will happen to HBO in the hands of AT&T? AT&T now owns HBO, since the Time Warner merger went through. AT&T has made it clear it wants from the channel: More subscribers watching more programming more hours of the day. That may not fit very well with HBO’s higher-end programming model, which emphasizes quality over quantity.
The Mixer
If the President says it, is it really a lie? This week featured a narrative coming out of the White House that, if you take all the punditry and analysis out, flies in the face of logic.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How much power does Sean Hannity have at the White House? Sean Hannity is so close to President Trump that he’s been dubbed the unofficial chief of staff. He and Trump talk all the time. They give each other advice and help each other’s agendas. We find out how Hannity was able to rise to the top of the conservative media world.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
After voting to unionize, what's next for the LA Times and its publisher? The LA Times newsroom overwhelmingly voted to unionize today. They are demanding that their publisher Ross Levinsohn resign after NPR reported incidents of sexual misconduct. We speak with the NPR reporter who broke the story and one of the leaders of the union effort at the Times. Ross Levinsohn on Press Play last year , coming into the job.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
The media's different storylines around Manafort The news spotlight yesterday was on the Paul Manafort indictment and George Papadopoulos plea deal. Conservative outlets covered the story through a prism that cast Hillary Clinton and the Democrats as the true villains. We look at why Fox and right-leaning outlets have such a different version of these events.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
What does Bannon's departure mean for the ideology at the White House? Steve Bannon was fired today, or quit, or left by mutual agreement -- depending on who you ask. But his departure is not a surprise. He’s been rumored to be on the hot seat for some time, at odds with new White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and other more mainstream members of the administration. We look at Bannon’s time in the White House, the right-wing media environment he helped create, and whatever his future may be.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Lawsuit: Fox News and White House produced fake story of DNC staffer A Fox News contributor says the network worked with the White House to make up a story about Democratic staffer Seth Rich leaking DNC emails to Wikileaks. Rich was murdered a year ago, just before those emails were published. The story was later retracted.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Is Megyn Kelly's NBC show in trouble? Megyn Kelly, formerly of Fox News and now with NBC News, is being slammed for an interview with Alex Jones. Jones, the right-wing radio host of Infowars, has pushed conspiracy theories. Kelly has defended her decision, stating that Jones has a growing audience of millions, and has been elevated by President Trump. But NBC is reportedly losing advertisers.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Fox News faces more allegations of sexual harassment Fox’s paid political commentator Julie Roginsky filed a lawsuit against Fox, claiming that former Fox News chief Roger Ailes made unwanted advances towards her, and that she was passed up for a promotion because she resisted those advances. Roginsky also says the network’s current president and its top lawyer ignored her complaints and retaliated against her. This comes a day after revelations of harassment allegations against Fox star Bill O’Reilly.
The Mixer
How Silicon Valley brought down Gawker This week, the salacious and often-maligned Gawker.com permanently went dark.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Univision buys Gawker Spanish-language media company Univision is buying embattled media company Gawker, which declared bankruptcy after losing a lawsuit brought by Hulk Hogan. Earlier this year, Univision took full ownership of Fusion, a news and entertainment outlet, and has acquired stakes in companies like satire site The Onion, and African-American commentary site The Root. It’s part of Univision’s growing media portfolio.
The Mixer
TV, Ratings, and the Custody of our Democracy "Go Donald!" is what CBS chief Les Moonves famously cheered during an investor call last December. And that's not because of his politics. Just last month, he quipped that, while Trump’s campaign may not be good for America, it’s "damn good for CBS." 2016 is set to be a record-breaking year for political ad spending on TV, as candidates and Super-PACS load up on anti-Trump ads. But what does it all mean for our republic?
Recommended
Design and Architecture
Securing Public Spaces, Super Wealthy Asians Vehicles are increasingly being used as weapons, as seen in the London Bridge attack over the weekend and in New York’s Times Square last month. The Compton-based company Calpipe is designing security bollards to help make public spaces safer. And novelist Kevin Kwan satirizes the “crazy rich” Asian jet set and their luxurious tastes in his latest book, “Rich People Problems.”
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Terrorism in London: Lessons for the US This weekend’s terrorist attack in London left seven people dead and almost 50 injured. London police fatally shot the attackers, and ISIS claimed responsibility.
The Business
Industry insights and lessons learned from memorable guests We have interesting guests on The Business, and sometimes our conversations are too long to fit into one show. This week we give you stories that were too good to leave on the cutting room floor, including some sharp insights on making it in the industry from David Mandel, David Simon, Shawn Levy and Matt Reeves.
The Business
In 'Speechless,' Scott Silveri combines comedy, family & disability Scott Silveri has written and produced sitcoms for more than 20 years. In all that time, he never encountered a TV family that looked anything like the one he grew up in -- with a mom, a dad...and a brother with cerebral palsy. He changed that with his show Speechless on ABC. Silveri tells us about looking to his own past for stories, and why he was determined to make a family comedy and not just a "disability show."