CBS News Closes Its Tokyo Bureau As Network Cuts Costs

Jo Ann Ross, whose lengthy run as the head of ad sales at CBS represented a breakthrough for a woman in the traditionally male-dominated field, is formally winding down her tenure at Paramount Global.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Gov. Phil Murphy has made TV and film a top priority for New Jersey ever since he took the helm of the Garden State in 2018. This week, Murphy made a West Coast swing to talk artificial intelligence with firms in the Bay Area and to talk new business with studios in Hollywood.

Four months after SAG-AFTRA warned casting websites that it was illegal to collect fees from actors who want to submit themselves for commercial casting, a California-based public interestfirm has filed a class action lawsuit against Casting Networks for its controversial pay-to-play model. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of actors Nicole Kreuzer, Marco Martinez and Brandy Waller, alleges CN is in violation of California Labor Code 450 by charging actors for the chance to audition for a role. The company’s “bait and switch” tiered subscription-based service violates the state’s unfair business practice and false advertising laws, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Jack Dunn Robert “Robin” MacNeil, co-anchor and co-founder of PBS NewsHour, died April 12, PBS announced. He was 93 MacNeil died Friday morning of natural causes at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, his daughter, Alison MacNeil, told the New York Times. Following their coverage of the 1973 Senate Watergate Hearings, MacNeil co-founded the predecessor to the PBS “MacNeil/Lehrer Report” in 1975 with fellow anchor Jim Lehrer.

Aerosmith has announced the rescheduled dates for the “Peace Out” farewell tour, which was abruptly postponed last September because of singer Steven Tyler‘s ongoing vocal cord and larynx problems.

Is 2024 about to become the new 1972?

Richard Leibner, a pioneering talent agent who represented such notable broadcast news journalists as Dan Rather, Diane Sawyer, Mike Wallace, Andy Rooney, Norah O’Donnell, Ed Bradley, Morley Safer and Fareed Zakaria, died today at his home in New York City. He was 85.

AMC Networks is rolling out cheaper, ad-supported tiers for all of its niche streaming services after putting ads on its flagship AMC+ bundle late last year.

E.W. Scripps, which acquired ION in 2020, is repositioning the broadcast network as a home for general entertainment and live sports.

EXCLUSIVE: The results are in, and Tracker is still top dog at CBS.

An anchor for Taiwan‘s iNews was live on air relaying a message from the country’s earthquake early warning system when the actual 7.4 temblor hit yesterday.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Paramount Global and its parent company are moving closer to an agreement with Skydance Media for an exclusive window for acquisition negotiations as Shari Redstone and David Ellison inch toward a deal to bring their companies together in a three-way transaction. The New York Times on Tuesday reported on the rumors that have been swirling around Hollywood for the past few days.

Alex Ritman Since its inception in 2018, North American distributer and sales outfit Utopia has been quietly building up its credentials as a both a company with a distinctive cinematic palette and one able to identify indie projects ahead of the buzz. Its darkly comic 2020 breakout hit “Shiva Baby,” the directorial feature debut of Emma Seligman, gave an early indication of Utopia’s tastes, which soon led it to pick up Dasha Nekrasova’s wild and erotically-charged Jeffrey Epstein-themed horror “The Scary of Sixty-First” and Lena Dunham’s shoestring sex comedy “Sharp Stick.” In Cannes 2022 it made a splash by acquiring domestic rights to Ali Abbasi’s gritty Iranian crime thriller and Palme d’Or nominee “Holy Spider,” for which Zar Amir won the best actress award, and last year bought LGBT revenge thriller “Femme,” one of the hottest films going into the 2023 Berlinale.

Under the Bridge,” with Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone leading the cast. The series is set to premiere with two episodes April 17, and new episodes launching weekly. “Under the Bridge” is based on Rebecca Godfrey’s book about the true story of fourteen-year-old Reena Virk, who went to join friends at a party in 1997 and never returned home.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Chuck Todd left moderating duties at “Meet The Press” behind several months ago, but he isn’t through with the show yet. During a surprising appearance on Sunday’s broadcast of the program on NBC, Todd took issue with a decision to hire former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel as an NBC News contributor, then put her on “Meet The Press” for an interview with current moderator Kristen Welker, who had booked McDaniel prior to the hiring becoming known.

Gisele Bündchen would like to set the record straight!

Gisele Bundchen is clapping back at the rumors about her personal life.

Dakota Johnson is enjoying a day out in Rome!

EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Holly Carter (The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel) today announced the launch of her family, faith and lifestyle network MergeTV on James DuBose’s In The Black Network, a streaming service that highlights Black voices and original stories.

Peter Schrager recalled some of his best moments from Good Morning Football as he bid farewell to the “NYC era” of the show as production moves to LA this summer.