Don Lemon Plans to Launch New Show on X

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Depending on whom you ask, Don Lemon is planting his feet firmly in media’s next frontier. Or its last one. The former CNN star anchor is the latest in a parade of onetime TV-news personnel to dip their toes into the entrepreneurial waters of digital and social media.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Paramount Global set a new senior vice president over its efforts to win small-and-medium-sized advertisers, another nod of the growing importance of non-traditional market segments to the business of TV, which has long relied on just Madison Avenue’s biggest residents. Paramount named Emily Huo as its senior vice president of “SMB Advertising.” The category often includes entrepreneurial digital advertisers and regional and local marketers who in the past found national TV too broad or, more likely than not, too expensive. In the streaming era, however, smaller advertisers can run pitches aimed at narrower slices of geography or specific consumer niches.

“I don’t think you can judge that from Barbie not getting nominated,” said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) tonight to Bill Maher when asked by the host if the snub of the blockbuster’s director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie in the Oscars nominations means America is a patriarchy or not.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor PBS and ABC News were among the top winners at the duPont-Columbia Awards, some of the top honors accorded each year to audio and video reporting done in the public interest. The 15 award winners of 2024 were announced Thursday during a special ceremony. The awards have been administered since 1968 by Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Charles Osgood, the witty CBS News journalist who shepherded “CBS Sunday Morning” for more than two decades — a longer tenure than the show’s original host, Charles Kuralt — died Tuesday at 91 years of age after living for a period of time with dementia, according to CBS News. He also hosted a durable radio-news segment, “The Osgood File,” between 1971 and 2017.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Sharb Farjami will take the reins of the North American operations of GroupM, the media-investment giant that is part of WPP. Farjami had been CEO of North American for Wavemaker, one of the big media-buying units of GroupM..

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Paramount Global doesn’t feel it needs Carnegie Hall to make its point to Madison Avenue. The New York owner of CBS, the Paramount movie studio and the Nickelodeon kids-cable outlet plans a second year of individual meetings with media buyers and advertisers for its outreach during the industry’s “upfront” sales market, and will not return to the more formal, glitzy presentation that has long been a staple of the period.

California Governor Gavin Newsom is opening up about last year’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, appearing on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, defended his largely behind-the-scenes role during the protracted actors and writers strike last year, as well as his decision to take on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor After holding a year-long bake-off among various celebrities to find the next host of its signature “The Daily Show,” Comedy Central is going to try a new recipe. When the program returns from a hiatus, it is expected to rely heavily on a team of correspondents to lead each night, according to three people familiar with the matter, though it is not clear if the network has struck upon its final assemblage of talent. “Daily Show” could also rely on guest appearances by some of the celebrities who have hosted the program since Trevor Noah, the last permanent presence behind the desk, quit abruptly in late 2022.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Christa Robinson and Lance Frank will take on expanded roles for CBS‘ division built around CBS News, local stations and syndicated programming, all put under the aegis of executive Wendy McMahon in August of last year. Frank, who has been with CBS News since 2011, has been elevated to executive vice president, communications for CBS News & Stations and CBS Media Ventures, a new position. Frank will oversee projects tied to McMahon’s central team, including talent relations and events across the division.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor In an era when advertisers can buy digital inventory at any time they wish, does the media industry still need an “upfront” sales session? Warner Bros. Discovery believes it does. The media conglomerate said Thursday that it plans to hold a presentation for advertisers at 10 a.m.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor NewsNation wants to make a land grab on Sundays. The Nexstar Media-backed cable outlet will launch its own Sunday public affairs program on March 3, when Chris Stirewalt anchors “The Hill Sunday” at 10 a.m. eastern.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Rachel Maddow‘s next project will take her to Russia — in a sense. The journalist’s Surprise Inside production company will team up with Adam McKay‘s Hyperobject Industries to work on the Rakontur documentary project “From Russia With Lev.” All three production entities are clients of WME.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor A celebration of “The Daily Show” took place earlier this week — but not on the network that airs it. The program won an Emmy award for “Outstanding Variety Series” and its former host, Trevor Noah, and one of its former top contributors, Roy Wood, Jr., were on hand to take part. Veteran behind-the-scenes executives like Jen Flanz, who runs the program, and Daniel Radosh, a writer who has been with the series since the days of Jon Stewart, were easily viewed.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor TelevisaUnivision plans to launch an ad-supported version of its Spanish-language streamer, ViX, later in 2024, following a general trend by entertainment conglomerates hoping to capture new subscribers to broadband entertainment hubs across the industry. The company, which also operates the Univision TV network said a new “ViX Premium with Ads” tier will provide U.S.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor One of the greatest plays in sports isn’t taking place on any athletic field. Walt Disney Co.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor ESPN has been giving one of its newest show hosts a lot of rope despite a years-long policy of keeping talent on a very short leash. Pat McAfee has generated reams of unwanted publicity for the Disney-backed sports-media giant in recent days, allowing frequent guest Aaron Rodgers to spread misinformation about vaccinations; insulting Norby Williamson, an influential ESPN executive who manages many studio shows and tries to keep a tight rein on them, and accusing him of working to sabotage his show in talks to media outlets; and giving Rodgers room to call out Jimmy Kimmel, the ABC late-night host who is one of the most high-profile employees in the Disney empire.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Julian Jacobs, a longtime UTA executive who has helped the firm expand into entertainment marketing, has been named to lead the agency’s New York office, effective in March. Jacobs expects to build on momentum fostered under Allan Haldeman, a partner and co-head of TV Lit, who has led New York operations since September of 2022.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Curt Menefee is dipping into Fox Sports colleague Michael Strahan’s playbook. Fox’s lead NFL host will expand his role with the company, and will hold down a co-anchor slot with Rosanna Scotto on “Good Day New York” at Fox’s WNYW in New York. Menefee will keep his Sunday football role, and during the NFL season, will co-anchor at WNYW Tuesday through Friday.