Brian Stelter here at 8:52pm ET on Sunday, Dec. 12. I'm hitting send from the American Museum of Natural History, where the CNN Heroes telecast is underway. Here's the latest on Alyssa Farah, Dr. Oz, Peloton, Adam Mosseri, "Succession," Megan Thee Stallion, and more...
From Fox to CNN
Sunday morning's big surprise in the TV news world, Chris Wallace signing off from Fox News, was followed by a second surprise a few minutes later: Wallace is joining CNN as an anchor on the CNN+ streaming service.
Both parts of the story speak volumes about the respective networks. First, let's tackle the CNN part. Mediaite called Wallace's move to CNN, and to streaming, an "industry shocker..."
A big statement by CNN+
The WSJ's Ben Mullin is right about this: "Mr. Wallace's move to CNN+ is one of the biggest signs yet that CNN is investing heavily in its pivot to direct-to-consumer streaming." CNN boss Jeff Zucker said as much in his statement welcoming Wallace to the company. "We are thrilled to have Chris on the ground floor of helping us build the next generation of CNN and news," Zucker said. Other hires specifically pegged to CNN+ have included Kasie Hunt and Scott Galloway, and they are just the beginning.
The subscription streaming service is launching in early 2022. As I mentioned on the air on Sunday, it will feature new programming, on top of what currently appears on cable. Sunday's press release said that "more information about Wallace's show, additional hires and CNN+'s full lineup will be available in the weeks and months to come."
A big loss for Fox's newsroom
I suspect Tucker Carlson was gleeful when he heard the news, but Fox's thinly staffed DC bureau was gutted on Sunday. Wallace is part of the network's backbone. Or rather, he was. A Fox source said to me his departure felt "like a death in the family" at the bureau. Numerous Fox stars praised him on Twitter and said they were disappointed by the news. "Sad to see Chris go -- he's had an amazing run at 'Fox News Sunday,'" Bret Baier wrote.
Rank and file staffers were totally in the dark about his decision until he announced it on the air and sent out a farewell email. "This was a very well-kept secret," Guy Benson, one of Wallace's final guests, tweeted. Minutes after the show, Wallace entered the newsroom and received an ovation from staffers as he walked toward his office, according to bureau sources. He spent some time talking with his surprised producers. Whether Wallace counts himself in this crew or not, he is the latest example of a journalist exodus from Fox...
Fox is "fully Tucker TV now"
Wallace, 74, had multiple options when his four-year Fox contract was approaching its end point earlier this year. Wallace ultimately decided he didn't want to renew with Fox, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. CNN may have looked even more appealing after "Patriot Purge," Carlson's January 6 denialism, made headlines in early November.
NPR's David Folkenflik recently reported that Baier and Wallace were so troubled by Carlson's conspiracy crusade that they "shared their objections" with management. But those complaints clearly fell on deaf ears, even though Wallace's contract was coming due and execs must have known that he might leave. As Clive Irving wrote for The Daily Beast on Sunday, "Fox News Is Fully Tucker TV Now."
"Crazy sauce"
Oliver Darcy writes: "The reality is the Fox that Wallace is leaving is quite different than the network he joined 18 years ago. Back then, the network had a conservative tilt. But in recent years, it has transformed into a hyper-partisan right-wing talk channel that is comfortable pushing dark conspiracy theories to its viewers all day and night. Julia Ioffe said it well on Sunday's "Reliable Sources:" Fox is like 'a crazy sauce that you keep on the burner, and it keeps reducing more and more and gets more and more concentrated, and I think that flavor isn't for everybody.' It definitely isn't for Wallace..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
-- "Fox News has always been brilliant replacing its stars in prime time," but "it won't be so easy with Chris Wallace," Mark Joyella writes... (Forbes)
-- "We are extremely proud of our journalism and the stellar team that Chris Wallace was a part of for 18 years," Fox said in a statement. "The legacy of 'Fox News Sunday' will continue with our star journalists, many of whom will rotate in the position until a permanent host is named..." (Fox)
-- "The cable news landscape is shifting as major anchors go off the air or ink new deals that put the future of their time-slots in doubt..." (WSJ)
-- "Wallace's departure from Fox is the third major change among cable-news personalities in the past eight days..." (WaPo)
-- In addition to his new show during the week, Wallace will also "help cover election nights and nominating conventions" for CNN+, Michael Grynbaum reported... (NYT)
-- In other CNN news, Alyssa Farah is joining the network as a political commentator... (Playbook)
How to watch CNN Heroes
The 15th Annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute, hosted by Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa, is live now through 10pm ET, when it will replay. Tune in via CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español or on CNNgo... Details here...
"Succession" season finale night
HBO's media mogul family drama "doesn't do neat conclusions," CNN's Scottie Andrew writes. "It leaves gaps to be filled in off-screen, in later seasons or not at all -- even the central question in the show's title of who will succeed Logan hasn't been answered. We, the devoted viewers, are left to read between the lines, debate and theorize. And theorize we do." Here are the questions Andrew wants the season three finale to answer. The episode begins at 9pm ET...
Media week ahead calendar
Monday: TIME will name its Person of the Year at 7:30am ET via YouTube...
Monday: Golden Globe nominations will be announced at 9am...
Wednesday: "Shatner in Space," an Amazon special synergistically built around William Shatner's space flight aboard Jeff Bezos' ship...
Thursday: Closing arguments are expected to begin in the Elizabeth Holmes trial...
Friday: "Spider-Man: No Way Home" tries to rescue the box office...
Saturday and Sunday: "Tiger Woods and his son Charlie headline the field" at the PNC Championship...
First, the twisters. Now, the unknown
Joplin. Tuscaloosa. Moore. Certain communities are forever imprinted by the terror of a tornado. Mayfield, Kentucky is the newest example. News crews raced to town after Friday night's terrible tornado outbreak. CNN's Pamela Brown led the network's coverage from Mayfield on Saturday evening and again on Sunday. Another anchors on the scene include Boris Sanchez and John Berman for CNN; Norah O'Donnell for CBS; David Muir for ABC; and Kate Snow and Lester Holt for NBC.
"TORNADO OUTBREAK LIKELY DEADLIEST OF 2021" is the on-screen banner on The Weather Channel while I'm writing this item. The word "likely" alludes to the uncertainty of this moment, nearly 48 hours after the storms hit. Dozens are feared dead but local officials are still overwhelmed...
Covering, and recovering
On Sunday's "Reliable," I spoke with publishers of local news operations in both Kentucky and Tennessee. Bill Evans, the publisher of the Mayfield Messenger and other local papers, talked about the tornado as the beginning of a years-long story. Daniel Richardson, who oversees 14 local papers in Tennessee, said part of the recovery process is about "allowing people the opportunity to tell their story and to hear other stories."
>> Evans also oversees a local TV station, and he made a very important point: On- air meteorologists absolutely "saved lives" during Friday's disaster...
CNN producer arrested and suspended
John Griffin, a producer at CNN for the past eight years, "was arrested Friday and charged with three counts of using a facility of interstate commerce to attempt to entice minors to engage in unlawful sexual activity, the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont said." All the details are in this CNN.com story. Hearst's CT Insider website broke the news on Friday. "The charges against Mr. Griffin are deeply disturbing," a CNN spokesman told the site. "We only learned of his arrest yesterday afternoon and have suspended him pending investigation."
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO
-- ABC's Michael Strahan earned his astronaut wings on Saturday with a successful Blue Origin launch. He said it was "almost an out of body experience..." (ABC)
-- Strahan was back on Fox's football coverage on Sunday, and he will be back on "GMA" on Tuesday...
-- Can Peloton bring a rider back from the dead? The company has a clever response for the "Sex and the City" reboot shocker... (CNN)
-- Alex Sherman's optimistic take: "Why BuzzFeed's poor debut doesn't necessarily spell bad news for new media..." (CNBC)
Trump's "mirage"
If you haven't read it yet, Judd Legum's report and Twitter thread about Trump's media company "mirage" is essential. "It has no product, no customers, and no revenue. But it's much worse than that," Legum said, pointing out that parts of the company's investor presentation have been copy-and-pasted from other sites. On Sunday's "Reliable," Will Bunch called the venture just the latest Trump "scam..."
>> And speaking of a "mirage," reporters said there were lots of empty seats at Trump's on-stage events with Bill O'Reilly on Saturday and Sunday evening...
Biden's first late night interview
He appeared on "The Tonight Show" on Friday and talked with Jimmy Fallon about everything from QAnon to breakfast routines. Donald Judd recapped it for CNN here. Two parts stood out to me: One, his deadpan answer when Fallon asked if he pays attention to his approval ratings. "Not anymore," Biden said, inviting huge laughter from the audience. "I would pay attention when they’re in the mid-60s, but now they're in the 40s, I don't pay attention anymore." And two...
"Here's the deal," Biden told Fallon while continuing to react to the approval rating question. Biden said "a lot has happened" during his eleven months in office. "Look, people are afraid, people are worried," he said, "and people are getting so much inaccurate information to them -- I don't mean about me, but about their situation -- and so they're, you know, they're being told that you know, Armageddon is on the way."
Then he pivoted to make some positive points about the economy. But his comments about an "Armageddon" narrative ring true. Just listen to these clips from the past few days of Fox chatter...
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE
-- Biden's appearance helped "Tonight" to its largest Friday audience in nine months... (TheWrap)
-- Left and right are both frustrated with Biden news coverage. Will Bunch and SE Cupp opined about it on Sunday's "Reliable..." (CNN)
-- The headline on Tal Kopan's exclusive interview with the VP: "One year in, Kamala Harris says she won’t be distracted by 'ridiculous' headlines..." (SF Chronicle)
-- Harris also "ignored questions on staffing problems in her office and recent high-profile departures, according to the newspaper..." (CNN)
-- Will Sommer's latest: "Pro-Trump parents are scrambling for their own children's books to avoid supposed brainwashing by public school teachers—and it’s a gold rush for pundits on the right..." (Beast)
"We've had enough hearings"
Lawmakers are getting savvier about the internet. They're asking smarter questions at hearing after hearing. But "without the distractions of bizarre questions, what’s left is the naked reality that the parties are deeply at odds over how to protect consumers and encourage businesses," the NYT's Cecilia Kang writes in this news analysis. "Dozens of bills to strengthen privacy, encourage competition and quell misinformation have stalled because of a basic disagreement over the hand of government on businesses." She quotes folks saying "we've had enough hearings," it's time for action, but there's no sign of impending action...
Oz fights to be called "Doctor"
Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz says the Philadelphia Inquirer is trying to "cancel" him by removing his title "Doctor" from its coverage. Why did that happen? Michael Smerconish talked with Jeffrey Barg, the Inquirer's Grammarian columnist, about "Dr." and its importance to the candidate...
FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR
-- How pandemic fatigue factors into the disinfo fight: People "may be even more susceptible to believing fake information" after "seemingly endless cycles of travel bans, lockdowns and the need for more vaccines and booster shots..." (WaPo)
-- "The Daily Show" correspondent Jordan Klepper traveled to L.A. to look at vaccine hesitancy among some in the wellness community... (YouTube)
-- And on Sunday, Klepper talked with CNN's Phil Mattingly about what he found... (CNN)
-- "Instagram head Adam Mosseri used his story to answer people's questions about the company's plan to bring back the much-missed chronological feed." It may come back in early 2022... (The Verge)
-- Alexander Darwin shares "the lost diary of Anthony Bourdain:" For years, "the chef and TV star posted anonymously to a martial-arts forum on Reddit — but his voice was too singular to go undetected for long..." (Rolling Stone)
Remembering Anne Rice
"Interview with the Vampire" author Anne Rice died Saturday, her son announced on social media. She was 80 years old. CNN's Andy Rose took a look back at her life here. AMC Networks, which is working on TV projects based on Rice's works, said Sunday, "We join Anne Rice's millions of fans around the world in mourning her passing, and our thoughts are with her son Christopher and the rest of her family at this difficult time. Her extraordinary work will live forever..."
Feeble, tepid, weak, mild...
Those are some of the words used by headline writers to describe this weekend's domestic box office. "Steven Spielberg's rave-reviewed remake of 'West Side Story' arrived to an estimated $10.5 million in North American ticket sales, a feeble result — even by pandemic standards — that added to alarm in Hollywood about the theatrical viability of films that are not visual effects-driven fantasy spectacles or new chapters in ongoing franchises," the NYT's Brooks Barnes wrote Sunday. "But there was also a camp that cautioned against making any speedy assessments." Here's why...
Is there a place (in theaters) for musicals?
Brian Lowry writes: "The disappointing box office results for 'West Side Story' are already fueling a couple of questions, the first being whether even good musicals (see “In the Heights”) can overcome rough times for adult-oriented fare at the box office, and how severely the pandemic has exacerbated those problems. While there’s hope the film could possess legs through the holidays, with action alternatives coming it could just as easily be overlooked by those content to wait until it reaches streaming/VOD. Also, the absence of box-office data on streaming movies (see another musical, Netflix's 'Tick, Tick … Boom!') is starting to look like a sort-of advantage in the awards race, since they don't get tarred by the stench of failure..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE
-- "Travis Scott has been effectively removed from the lineup of performances for the 2022 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival," Jem Aswad and J. Kim Murphy report... (Variety)
-- Megan Thee Stallion celebrated her graduation from Texas Southern University on Saturday... (CNN)
-- "The final moments of 'Black Widow' featured a surprise for audiences — and as it turns out, even the writing staff of 'Hawkeye' didn’t know about it at first," Aaron Couch writes... (THR)
"SNL" highlights
"Billie Eilish filled double duty as both host and musical guest" on Saturday night, IndieWire's LaToya Ferguson wrote. The episode also featured Kate McKinnon "back in action for the first time this season." She played Dr. Anthony Fauci, as Frank Pallotta recapped here...
>> IndieWire has a compilation of the episode's best and worst clips...
>> "SNL" took on TikTok with brutal accuracy, Megan Thomas writes...
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST...
Pet of the day!
Faye writes: "This is Wise showing her abundant Catitude. I don't know how she got that name. I adopted her 4 years ago at age 6+, but the adoption counselor didn't have any information on how she got that name. I figured it was less stressful for her not to change it!"
Thank you for reading! Email your feedback and/or tips anytime. See you tomorrow...
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