Late Show with Stephen Colbert canceled...Possible Political Reasons

Tim Simmons · July 21

Lerxst1992 said:

Tried to edit the above but the edit screen shows it correctly while above it’s combining TS comment w my reply. Is trump ruining this site?

Yeah it did it to me too. I had to go back and do a weird edit just to separate the comments

Halifax2TheMax · July 21

mace1229 said:

Halifax2TheMax said:

Certainly the most transparent administration in history wouldn’t have a finger, a hand or a fist in anything, right?

No one is saying that.
what I am saying is considering all of the facts, a net revenue of -$40 million, the pending sale, time to renew contracts coming up, the facts suggest this is a financial decision.
I’ve asked 4 or 5 times and haven’t received an answer. How would you justify keeping a show that has shown continued decline for the last few years and is currently worth -$40 million? Tell me how you justify that in a way that makes sense. If you can’t, then that demonstrates a financial motivation.

Again, it shouldn’t be an issue for the executives to show their balance sheet(s), particularly in light of their last quarter financial report.

mickeyrat · July 21

Nothing to see here! CBS’s cancellation of “The Late Show” has nothing to do, we are told, with Stephen Colbert and his steady stream of critique aimed at President Donald Trump. Never mind that Paramount, CBS’s parent company, recently forked over $16 million to Trump, following his lawsuit against “60 Minutes.” Or that only three days before the cancellation was announced, Colbert inveighed against that settlement—calling it a “big fat bribe”—on the show. And don’t worry about the fact that Paramount now desires to sell itself to the entertainment behemoth Skydance Media, owned by the mega-rich David Ellison, “and that it might help to offer up a nice, juicy Colbert-size sacrificial lamb to the Trump Administration—known, of course, for its susceptibility to bribes and ostentatious displays of forced loyalty—in order to clear the way to get the deal done,” Vinson Cunningham / @vinsoncunningham writes. One of the signature features of life under the Trump regime is that a constant sandstorm of casual lies and destabilizing ambiguity keeps obscuring important facts. The conventional wisdom is that late-night television is doomed. CBS and its parent company, Paramount, have set an end date for one of the last public pipelines to some version of the truth. Read more: https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/HPGHdn

mace1229 · July 22

Don’t bribes work the other way? If Trump wanted the show canceled, wouldn’t he be the one paying the money? You don’t accept money then get the benefit of the bribe. That’s not how it works. Or so I’m told, I’ve never tried to bribe anyone.
This whole bribe argument is Trump accepted $16 million in return for having the show he didn’t like cancelled. Shouldn’t the money flow the other way in a bribe? Wouldn’t Trump be paying cbs millions to cancel the show in a bribe?
If I’m wrong on how bribes work, then i need to get a cop to pay me $500 to not give me a ticket next time I’m pulled over. That’s would be awesome.

mickeyrat · July 22

mace1229 said:

Don’t bribes work the other way? If Trump wanted the show canceled, wouldn’t he be the one paying the money? You don’t accept money then get the benefit of the bribe. That’s not how it works. Or so I’m told, I’ve never tried to bribe anyone.
This whole bribe argument is Trump accepted $16 million in return for having the show he didn’t like cancelled. Shouldn’t the money flow the other way in a bribe? Wouldn’t Trump be paying cbs millions to cancel the show in a bribe?
If I’m wrong on how bribes work, then i need to get a cop to pay me $500 to not give me a ticket next time I’m pulled over. That’s would be awesome.

no. the position of power doesnt pay. wtf.

given his power of the government, its really extortion. Implied extortion. I wont hold up your merger if you settled this bullshit lawsuit.

brianlux · July 22

I'm reading all over the place that people think the cancellation was for monetary reasons.

Right... riiight...

mace1229 · July 22

mickeyrat said:

mace1229 said:

Don’t bribes work the other way? If Trump wanted the show canceled, wouldn’t he be the one paying the money? You don’t accept money then get the benefit of the bribe. That’s not how it works. Or so I’m told, I’ve never tried to bribe anyone.
This whole bribe argument is Trump accepted $16 million in return for having the show he didn’t like cancelled. Shouldn’t the money flow the other way in a bribe? Wouldn’t Trump be paying cbs millions to cancel the show in a bribe?
If I’m wrong on how bribes work, then i need to get a cop to pay me $500 to not give me a ticket next time I’m pulled over. That’s would be awesome.

no. the position of power doesnt pay. wtf.

given his power of the government, its really extortion. Implied extortion. I wont hold up your merger if you settled this bullshit lawsuit.

You’re right, I misread that. I thought the statement was the bribe was to cancel the show, not stop the merger.

Now, I can picture that happening. I just don’t picture the show being a part of that deal, especially when it’s in the red so much.

Bentleyspop · July 22

As per usual John Stewart gets it...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMZTCYOshrb/?igsh=Mm54azhtNjA5OHpk

Halifax2TheMax · July 22

There’s no truth to the rumours that COOTWH wants the Washington Commanders name changed to the Washington Epsteins.

brianlux · July 22

Bentleyspop said:

As per usual John Stewart gets it...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMZTCYOshrb/?igsh=Mm54azhtNjA5OHpk

100%!

And remember...

GO FUCK YOURSELF!

(Awwww, don't get get mad, watch the whole thing.)

josevolution · July 22

Lerxst1992 said:

Halifax2TheMax said:

So, which is it? Open the books and let the truth be free.

Paramount says its decision to cancel “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” despite it being the No. 1 late-night television program was “purely a financial decision.”
But there is little in Paramount Global Inc.’s
PARA
+0.19%
recent earnings report to indicate that the finances of its television division had eroded so precipitously that jettisoning one of its trademark programs would be a necessary solution.

The Writers Guild of America, which represents many writers on the show, said the timing appeared suspicious and called on New York Attorney General Letitia James to investigate.
“For ten years, the show has been one of the most successful, beloved and profitable programs on CBS, entertaining an audience of millions on late night television, on streaming services and across social media,” the union said. “Given Paramount’s recent capitulation to President Trump in the CBS News lawsuit, the Writers Guild of America has significant concerns that ‘The Late Show’s’ cancellation is a bribe, sacrificing free speech to curry favor with the Trump administration as the company looks for merger approval.”
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/was-canceling-stephen-colberts-late-show-really-about-money-the-numbers-dont-entirely-back-it-up-4b100500

This is absolute silliness. The timing corresponds to a SALE OF THE COMPANY. It sounds like you don’t have any m and a experience. The timing makes 100% sense. And if they are lying about Colbert being not profitable they could get sued by the buyer. This is exactly why Dems lose elections, they live in fantasy land.

while all this is going on, the Rs took away NPR from most of rural America, making it more difficult to reach these voters.

like you said earlier, enjoy your nap.
hey boss, look, da plane!

Who did these rural voters vote for?

josevolution · July 22

Not sure what happened with quote!

I asked who did those rural voters vote for?

Gern Blansten · July 22

mace1229 said:

mickeyrat said:

mace1229 said:

Don’t bribes work the other way? If Trump wanted the show canceled, wouldn’t he be the one paying the money? You don’t accept money then get the benefit of the bribe. That’s not how it works. Or so I’m told, I’ve never tried to bribe anyone.
This whole bribe argument is Trump accepted $16 million in return for having the show he didn’t like cancelled. Shouldn’t the money flow the other way in a bribe? Wouldn’t Trump be paying cbs millions to cancel the show in a bribe?
If I’m wrong on how bribes work, then i need to get a cop to pay me $500 to not give me a ticket next time I’m pulled over. That’s would be awesome.

no. the position of power doesnt pay. wtf.

given his power of the government, its really extortion. Implied extortion. I wont hold up your merger if you settled this bullshit lawsuit.

You’re right, I misread that. I thought the statement was the bribe was to cancel the show, not stop the merger.

Now, I can picture that happening. I just don’t picture the show being a part of that deal, especially when it’s in the red so much.

Being in the red (if it really is...easy to manipulate revenue/costs to support just about any position) seems like a convenient excuse to me...given the circumstances at least.

Tim Simmons · July 22

Gave me a sensible chuckle

https://youtu.be/Rv6SNu0aavU?si=cIND133RPEF5mqPm

tempo_n_groove · July 22

So. What will happen to SNL?

mace1229 · July 22

tempo_n_groove said:

So. What will happen to SNL?

I was wondering that the other day. And I think they’re safe for a while.

Google still says it’s profitable for one, with more viewership and more higher ads.
But also I think they could easily cut the budget. When you think of iconic SNL cast members, they typically were only on SNL 5-6 years. The formula worked for a long time, recycle cast members more frequently. My guess is one big reason is salaries weren’t what they are now to the long standing members. In 2001 Will Ferrel set the record in salary at $17,500 an episode. It doesn’t seem to be openly shared, but some current members, like Keenan, make $2-3 million a season, which translates to over $100k an episode. Lorne makes between $30-40 million a season.
Looking at the cast from 2001, pretty much every single one of them was or is an icon in comedy. Most were only on 5-6 seasons, I think Tina fey was the longest and lasted 9 seasons.
Compared to this year’s cast, several members are 10-20+ years as cast members. They are spending a lot more on salaries because they are keeping many of them longer and paying much higher salaries.
I think before they cut SNL, they reduce salaries and go back to the shorter tenure they had before. seems like people liked SNL more when they did that anyway.

Tim Simmons · July 22

I think you’re gonna see big SNL purge for s51. Really felt like a couple of the sketches from the s50 finale were a send off for some and several looked emotional.

That being said, SNL is a different beast than the late night talk show. I’d even argue it’s a bigger institution than any of the late night talk shows, even The Tonight Show.

tempo_n_groove · July 22

mace1229 said:

tempo_n_groove said:

So. What will happen to SNL?

I was wondering that the other day. And I think they’re safe for a while.

Google still says it’s profitable for one, with more viewership and more higher ads.
But also I think they could easily cut the budget. When you think of iconic SNL cast members, they typically were only on SNL 5-6 years. The formula worked for a long time, recycle cast members more frequently. My guess is one big reason is salaries weren’t what they are now to the long standing members. In 2001 Will Ferrel set the record in salary at $17,500 an episode. It doesn’t seem to be openly shared, but some current members, like Keenan, make $2-3 million a season, which translates to over $100k an episode. Lorne makes between $30-40 million a season.
Looking at the cast from 2001, pretty much every single one of them was or is an icon in comedy. Most were only on 5-6 seasons, I think Tina fey was the longest and lasted 9 seasons.
Compared to this year’s cast, several members are 10-20+ years as cast members. They are spending a lot more on salaries because they are keeping many of them longer and paying much higher salaries.
I think before they cut SNL, they reduce salaries and go back to the shorter tenure they had before. seems like people liked SNL more when they did that anyway.

Lorne HATED having to come up with new cast members every few years so he made the cast bigger so the quest for talent wasn't that critical.

I think most use this as a stepping stone for bigger things? Keenan befuddles me. He had a career before this and decided to stay for so many years.

Tim Simmons · July 22

Well he killed it every year and if no one was pushing him out, why go? Plus he was Lao the known face for so many cast turnovers. Kept people checking it out despite new faces (which people always hate for 2 seasons and then they’re a cast that people miss a decade after)

Get_Right · July 22

No more questionnaires? Boo. What is the best sandwich?

Late Show with Stephen Colbert canceled...Possible Political Reasons

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