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Stephen Colbert Reveals He Declined Five-Year CBS Deal in 2023

He & his manager clearly misread the network TV landscape. They thought they could negotiate for more money at a time when TV revenues were dropping. They should have taken the longer term deal.
 
Once again, this article shows, it's more than just about money. The new management at CBS/Paramount has a larger agenda than just what it broadcasts at 11:35pm. It's the same with the radio network.

Management feels it's on a mission to remake American media. Part of that is to reshape CBS for a time when linear broadcasting is no longer a priority. Part of that is to get rid of the parts it doesn't like because they are liberal (Colbert, aspects of the news department) or old (99-year old radio network). And yes, part of it is financial as well.

If the old CBS was offering Colbert a five-year contract a couple of years ago, how did the new CBS realize the show is losing money? As I've said before, if ABC and NBC aren't talking about cancelling their late night shows, Kimmel and Fallon, then why would the new CBS management cancel #1 Colbert, rather than tinker with the show to cut some of the expenses? No more 200 member staff, no more Ed Sullivan Theater in Midtown. Maybe move to a cheaper venue in Brooklyn, maybe do fewer shows per year with a smaller staff.

And if there are nine radio networks in the U.S. with hourly newscasts, why is CBS the one that's ending in May? Just as NBC and ABC are continuing their late night shows, the other eight radio networks including ABC have no plans to give up doing hourly newscasts. CBS has one of the strongest line up of affiliates, some of the highest billing radio stations in the U.S.: WTOP Washington, WINS NYC, WBBM Chicago, KNX LA, KCBS San Francisco, KYW Philadelphia, WSB Atlanta, WWJ Detroit, KIRO-FM Seattle, etc. CBS can't make money with all these top rated, top billing stations running the network's spots each hour?

Funny that this article says when Colbert started doing Late Night, he was less political but the ratings weren't great. Then he started doing more politics, more anti-Trump jokes, and the ratings went to #1. The thing that made the show so successful is the reason why the new CBS management is terminating the program as Colbert's contract ends.
 
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I take it you don't like the First Amendment when they don't support your political views*. Some would say the same about Hanity on Fox News.

With the many OTA networks and streamers, if someone had something "worthwhile" it would be on if it could make money.

*IMHO when Trump had "fight fight fight" put on his coin, and scheduled fights on the the White House Lawn, he lost the right to complain what's said about him on the TV.
 
An obvious reply is often “cable vs broadcast.” Legally, sure. But the laws and documents written in another era are not keeping pace with the real world.

To millions upon millions, “ABC” is simply one in a wall of apps or buttons or channels on whatever device they’re watching. Treating the content dramatically different on the basis of a long-gone reality is silly as we’re well into the 21st century. Historical context matters but should not be the basis upon which we base decisions when that world is mostly a memory.

The answer is not regulating newer media—that horse left the barn. It’s making the FCC more of a technical traffic cop, not the content cop.

Weirdly, as an unabashed liberal, I’m solidly behind what was once deemed a conservative position when it comes to federal government overreach, at least on this topic.
 
Gregg. said:
Management feels it's on a mission to remake American media.
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Not exactly. Colbert asks what changed from 2022? Take a look around. The people have spoken. Their usage shows that they really don't care much about traditional media. It became to big and too bloated, and they prefer on-demand streaming. If they have already moved on, then why should CBS continue to operate as though nothing changed?

CBS has been selling off its real estate for several years. They sold Television City. They sold the CBS Production Center in LA. They sold the company headquarters known as Black Rock. The NY Broadcast Center is on the block. All that happened before the new management came in.

Gregg. said:
And if there are nine radio networks in the U.S. with hourly newscasts, why is CBS the one that's ending in May?
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CBS was the last of the big three to sell off its radio stations. It's hard to justify a radio network if you don't own radio stations that carry that network. The math doesn't work. They could do a branding deal as iHeart has with NBC, but there aren't any station owners who will pay as much for that kind of thing anymore. With Audacy focusing more on sports than news, they lost the most logical partner. All of those radio networks are in big trouble.

Gregg. said:
If the old CBS was offering Colbert a five-year contract a couple of years ago, how did the new CBS realize the show is losing money? As I've said before, if ABC and NBC aren't talking about cancelling their late night shows, Kimmel and Fallon, then why would the new CBS management cancel #1 Colbert,
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Actually they're all talking about remaking network broadcasting. Bob Iger of ABC was the first to talk about the death of linear TV. Now that there's a new CEO at Disney, I expect them to start looking at ways to shrink the broadcasting footprint. Kimmel only has a 1 year deal. NBC has a bigger problem because the cable business that was their cash cow is collapsing. They have to figure out how to manage two declining businesses. But it's coming.
 
umfan said:
He will be in the news far less. I consider that a benefit.
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So says the poster who has now responded twice in a thread about Stephen Colbert, thereby ensuring that there will be more discussion of Stephen Colbert.

TheBigA said:
He & his manager clearly misread the network TV landscape. They thought they could negotiate for more money at a time when TV revenues were dropping. They should have taken the longer term deal.
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No contract is absolute, though. A contract can be terminated for the right price. Assuming all else remained equal, if Colbert had taken the five-year deal and if CBS had wanted out of it two years early, it would have cost them more money, but the same objectives would have been accomplished. That money would have been pocket change for the Ellisons, especially given their propensity to suck up to the regime in power.
 
TheBigA said:
I guess being in the news is a competition where only one person can be the story 24/7.
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Quite the stretch. Actually not even a stretch, since that wasn't even remotely implied.

When he is in the news, it's because of his platform, his show. As an individual, he is hardly newsworthy. I regard less Colbert as a positive.
 
TheBigA said:
When he is, it's usually as a result of something either the president has said on social media, or the FCC is doing with regards to late night network hosts. The government has mainly been the catalyst, not him. The government has been very selective in the media they target.
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And a certain “news” organization has been leading the charge.
 
Don CT said:
He’s rarely in the news.
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Absolutely. There was, quite understandably, coverage when the cancellation was announced. A bit of a hubbub over the interview in the Texas primary race. And as we enter May, once more understandable coverage as the end of the show nears. Otherwise, the mentions on forums such as this far outpace any mainstream news coverage.
 


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