27 Comments
User's avatar
Sanford Dickert's avatar

Damn excellent work @Evan. Thanks mate.

Evan Shapiro's avatar

Appreciate that Sanford! 🙏

Krishan Arora's avatar

This is an awesome takedown. And the last line about the Ellisons reading your newsletter is a coup de grace. Reading this in Copenhagen, I'm picturing them and their minions reading your cogent analysis like the tailors in HC Andersen's 'Emperor's New Clothes'. They won't give a damn as they have the unclothed orange emperor to please; but the rest of us should.

Evan Shapiro's avatar

💯 what I was going for. 🙏

Bill Cunningham's avatar

"And yet, local CBS affiliates depend on the 11:35 programming block to generate tune-in for the late local news. They rely on The Late Show to help drive traffic to the morning news the next day. CBS relies on that program to promote its other programming. Paramount distribution depends on The Late Show in their negotiations with cable affiliates, for which 15% of their fees are attributed. And, while ad dollars are down from their peak, so are ad revenues across all of Paramount, and $70 million in lost ad revenue is nothing at which to sneeze."

Colbert and The Late Show was the grease that helped turned the 'gears' of the CBS machine. That function cannot be ignored.

Herbert Yates of Republic Pictures was once asked regarding the number of "small movies" his studio had (now CBS Radford), and to paraphrase him he said, these were 'bread & butter' movies. Small features and serials that helped the independent theaters stay in business. They weren't being paid attention to by the Paramounts or MGMs of the world, so Republic was there to fill in the gap, keep the theater syndicates and their audiences happy, and employ actors and technicians.

This was an excellent piece, Evan and I hope it gets more traction in the mainstream media world to hopefully wake the country as to what is happening around us.

Evan Shapiro's avatar

This is an excellent comment Bill. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and your conscientious.

howard barrett's avatar

GREAT, as well as gutsy piece. Words that describe Evan's Summary : Analytic; Informative ; Intelligent; Morally Compassed ; Honest ; Industry Supportive . It also appears that Mr. Shapiro has big Cajones!

Lisa Jourdan (Lisa J)'s avatar

They fired him because Trump is the first president who is such big baby he can't take a joke!!!

Nora Ryan's avatar

Really well done, Evan. I will forward as you suggest.

Skip Berry's avatar

Evan: Thank you for being an honest voice amid the cacophony of lies we’re being subjected to daily. This is a great piece of writing.

Erica Gruen's avatar

Byron Allen has a time buy with CBS for M-F 11:30-1am with Comedy Unleashed and Funny You Should Ask. CBS claims to be saving a ton and making a ton by this unprecedented move. Would love to see you tear apart that claim, too. Why aren’t CBS shareholders in revolt?

Evan Shapiro's avatar

They will save a LOT of money. They will make WAY less. That is irrefutable. Because people are as lazy and self-serving as Ellison thinks they are.

KT Grant's avatar

THIS! As I said on Linkedin, 200 people who worked for the show and now are jobless are the true victims.

John's avatar

Wish you had published this piece months ago... Unfortunately, now, I fear that it's too late for it to make an impact.

Evan Shapiro's avatar

Not if you forward to the CA Attorney General at piu@doj.ca.gov or your senator or representative.

John's avatar

Done. Although Bonta is already on the case (literally I figuratively). 👍

Peter Byck's avatar

I agree this is great work that would have been incredibly helpful 7 months ago. How does sending this now to CA attorney general help?

Evan Shapiro's avatar

The quid pro quo nature of firing colbert and attacking 60 minutes will undoubtedly be part of the investigation of the wbd merger by the CA AG and congress.

Peter Byck's avatar

Copy that. Thank you.

Emanuele Landi's avatar

Trying to save some coins to finance the absurd 110b purchase of wbd. Curious to see what happens if in two years the Trump thing ends.

Evan Shapiro's avatar

IF it ends you mean.

Emanuele Landi's avatar

We also had in Italy a Trump kinda one. I pray it will end. It's our global future at stake.

Frank Radice's avatar

Of course it was.

Sharon Harris's avatar

BOOM!!! Evan this is powerful. Can't wait to hear more.

Arnoldo Rangel's avatar

Bye bye Colbert! go fuck off you POS! 🤣😂

jennyjenjen's avatar

This took me right back to journalism school. Love it. Thank you!