AT&T Mulling Sell-Off Of Major Assets Under Turner After Time Warner Merger (CNN, TMZ)

Deadline Hollywood ^ | 8/4/2017 | Anita Busch and David Lieberman

[RightGeek]

EXCLUSIVE: There are rumblings at the highest executive levels that AT&T’s top executives are considering divesting some Time Warner assets — including news organization CNN and celebrity gossip site TMZ — after they merge.

AT&T expects the Justice Department to approve its $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner, and for the deal to close, by year end. The telco has already named longtime exec John Stankey to be CEO of AT&T’s media properties. He’s leading the Time Warner Merger Integration Planning Team, working with Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes.

CBS has long had its eye on CNN. The broadcast company’s CEO, Les Moonves, said at Herb Allen’s Sun Valley retreat last month that he would be interested if the cable news network became available. Neither CBS or AT&T would comment.

For TMZ, Deadline was told that AT&T is considering a sale to a private equity company. “They don’t want any controversy,” one source with knowledge of AT&T’s intentions says, adding that the communications giant may also be looking to sell other properties under Turner.

[A. Morgan]

Sprint offers $100 for both!

[SES1066]

Oh, boy, CBS & CNN, no bias there!

[A. Morgan]

Bernie EBBERS offers $200 for CNN, TMZ

[PAR35]

Only surprise is that they don’t make Time Warner HBO sell it off before the merger. It probably goes down in value every day.

[GnuThere]

They could auction off Jim Acosta to the highest bidder.
That would raise lunch money for a day.

[PAR35]

Is he out of prison? Last I heard, he was living in Texas.

[rrrod]

FReepers will offer$5 for CNN...

[xzins]

Sinclair should buy it.

[A. Morgan]

Word has it he will grow both CNN and TMZ just like he did
his other businesses!

[Snickering Hound]

I'd toss in a bid for Brooke Baldwin...

[lodi90]

Just a little BS to get the merger approved.

[faithhopecharity]

we have a huge stack of correspondence and notes from trying to get ATT to just stop its over-billing scam

they quoted a rate, they confirmed it at least a couple dozen times already, they promised to correct their billing computer to the right amount for all future months, ...

but for about 15 months straight... ATT over-bills by about $50 a month.........and so we have to contact ATT and then they all check their computers there and confirm the “error’ and promise that they will get it fixed so that we will never have to trouble contacting them again.....and then each new month brings another scam bill

we hope ATT gives up its scam billing before it gives up any subsidiaries

then...break up ATT like it was supposed to be broken up hears ago! competition is good, let other companies use ATT wires (for a reasonable fee okay)...end the ATT monopoly on wired phone service (which is sometimes necessary for security systems, fire alarms, burglar alarm systems, health monitor equipment, and so forth..............wireless is not a complete substitute or we’d drop ATT in a Flash Second!)

[nevergore]

He’s dead....

[nevergore]

Never mind, he’s not dead.....surprisingly still kicking...

[The_Republic_Of_Maine]

CBS has long had its eye on CNN. The broadcast company’s CEO, Les Moonves, said at Herb Allen’s Sun Valley retreat last month that he would be interested if the cable news network became available.

I would love to see Rush Limbaugh and Donald Jr buy it.

[a fool in paradise]

If Cnn and Hblo are no longer sisters would Cnn still employ Bill Marher as a political commentator?

[a fool in paradise]

Gutar will buy it and Al Jizz will be broadcast to travelers in every US airport.

[bigbob]

Hopefully it will go to auction and See Bee Ess will overpay and hasten their own demise. Most mergers fail to meet financial goals so selling off pieces provides an immediate return and reduces the integration effort for the remaining businesses.

[phalynx]

You will sell those two...and THAT one, you will sell cheap!”