MeidasTouch Reacts to Latest on Colbert Coup Ben Meiselas and MeidasTouch Network Jul 21 By Ben Meiselas Hi MeidasMighty, it’s Ben Meiselas here. I wanted to give a brief update on the CBS coup of Stephen Colbert and 60 Minutes—and what MeidasTouch is doing to fight back. As always, thanks to our subscribers here on Substack. Please subscribe now if you aren’t yet a subscriber. We have grown with zero investors thanks to our subscribers. CBS now claims that it is not renewing the contract of Colbert because the show lost $40 million last year. They say it’s purely for financial reasons and has nothing to do with the recent meeting between Paramount and Trump’s FCC head, or the recent $16 million settlement it made with Trump. I’m not buying it. First, I don’t think Paramount has much credibility after throwing 60 Minutes under the bus and settling with Trump over a case where he alleged that the 60 Minutes interview with former VP Harris caused him emotional distress. Trump files many frivolous lawsuits, and in my opinion, the case against CBS was perhaps the most frivolous yet—done as a quid pro quo for regulatory approval of the Paramount-Skydance merger. Second, with Trump, we know if you give him an inch, he takes more—and eventually your life, your soul, or your company. In my opinion, it seems likely that Trump demanded more from Paramount after they folded in the settlement. Third, CBS renewed Colbert’s previous contract in 2023. I don’t believe the show suddenly became unprofitable this year. Corporate news networks frequently engage in “creative accounting” to show losses when it benefits them. With the explosion of digital media, Paramount should have been thrilled about the future potential for Colbert—especially considering their 2023 renegotiation. Fourth, and most importantly for me, is the clincher: Stephen Colbert is the top talent at CBS. I can’t think of anyone more recognizable and identified with CBS than Colbert. The fact that Colbert was surprised his show wasn’t getting renewed—and that it seemingly came out of nowhere—is all I need to know. Colbert had been with CBS for about a decade. In my opinion, it is not “good faith” to suddenly surprise your top talent that they’re gone without any back and forth. As far as we know, CBS never offered options to reduce costs on The Late Show, nor did they explain to Colbert why a salary cut was needed. They didn’t treat him like a human being or present him with the purported data—which they eventually leaked to the press anyway. There seems to have been no discussion. It seems like Colbert found out literally right before the public did. That doesn’t pass the smell test for me. That’s the type of bad faith behavior that Trump pulls. The most likely scenario in my opinion—and my hypothesis—is that, at the eleventh hour, Trump’s FCC gave an ultimatum to CBS and Skydance and gave them a short window to respond, which is why it caught Colbert off guard. I could be wrong, of course. But I think when you lay it out the way I did above, my explanation makes the most sense. This is why independent media is needed right now. The independent media ecosystem we are leading is the best—and only—way to respond to how corporate media is dismantling itself to become a propaganda arm for the regime. The difference in this historical moment is that we can now go pound for pound with corporate news networks on quality, research, and reach—and we can provide not just an alternative, but a fundamentally better product. Since the MeidasTouch Network is funded by subscribers on this Substack, we are in total alignment with the community that engages with and watches us. There is true accountability. Further, in the marketplace of ideas and news, when MeidasTouch Network and CBS have equal access to a distribution hub like YouTube or other digital platforms, you can see what people prefer. People prefer the truth and fearless reporting. That’s why the MeidasTouch Network gets far more digital views than CBS. I’ll conclude with this: Every single day, we try to make you proud to be a member of this community. Every day, we wake up and think about how we can best fight for you. Every day, we listen to you—what you’re going through and how we can respond. That’s the Meidas way. I certainly hope Colbert will join the MeidasTouch Network in the future, and I hope we can build out more shows like 60 Minutes before the CBS settlement. Every day, we know who we work for—and that’s you. Thanks for reading this, and please subscribe now to this Substack if you can. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

 

Dispatches of alarm and hope, on politics and society, democracy and justice. Because silence is not an option. We may read and write alone, but we drive change together. Billionaire Cowardice and Free Speech Let's not pretend the canceling of Stephen Colbert and "The Late Show" was not surrendering to Donald Trump and his desire to silence dissent Steven Beschloss Jul 21 Stephen Colbert called the payment to Trump “a big fat bribe.” (Screenshot from CBS) What is the point of making billions if it causes you to abandon principle and act with cowardice? What is the point of living in a democratic country if you reject the sacred right of free speech by capitulating to a hateful despot bent on the destruction of self-governance and our 249-year-old American project? What’s next? Billionaires putting to work lawlessly rounded-up migrants or funding poison to turn the Florida concentration camp into a death camp? Will they justify it like chemical-maker I.G. Farben did in Nazi Germany that their use of Auschwitz slave labor and production of Zyklon B poison gas was good business? It may seem like a major, hyperbolic leap from a decision to pay off Donald Trump with $16 million in order to smooth the multibillion-dollar merger of Paramount with Skydance to the deadly horrors of Nazi Germany. It’s the kind of linkages which I’ve hesitated making again and again over the last decade since Trump descended from his golden escalator and demonized Mexicans. But the announcement this past week by Paramount that they are canceling “The Late Show” led by the supremely talented Stephen Colbert is a stark reminder that the conditions for atrocities are facilitated by the silencing of dissent. CBS’ owner could blithely insist that it was a financial decision “not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount." But let’s not allow their protestation to insult our intelligence and pretend this isn’t capitulation. Yes, they may not have liked it when Colbert said on-air he was “offended” by Paramount’s settlement of a nuisance lawsuit involving an interview edit by CBS’ iconic 60 Minutes news program, describing their payment as a “big fat bribe.” Yes, they are a private company with the right to cancel shows as they see fit, especially ones that are not making the profits they want. But they are a media company in a democratic society with inherent public responsibilities. That should always include upholding the Constitution and supporting the First Amendment, and especially when it’s under attack by a hostile government. They well knew that this was a decision that would please Trump—and surely activate his bottomless desire to demand more from perceived enemies. “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired,” Trump posted after the announcement. The owner of CBS has hit another nail in the coffin of legacy media and its history of credibility and honor. It beseeches all of us in independent media—and everyone who supports it—to speak out vigorously against a dictatorial regime and all those who surrender to its threats and demands. Ostensibly, CBS will not be canceling “The Late Show” until May 2026, but I wouldn’t be sure that Colbert’s incisive observations between now and then won’t convince the company to speed up its demise. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to Colbert sharpening his knife and showcasing what free speech is all about. We’ll need to keep hearing from this gifted comedian and communicator, be it under the “Late Show” lights or in whatever enterprise and formats he may develop once he departs CBS. We can’t count on his sharp wit to “save us,” but we surely need his voice to strengthen the opposition as we all work to reject the deadly agenda of the Trump regime. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber for $50 a year or just $5 a month, if you’re not already. This helps sustain and expand the work of America, America, keeps nearly all the content free for everyone and gives you full access to the comment sections. Building our community has never been more important.