From the Beast’s media desk

EXCLUSIVE —  WOLFF BROTHERS: Gossipy provocateur and author Michael Wolff has long been accused of being too chummy with his highest-profile subjects, which at one point included Jeffrey Epstein. New documents obtained and reviewed by Confider reveal the extent to which the pair spent time together—even after Epstein was found guilty of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. According to newly unearthed scheduling records and emails from the U.S. Virgin Islands attorney general, Wolff and Epstein (who were close in the late ’90s and early ’00s, at one point partnering up to try to buy New York magazine) had at least nine planned meetings between 2012 and 2015. These previously unreported meet-ups—which were not disclosed in Wolff’s most recent book Too Famous and its chapter titled “The Last Days of Jeffrey Epstein”—provide a unique window into just how much the two socialized even after Epstein served jail time in 2008 and became a registered sex offender. The first scheduled hang was dated Feb. 16, 2012, a breakfast in New York that listed both Wolff’s cell and email. Confider could not verify whether the meeting took place but confirmed the listed cell number and email do belong to Wolff. On July 30, 2013, Wolff was listed as having a scheduled lunch with Epstein at 12:30 p.m. in NYC. In early 2014, Wolff was slated for a January breakfast in the city with Epstein as well as a dinner—where Woody Allen, his wife Soon-Yi Previn, and former J.P. Morgan exec Jes Staley, among several others, were listed as attending—followed by two meetings in September and another lunch in October that year. By 2015 they had plans to meet in January for breakfast and on April 8 for a late-afternoon appointment. While such engagements could ostensibly be characterized as “source meetings” for a reporter like Wolff, they are certainly curious considering the long-running questions about their connections. New York magazine notably killed Wolff’s rehabby profile of Epstein in 2019 over “fact-checking concerns,” which were later alleged to include the author allowing Epstein to “dictate” the piece and field all fact-related questions, according to Alex Yablon, the fact-checker on the piece. Wolff did not respond to Confider’s multiple requests for comment about the purpose of their scheduled meetings or what was discussed. And while Wolff’s book includes that 40-page chapter about Epstein—largely centered on the convicted sex offender’s relationship with Steve Bannon—he curiously made no mention of his own extensive association with Epstein. However, Wolff has never been shy about sharing his thoughts on Epstein. “He has never been secretive about the girls.” Wolff told New York in 2007. “At one point, when his troubles began, he was talking to me and said, ‘What can I say, I like young girls.’ I said, ‘Maybe you should say, ‘I like young women.’”

EXCLUSIVE —  THE ABC ‘ENGINE’: Former CNN CEO and (still) Confider’s favorite schmoozer Chris Licht is enjoying his first week as a civilian, leaving the harsh media spotlight to the likes of his now-former rivals at Fox, NBC, CBS, and ABC. It’s at the latter network where news boss Kim Godwin has taken over the purview of ABC World News, This Week, and Good Morning America from Stacia Deshishku, executive editor and SVP of ABC News, little over a year after installing her into the job, Confider has learned. Godwin, who refers to her management team at ABC as “The Keys” while the executive producers of each show are known as “The Engine,” recently welcomed 33 summer interns to the network. “Our 2023 Summer class hails from 17 different schools across the country, including HBCUs, and includes members of NAHJ, AAJA and more,” Godwin wrote in a memo to staffers. What caught several ABC journalists’ attention was the fact that 17 of those students hail from Florida A&M University, which just happens to be Godwin’s alma mater where, as Confider previously reported, she traveled to for homecoming week last year and had requested Mickey Mouse come present a seven-figure grant check. A senior ABC staffer told Confider that some within the network are “upset” about the interns coming mostly from Godwin’s alma mater, potentially at the expense of other HBCUs. Meanwhile, as Confider first reported last week, former CNN flack Lauren Pratapas is expected to be named ABC's senior vice president of communications. A rep for ABC declined to comment.

EXCLUSIVE — EARLY VACATIONS AT FOX: Fox News has quietly let go several of its veteran on-air journalists. Confider has learned that longtime Miami-based correspondent Phil Keating—famous for his long-flowing locks, bronze tan, and appearing on-air from breathtaking beach scenery—was quietly let go earlier this year. Semafor reported last week that Amy Sohnen, Fox News’ senior VP of talent development, is also leaving the network at the end of the month, while senior correspondent Laura Ingle has been revealed as a notable Fox vet on the chopping block. Sources confirmed that five other longtime employees, including award-winning correspondent David Lee Miller, who joined Fox in its launch year, have recently exited the network. Last month, Fox News reportedly eliminated its investigative unit—though sources quickly pushed back on the notion it was at all related to the network’s $787.5-million settlement with Dominion. (Three journalists were laid off from the seven-member staff, while the other four were assigned to different divisions.) Beyond that, Fox News weekends have undergone a dramatic shift as both Dan Bongino and Steve Hilton recently ended their shows (Hilton remains a Fox contributor), prompting a restructuring of the Saturday and Sunday night lineups. Additionally, Fox Business axed its long-running but low-rated weeknight offering from former MTV VJ Kennedy—who will stay with Fox—and replaced it with reruns of a midafternoon program hosted by ex-Trump adviser Larry Kudlow. The business channel has also canceled Wall Street Journal editor-at-large Gerry Baker’s Friday night show and will instead broadcast Barron’s Roundtable, which originally aired on Saturday mornings. Sources told Confider that much of Kennedy’s old team has shifted over to Fox News weekend teams, though additional cuts from the belt-tightening could still come down the pike. A source familiar with the situation told Confider that the latest round of layoffs totaled less than 3 percent of the workforce, impacting a double-digit number of employees, and was unrelated to the Dominion settlement. Fox News did not respond to a request for comment.

EXCLUSIVE — CABLE-NEWS DARK HORSE: While quite a bit of attention has been paid to CNN and Fox News’ ratings struggles and far-right Newsmax’s recent explosive growth, another cable outlet has seen an even more remarkable expansion in viewership. NewsNation launched in 2021 as a self-styled centrist alternative to more partisan cable-news giants, and while its viewership was initially small, its primetime numbers have since erupted. For the month of May, NewsNation was up triple digits in both total primetime viewership and in the key advertising demographic of viewers aged 25-54—with 102-percent year-over-year growth in the former and 100-percent growth in the latter. By comparison, the much-talked-about Newsmax was up 87 percent in total primetime and 62 percent in the key demo. Many factors contribute to viewership, of course, but it would appear NewsNation has enjoyed this spike by sticking to the “both sides” playbook that Chris Licht was unable to pull off at CNN. Funny enough, a key player in NewsNation’s weeknight ratings surge is Chris Cuomo, who is suing CNN for firing him in late 2021. Also remarkable: NewsNation has surpassed the weeknight audience of Fox News’ sister channel Fox Business Network, which launched in 2007. FBN, for its part, has remade its primetime lineup to focus on lifestyle and culture shows—including a revamped version of COPS—featuring its anchors and other right-wing personalities.

STRIKES GALORE: The Insider strike has reached its 11th day, and with it came a fresh wave of accusations against management. The union filed three unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board over the weekend, arguing in one that some managers, including editor in chief Nich Carlson, have personally blocked some staffers on LinkedIn after they posted about the strike in his comments. The other two charges, according to the union’s strike publication Business Outsider, claimed that the company was withholding information about employees’ overall healthcare usage from the bargaining table, a point the union considered illegal. Insider’s increasingly tense standstill is perhaps reflective of a larger trend as the media industry grapples with economic downturn and declining ad revenue. NewsGuild CEO Jon Schleuss told Confider the organization has seen 27 one-day-or-longer walkouts this year, a marked jump from 21 labor stoppages in all of 2022. “To get workers back, whether it’s at Pittsburgh [Post-Gazette] or across Gannett or Insider, it’s a pretty easy answer: follow the law and respect the journalists,” he said. It’s unclear when the strikes will end, though an Insider union steward told Confider the company has held regular off-record bargaining sessions with the guild since the strike began. Asked whether similarly stalled contract talks at Politico, which is also owned by Axel Springer, could result in a strike, a guild spokesperson at the D.C.-based outlet wrote to Confider: “We believe all journalists deserve pay equity and a voice in the newsroom. We are working on these things at POLITICO and E&E News, and we stand in solidarity with Insider as they fight for a fair contract.” An Insider spokesperson wrote: “Of course, we continue to miss those who are on strike, and hope to come to an agreement soon with the union.”

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IN PLAIN SIGHT: Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav features prominently as a talking head in 100 Years of Warner Bros., a new docuseries released via the Max streamer. At one point, Zaz (who’s only been with the studio for one of those 100 years) boasts of Warner having “the most content” out there—a peculiar brag considering he’s overseen a controversial content purge… The federal kiddie porn trial against former ABC News producer James Gordon Meek, accused of some rather unspeakable things, will begin on July 5, a judge ruled last Thursday… Despite the bad buzz surrounding The Messenger, BuzzFeed’s former White House correspondent Adrian Carrasquillo jumped ship from Newsweek to Jimmy Finkelstein’s media startup.

Tips? We’re all ears: confider@thedailybeast.com or call/text us 551 655 2343.

MORE FROM THE BEAST MEDIA DESK

—Fred Ryan is stepping down as publisher of The Washington Post, capping a nine-year that saw the Jeff Bezos-backed paper’s meteoric rise and recent tumbles at the national level. Read about his sendoff here. 

—Chris Licht will forever be remembered for his brief and tumultuous reign at CNN, but Beast columnist Matt Lewis, a former CNN contributor, argues that Licht is just a scapegoat for serious problems that long predate his tenure. Read that here.

—Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex survived a grueling two days of cross-examination in his hacking lawsuit against several British tabloids, writes our colleague Tom Sykes. Read more about how the prince “kept his head and temper in check, and made credible points” here.

RECENT READS

—New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger sat down for a comprehensive chat with New Yorker chief David Remnick, and the pair talked frankly about media bias and how the collapse of traditional media has turned most reporters into hamsters on a content wheel. More here.

—The descent of Lara Logan into far-right paranoia has seen her become too unhinged for 60 Minutes, then Fox News, and then Newsmax. A new profile in The Atlantic unearths other troubling instances of the once-esteemed journalist’s apparent break from reality. Read it here.

—The Guardian has apologized to the women who’ve accused former columnist Nick Cohen of sexual harassment, vowing to change how it investigates such claims going forward. The move came after the NY Times revealed the claims against Cohen and how the Financial Times killed its own scoop on the accusations. More here.

***WHAT ARE WE OUTRAGED ABOUT NOW?***

While we initially considered focusing this week’s section on all the diaper-filling that took place across the right-wing outrage-industrial complex following news of Donald Trump’s indictment, we couldn’t help but spotlight the dumbest of dumb culture-war fights. With conservative media currently angry about all things LGBTQ, something called the Texas Family Project kicked off the latest rage cycle by taking aim at Southern-themed chain restaurant Cracker Barrel for daring to offer up Pride merch. “We take no pleasure in reporting that @CrackerBarrel has fallen,” the conservative advocacy group tweeted last week. “A once family friendly establishment has caved to the mob.” Before long, prominent Republicans and right-wing pundits began calling for a boycott of the greasy chain. “BYE BYE CRACKER BARREL! I will NEVER eat there again!!” Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) blared. Before long, the outrage predictably reached Fox and Newsmax. “Cracker Barrel is the latest company to pander to the LGBTQ community. When is this gonna stop?!” Fox Business host Dagen McDowell exclaimed on Friday. “I don’t want a rainbow rocking chair,” her co-host Sean Duffy later noted. “Cracker Barrel is off their rocker,” one Newsmax guest huffed on Sunday, while anchor Lidia Curanaj later wondered if the company “had learned nothing from Bug Light and Target.” Sigh. Triggered much?

Confider will be back next week with more saucy scooplets. In the meantime, subscribe here and send us questions, complaints, or tips  here or call/text us  551 655 2343.

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