FCC took pricey gifts from Paramount as the company needed approval for deals
FCC chair has been gifted at least $63,000 worth of tickets by CBS or its parent company.
FCC chair has been gifted at least $63,000 worth of tickets by CBS or its parent company.
The short version
- The rich and famous who filed into the Kennedy Center’s opera house in December were there to enjoy one of the nation’s most exclusive celebrations of the performing arts: the center’s annual honors gala.
- The black-tie event, hosted by President Donald Trump, prioritized tickets to people who donated more than $75,000 to the center.
- This year, it feted Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone, the legendary glam rock band Kiss and the Grammy Award-winning disco pioneer Gloria Gaynor.
What happened
Among the attendees that evening were two lower-profile government officials whose regulatory decisions had been crucial to the future of the gala’s broadcast sponsor, CBS, and its parent company, Paramount. Five months earlier, Federal Communications Commissioner Olivia Trusty cast a decisive vote approving Paramount’s historic $8 billion merger with Skydance Media.
Why it matters
Now, the commissioner and a guest enjoyed the star-studded celebration thanks to tickets gifted to her by Paramount worth more than $12,000, according to ethics disclosure records obtained by ProPublica.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.