Eric Deggans, National Public Radio:
Well, CBS has insisted in statements that this was a financial decision. And, of course, those of us who’ve been watching the late-night space for a while know that viewership has been dropping, ad revenue has been dropping.
And a lot of the shows have been trying to find ways to cut costs. “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” for example, let go of its in-house ban last year to try and save money. And CBS wound up walking away from James Corden, and also the show “After Midnight,” shows that aired after “Colbert,” probably because they cost too much and they weren’t making money
So obviously there is some truth to this idea that there was a financial incentive here. But the backdrop, of course, is that Paramount, the owner of CBS, is trying to complete a sale to Skydance Media. They need federal approval for it to happen. And, of course, everyone understands that the Trump administration can punish media outlets that abuse in opposition to their goals.
So there’s always these questions about whether or not CBS and Paramount are taking action to appease Trump when they do things like this.
