FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said “all options are on the table” as he reviews Paramount Global’s merger with Skydance Media – a day after “60 Minutes” host Scott Pelley launched an astonishing on-air attack on CBS owner Paramount that accused them of interfering with the program’s coverage.
Pelley went rogue at the end of Sunday night’s episode during what appeared to be a simple tribute to Bill Owens, the longtime “60 Minutes” executive producer who quit last week over the company’s heavy-handed interference.
“Bill resigned Tuesday — it was hard on him and hard on us,” Pelley said in his closing remarks on the show he has worked on for more than 20 years.
“But he did it for us — and you,” he told viewers — then unexpectedly suggested that Owens’ exit could end the era of coverage being “accurate and fair.”
“Our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger,” he said, noting that it needs approval from the Trump administration. “Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways.”
Pelley said that while “none of our stories have been blocked,” Owens “felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”
Trump’s head of the Federal Communications Commission said Monday that he will review complaints over alleged news distortion in CBS’ “60 Minutes’” sitdown with then-Vice President Kamala Harris but he did not provide a timeline for making a decision.
Carr last month rejected a bid from CBS to dismiss a lawsuit alleging the Harris interview violated the FCC’s “news distortion” rules. Paramount is seeking FCC approval for an $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.
Meanwhile, the CBS-produced show is currently embroiled in a $20 billion lawsuit with President Trump, who claims that the show deceptively edited the sitdown to benefit Harris. The president has also criticized the program for being biased under executive producer Bill Owens.
Carr was asked what would happen with his probe if the legal case, which is in mediation, was settled soon.
“We’re simply focused on the record that’s before us,” Carr said, declining to address a hypothetical question on what he would do if Trump directed him to approve the merger. “We’re just going to apply the law and the facts.”
The Post had reported months earlier that Owens could be a sacrificial lamb as the merger neared completion.
“It shows a lot of balls for someone who understands that nobody is untouchable at this at the point,” a CBS insider told The Post, speaking of Pelley’s move to chastise his bosses.
A second insider said “Pelley is fed up with corporate disrespect for journalistic independence.”
A 20-year verteran of CBS, Owens, held the role of executive producer of “60 Minutes” since 2019. In recent months, Owens has bumped heads with higher ups at the company, notably Paramount boss Shari Redstone.
Redstone, whose family stands to pocket about $1.75 billion if the $8 billion merger with Skydance Media goes through, allegedly pressed CBS News president Wendy McMahon to fire Owens for airing of a one-sided January report on the Gaza War.
“No one here is happy about it,” Pelley said. “But in resigning, Bill proved one thing — he was the right person to lead ’60 Minutes’ all along.”