As billion‑dollar media mergers seek federal approval, new reports say top regulators enjoyed five‑figure gifts from one of the companies asking for their blessing.
Story Snapshot
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr accepted expensive gifts from Paramount while its merger deals needed FCC approval.
- Ethics records show tickets and skybox access worth well over $10,000 for a single gala, plus tens of thousands over time.
- Carr later led the FCC review that cleared Paramount’s merger with Skydance Media and defended the approval as standard and in the public interest.
- The revelations fuel fears on left and right that powerful corporations can buy access and influence inside federal agencies that are supposed to protect the public.
What The New Reports Say About FCC Gifts And Merger Timing
ProPublica’s investigation, summarized by several outlets, says Paramount gave FCC Chair Brendan Carr and commissioner Olivia Trusty high‑priced tickets and perks while a major merger was pending at the agency. Trusty reportedly received Kennedy Center Honors tickets worth about $12,000 from Paramount. Carr and his wife watched the event from a private skybox with Paramount Skydance chief executive David Ellison and other company executives, seats estimated in the six‑figure range. A separate review of Carr’s disclosures found he has accepted tickets valued at over $60,000 since joining the commission in 2017.
Another outlet put a rough total on the perks, reporting Carr had received about $63,000 in gifts from Paramount since he joined the FCC. A watchdog group said newly obtained ethics forms show Carr accepted two gala tickets worth around $11,724 in December 2024. That was less than a month after then President‑elect Trump tapped Carr to lead the commission, and while Paramount’s merger with Skydance was awaiting FCC approval. At the same time, the commission was gearing up for major decisions on media ownership rules that could affect large broadcasters’ reach.
How Carr Defended The Paramount–Skydance Merger And His Role
Paramount needed the FCC’s sign‑off on its Skydance deal because the merger involved CBS broadcast licenses, which cannot be transferred without commission approval. Under the Communications Act of 1934, the FCC must decide if such transfers are “consistent with the public interest, convenience, and necessity.” Carr led the review that cleared Skydance’s takeover of Paramount and later defended the approval in a letter responding to Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. He wrote that the agency ran a “typical review process” and that the decision “serves the public interest.”
Critics worry that the same official who took large gifts from Paramount was then in charge of judging the company’s merger, even as the FCC was weighing whether to scrap the long‑standing national television ownership cap. Civil society groups argue that this kind of overlap looks like regulatory capture, where the referee grows too close to the players. Supporters say gifts disclosed through ethics filings and cleared under existing rules do not prove the process was corrupt. Carr himself has brushed off concerns, saying one criticism “sounds like it has no basis at all.”
Why This Matters For Media Power And Public Trust
For many Americans, the story hits a nerve because it connects two trends they already fear: giant media companies getting bigger and federal watchdogs looking cozy with the industries they regulate. The FCC’s own rules say one company should not reach more than 39 percent of United States television households. Yet the commission is now set to vote on whether to repeal that cap and judge mega‑deals one by one. Legal filings show broadcasters and scholars deeply split over whether the FCC even has the authority to lift the cap without Congress.
FCC to repeal 39% TV ownership cap in boost for Trump-friendly news organizationshttps://t.co/HFRTveoq9X
— Annie van Leur (@AnnevanLeur) July 15, 2026
Conservatives who distrust “woke” corporate media worry that mergers and relaxed caps can lock in biased coverage from a few giant players. Liberals who oppose “America First” cronyism see wealthy companies buying access with gala tickets while ordinary people struggle with rising costs. Both sides see a system where elites in government and business trade favors and call it the “public interest.” Each new revelation of pricey gifts and well‑timed meetings makes it harder for citizens to believe regulators are working for them, not for the corporations crowding their skyboxes.
Sources:
feedpress.me, americantelevisionalliance.org, reuters.com, nab.org, variety.com, cnn.com, broadbandbreakfast.com
