Variety, THR Staff 'Freaked Out' Over Penske-MRC Media Merger

WarnerMedia’s MyKhanh Shelton on ‘Leaning In’ to Discomfort and ‘Building the Muscle’ for Change

Hollywood Reporter, Variety Staff ‘Freaked Out’ Over Penske-MRC Media Merger (Exclusive)

by Lindsey Ellefson, J. Clara Chan and Sharon Waxman | September 23, 2020 @ 6:54 PM

The merger creates one parent company out of two longtime Hollywood trade rivals

The consolidation of Hollywood’s longtime, competing trade publications — Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard — has left editorial staff “freaked out” from the sudden move and questioning what a larger Penske Media empire could mean for critical industry coverage and layoffs, insiders told TheWrap on Wednesday.

“The staff is freaked out,” said an insider who got the news during a 7 a.m. Billboard editorial meeting in a vague email from MRC co-CEOs Modi Wiczyk and Asif Satchu. “People are really upset. It’s how [MRC] constantly handles everything.”

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TheWrap spoke to multiple employees at Penske and MRC publications who expressed shock and uncertainty over the merger of the longtime competitors and the possible implications to pursuing coverage. The THR newsroom was already in turmoil over ethical issues involving interference in reporting on movie and television projects backed by MRC’s production arm, as TheWrap has reported.

Also Read: What the Variety-Hollywood Reporter Merger Means for Hollywood News Coverage - and Advertising

The email from MRC leadership noted: “We’re really excited to share the breaking news below about partnering with PMC across media and long form content, which gives us an incredible opportunity to expand and evolve the brands and their influence. We appreciate this will cause some anxiety as well as some excitement. We look forward to sharing more information in the coming week at our upcoming town hall.”

The merger, announced on Wednesday as a “joint venture” branded as PMRC, consolidates Hollywood’s oldest competing trades — PMC’s Variety and MRC’s The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard — under the control of PMC, which already owns another Hollywood trade, Deadline.

MRC — which owns Dick Clark Productions, the production company behind awards shows like the Golden Globes, and MRC Television, the studio behind “Ozark” — will oversee the entertainment-focused aspect of the partnership and will develop film, TV and other projects based on content and intellectual property produced by the newly branded combined venture.

Also Read: Variety Parent Penske Media to Take Over Hollywood Reporter, Billboard in Joint Venture With MRC

Editorial staff at the affected publications told TheWrap they were particularly upset that representatives for PMC and MRC have publicly and internally denied the prospect of an acquisition in recent weeks.

“We were all given assurances that MRC was in this for the long haul,” a Billboard insider said, adding that Wiczyk himself had denied that MRC was in talks with Variety during a town hall last month.

TheWrap is a direct competitor of Variety and THR.

The insider also added that anxiety was high about the possibility of layoffs at the publications — a typical consequence of media mergers and consolidations — and top editors appeared blindsided by the news. “They’re cruel through negligent stupidity,” the insider said.

Also Read: 'Bloodbath': The Hollywood Reporter Ends a 10-Year, Heady Run at Reinvention

Over at The Hollywood Reporter, a source told TheWrap that staffers there are “angry and disgusted” and also felt betrayed by Wiczyk for denying being in talks with Penske. The staff, according to the insider, is still reeling from widespread layoffs back in April, “which were vicious, just brutal.”

“There’s so much uncertainty,” the insider added.

Variety staffers, who were called to a Wednesday meeting led by interim editor-in-chief Cynthia Littleton shortly after the announcement, were also “very concerned and freaked out,” according to an individual with knowledge of the meeting. They questioned what the consolidation would mean for editorial coverage — especially after former THR editorial director Matt Belloni was abruptly fired in April due to clashes with MRC leadership over editorial issues.

Staff was told MRC would have no input on editorial content and that Variety and THR would operate separately, according to the individual, but there was no clarity on if it would be OK to write a tough story about MRC and its entertainment brands.

It is also not currently clear if THR and Billboard will eventually move into Variety’s offices when remote work ends, and there was no immediate answer for staffers who asked whether Claudia Eller, who took a leave in June and has not yet reassumed her position, will return as Variety’s editor in chief.

Representative for PMC and MRC did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Fall TV 2020: All the Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows - So Far (Photos)

Fall is in full swing, but not much has changed since this summer with many people still staying at home as much as possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Luckily, dozens of new and returning shows are premiering this autumn to keep you company. TheWrap has rounded up all the dates we know -- so far -- for Fall TV shows' debuts. We will continue to update the list as more become available.

For the purposes of this gallery, we've designated Sept. 1 as the beginning of fall rather than the official Sept. 22 start, since "Fall TV" is sure to be more loosely defined this year.

Also Read: ‘The Masked Singer’ Pulled Off Its Pandemic Season With Animation, Fan Voting and a Baby Alien
Fox/ABC/Amazon/FX
Series: "Teen Mom 2" Net: MTV Premiere Date: Tuesday, Sept. 1 Time: 8 p.m.
MTV
Series: "16 and Recovering" Net: MTV Premiere Date: Tuesday, Sept. 1 Time: 9 p.m.
MTV
Series: "Transplant" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Sept. 1 Time: 10 p.m.
NBC
Series: "House of Payne" Net: BET Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 2 Time: 8 p.m.
BET
Series: "Assisted Living" Net: BET Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 2 Time: 9 p.m.
BET
Series: "A.P. Bio" Net: Peacock Premiere Date: Thursday, Sept. 3 Time: N/A
Peacock
Series: "Raised by Wolves" Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, Sept. 3 Time: N/A
HBO Max
Series: "Away" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 4 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Noughts + Crosses" Net: Peacock Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 4 Time: N/A
Peacock
Series: "The Boys" Net: Amazon Prime Video Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 4 Time: N/A
Amazon Prime Video
Series: "Black Love" Net: OWN Premiere Date: Saturday, Sept. 5 Time: 9 p.m.
OWN
Series: "Power Book II: Ghost" Net: Starz Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 6 Time: 9 p.m.
Starz
Series: "American Ninja Warrior" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 7 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "L.A's Finest" Net: Spectrum Originals Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 9 Time: N/A
Spectrum Originals
Series: "Woke" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 9 Time: N/A
Hulu
Series: "Julie and the Phantoms" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Thursday, Sept. 10 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "The Duchess" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 11 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Our Cartoon President" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 13 Time: 8:30 p.m.
Showtime
Series: "Dancing With the Stars" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 14 Time: 8 p.m.
ABC
Series: "The Third Day" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 14 Time: 9 p.m.
HBO
Series: "We Are Who We Are" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 14 Time: 10 p.m.
HBO
Series: "Enslaved" Net: Epix Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 14 Time: 10 p.m.
Epix
Series: "Tosh.0" Net: Comedy Central Premiere Date: Tuesday, Sept. 15 Time: 10 p.m.
Comedy Central
Series: "Challenger: The Final Flight" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 16 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Archer" Net: FXX Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 16 Time: 10 p.m.
FXX
Series: "Departure" Net: Peacock Premiere Date: Thursday, Sept. 17 Time: N/A
Peacock
Series: "The Great Pottery Throw Down" Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, Sept. 17 Time: N/A
HBO Max
Series: "Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 18 Time: N/A
Hulu
Series: "Pen15" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 18 Time: N/A
Hulu
Series: "Ratched" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 18 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "World's Funniest Animals" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 18 Time: 9 p.m.
The CW
Series: "L.A.'s Finest"* Net: Fox Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 21 Time: 8 p.m. *Broadcast debut of Spectrum Originals series' first season
Fox
Series: "Filthy Rich" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 21 Time: 9 p.m.
Fox
Series: "The Masked Singer" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 23 Time: 8 p.m.
Fox
Series: "I Can See Your Voice" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 23 Time: 9 p.m.
Fox
Series: "Utopia" Net: Amazon Prime Video Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 25 Time: N/A
Amazon
Series: "A Wilderness of Error" Net: FX Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 25 Time: 8 p.m.
FX
Series: "The Simpsons" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 8 p.m.
Fox
Series: "Bless the Harts" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 8:30 p.m.
Fox
Series: "Bob's Burgers" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 9 p.m.
Fox
Series: "The Comey Rule" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 9 p.m.
Showtime
Series: "Family Guy" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 9:30 p.m.
Fox
Series: "Fargo" Net: FX Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 10 p.m.
FX
Series: "Weakest Link" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Sept. 29 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Gangs of London" Net: AMC+ Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 1 Time: N/A
AMC
Series: "The Salisbury Poisonings" Net: AMC+ Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 1 Time: N/A
AMC
Series: "Monsterland" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 2 Time: N/A
Getty
Series: "Emily in Paris" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 2 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Undercover Boss" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 2 Time: 9 p.m.
CBS
Series: "Warrior" Net: Cinemax Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 2 Time: 10 p.m.
Series: "Saturday Night Live" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Saturday, Oct. 3 Time: 11:30 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Pandora" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 4 Time: 8 p.m.
Series: "The Good Lord Bird" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 4 Time: 9 p.m.
Showtime
Series: "Britannia" Net: Epix Premiere Date: Sunday Oct. 4 Time: 9 p.m.
Epix
Series: "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" Net: AMC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 4 Time: 10 p.m.
AMC
Series: "Soulmates" Net: AMC Premiere Date: Monday, Oct. 5 Time: 10 p.m.
AMC
Series: "Swamp Thing"* Net: The CW Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 6 Time: 8 p.m.

*Broadcast debut of DC Universe series' first season
DC Universe
Series: "Ellen's Game of Games" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 6 Time: 9 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Next" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 6 Time: 9 p.m.
Fox
Series: "Devils" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 7 Time: 8 p.m.
The CW
Series: "Coroner" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 7 Time: 9 p.m.
The CW
Series: "Supernatural" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 8 Time: 8 p.m.
The CW
Series: "Connecting..." Net: NBC Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 8 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "The Outpost" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 8 Time: 9 p.m.
The CW
Series: "The Right Stuff" Net: Disney+ Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 9 Time: N/A
Disney+
Series: "The Haunting of Bly Manor" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 9 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Fear the Walking Dead" Net: AMC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 11 Time: 9 p.m.
AMC
Series: "The Bachelorette" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 13 Time: 8 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Tell Me a Story"* Net: The CW Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 13 Time: 9 p.m.

*Broadcast debut of CBS All Access series' first season
The CW
Series: "The Amazing Race" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 14 Time: 9 p.m.
CBS
Series: "Sistas" Net: BET Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 14 Time: 9 p.m.
BET
Series: "Star Trek: Discovery" Net: CBS All Access Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 15 Time: N/A
CBS All Access
Series: "Helstrom" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 16 Time: N/A
Hulu
Series: "Grand Army" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 16 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Shark Tank" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 16 Time: 9 p.m.
ABC
Series: "America's Funniest Home Videos" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 18 Time: 7 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Supermarket Sweep" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 18 Time: 8 p.m.
Getty
Series: "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 18 Time: 9 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Card Sharks" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 18 Time: 10 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Unsolved Mysteries" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Monday, Oct. 19 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "The Voice" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Monday, Oct. 19 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "The Goldbergs" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 21 Time: 8 p.m.
ABC
Series: "The Conners" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 21 Time: 9 p.m.
ABC
Series: "black-ish" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 21 Time: 9:30 p.m.
ABC
Series: "The Queen's Gambit" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 23 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "The Undoing" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 25 Time: 9 p.m.
HBO
Series: "This Is Us" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 27 Time: 9 p.m.
NBC
Series: "American Housewife" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 28 Time: 8:30 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Superstore" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 29 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "The Mandalorian" Net: Disney+ Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 30 Time: N/A
Disney+
Series: "The Good Doctor" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 2 Time: 10 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Young Sheldon" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 5 Time: 8 p.m.
CBS
Series: "B Positive" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 5 Time: 8:30 p.m.
CBS
Series: "Mom" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 5 Time: 9 p.m.
CBS
Series: "NCIS: Los Angeles" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Sunday, Nov. 8 Time: 8:30 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT
CBS
Series: "NCIS: New Orleans" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Sunday, Nov. 8 Time: 9:30 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT
CBS
Series: "A Teacher" Net: FX on Hulu Premiere Date: Tuesday, Nov. 10 Time: N/A
FX on Hulu
Series: "Chicago Med" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 11 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Chicago Fire" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 11 Time: 9 p.m.
NBC
Series: "S.W.A.T." Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 11 Time: 9 p.m.
CBS
Series: "Chicago PD" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 11 Time: 10 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Station 19" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 12 Time: 8 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 12 Time: 9 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Grey's Anatomy" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 12 Time: 9 p.m.
ABC
Series: "The Unicorn" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 12 Time: 9:30 p.m.
CBS
Series: "The Blacklist" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Friday, Nov. 13 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "The Crown" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Sunday, Nov. 15 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "The Neighborhood" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 16 Time: 8 p.m.
CBS
Series: "Bob Hearts Abishola" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 16 Time: 8:30 p.m.
CBS
Series: "All Rise" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 16 Time: 9 p.m.
CBS
Series: "His Dark Materials" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 16 Time: 9 p.m.
HBO
Series: "Bull" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 16 Time: 10 p.m.
CBS
Series: "NCIS" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Tuesday, Nov. 17 Time: 8 p.m.
CBS
Series: "FBI" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Tuesday, Nov. 16 Time: 9 p.m.
CBS
Series: "FBI: Most Wanted" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Tuesday, Nov. 16 Time: 10 p.m.
CBS
Series: "Big Sky" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Nov. 17 Time: 10 p.m.
ABC
Series: "For Life" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 18 Time: 10 p.m.
ABC
Series: "A Million Little Things" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 19 Time: 10 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Animaniacs" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, Nov. 20 Time: N/A
Hulu
Series: "SEAL Team" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 25 Time: 9 p.m.
CBS
Series: "The Flight Attendant" Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 26 Time: N/A
HBO Max
Series: "Virgin River" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Nov. 27 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Shameless" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Dec. 6 Time: 9 p.m.
Showtime
Series: "The Stand" Net: CBS All Access Premiere Date: Thursday, Dec. 17 Time: N/A
CBS All Access

1 of 125

Here’s when 125 broadcast, cable and streaming series debut and come back

Fall is in full swing, but not much has changed since this summer with many people still staying at home as much as possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Luckily, dozens of new and returning shows are premiering this autumn to keep you company. TheWrap has rounded up all the dates we know -- so far -- for Fall TV shows' debuts. We will continue to update the list as more become available.

For the purposes of this gallery, we've designated Sept. 1 as the beginning of fall rather than the official Sept. 22 start, since "Fall TV" is sure to be more loosely defined this year.

Also Read: ‘The Masked Singer’ Pulled Off Its Pandemic Season With Animation, Fan Voting and a Baby Alien

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