• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, 4 hours ago

While new digital media (podcasts, new shows and networks) continue to attract new technology billionaires, is there is anything left that catches the eye for the old-school TV business?

OpenAI recently announced its was buying the tech-focused TBPN video podcast/digital talk show, which streams on platforms like YouTube and X. CEO Sam Altman loves TBPN (Technology Business Programming Network).

" ‘TBPN' is my favorite tech show. We want them to keep that going and for them to do what they do so well,” he posted on X. “I don’t expect them to go any easier on us, I am sure I’ll do my part to help enable that with occasional stupid decisions.”

Well, that’s an honest executive speaking with some customary respect for the journalistic process. Of course, we’ll see how that lasts.

Billionaires and other entities have been enamored with the media through the years. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos buying the Washington Post is an example.

But we wonder if there is anything left for big billionaires to do in the old-school space of linear TV and its offspring streaming TV news platforms today.

In 1996, then rising tech company Microsoft Corp. entered into a 50-50 partnership in the upcoming cable TV news network starting up from NBCUniversal -- a $221 million investment.

This deal factored in an "M" and "S" (for Microsoft) into the MSNBC name, with Microsoft reasoning at the time it was to be involved in new media technology -- connecting the World Wide Web to cable TV. That deal also started MSNBC.com. 

Starting in 2005 and going through 2012, Microsoft slowly exited the deal, selling back its remaining shares to NBC.

Cable news networks may not be seeing that kind of association these days.

Now, we have Paramount Skydance in the process of buying Warner Bros Discovery, and a deal comes along with the longtime cable TV news network CNN -- a news organization that always draws the attention of President Trump.

Where CNN goes from here will be a subject of much attention.

Could the Ellisons (the company’s CEO David and Larry, his father and key investor in the deal) be considering -- dare we say it -- a rebranding, or perhaps a name change om an attempt to broaden its appeal?

Paramount is already making massive changes to CBS News and its core "60 Minutes" show.

The Ellisons’ good friend Trump might like to weigh in with a suggestion or two. What would a rebranding of CNN look like -- in name and focus?