Showing 36 results for:
Byron Allen
Popular topics
All results
Allen Media Group has decided not to proceed with its initial plan to terminate or reassign nearly 100 local meteorologists following significant public outrage. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the media company owned by Byron Allen planned to eliminate meteorologists at over 36 local television stations and replace them with pre-recorded forecasts from a hub of The Weather Channel, which was acquired for $300 million in 2018. However, on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, NewsCast Studio reported that the media company reversed the decision aimed at streamlining operations and reducing costs. “While not all staff and meteorologists are safe, a majority will remain in their roles. Earlier today, employees were informed of their termination dates, but this afternoon they were told, ‘Allen will no longer hub the weather from Atlanta, and your job is still there,'” meteorologist Emily Pike of WMTW in Westbrook, ME, wrote on Facebook. WAAY in Huntsville, AL, and WTVA in Tupelo, MS, are two...
Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group is terminating or reassigning all local meteorologists at its nearly two dozen stations nationwide, replacing them with a feed broadcasted to individual stations from The Weather Channel, which he also owns. According to CNN, the layoffs will impact at least 50 meteorologists at stations from Massachusetts to Hawaii. Carl Parker, a veteran storm and climate specialist at The Weather Channel, is leading the initiative, which will give some of the affected meteorologists new jobs at its Atlanta, GA-based hub, and others will have the option to stay in their current markets. The Weather Channel will deploy meteorologists during certain weather events. In a news release on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, Allen Media said the “groundbreaking” operation “brings together world-class meteorological expertise, cutting-edge technology, and the most advanced forecasting tools to deliver superior weather content to local television station audiences.” “We are proud to...
A new update regarding the potential sale of BET has been revealed. According to Bloomberg, Paramount is reportedly in talks with BET CEO Scott Mills and CC Capital Founder Chinh Chu, who are looking to buy the network. Bloomberg’s anonymous sources share that the group is aiming to offer $1.6 billion to $1.7 billion. The outlet details that the new offer follows the group’s initial attempt to purchase BET in December 2023 for “a little under $2 billion” and also comes after Paramount’s proposed merger with David Ellison’s Skydance Media fell through. As previously shared by AFROTECH™, Byron Allen has shown avid interest in being a potential buyer of BET. So much so that he reportedly placed an offer of $3.5 billion that same month. The whopping offer marked the media mogul’s second attempt to lock in the opportunity to make BET Black-owned again. “You are pursuing an inside sale at a below-market price with management that will not yield the highest price for the stockholders,”...
Byron Allen has placed a significant proposal on the table once again. The Hollywood Reporter states Allen Media Group is looking to place a $14.3 billion offer to purchase Paramount Global’s remaining shares. If the deal is approved, Allen Media Group will acquire Paramount’s debt as well, which is estimated to be $15 billion. “Mr. Byron Allen did submit a bid on behalf of Allen Media Group and its strategic partners to purchase all of Paramount Global’s outstanding shares,” the statement read, according to the outlet. “We believe this $30 billion offer, which includes debt and equity, is the best solution for all of the Paramount Global shareholders, and the bid should be taken seriously and pursued.” This isn’t Allen’s first proposal to acquire another media giant. As AFROTECH previously told you, the billionaire was looking to purchase BET Media Group, when it had been put up for sale by Paramount Global in 2023. Ultimately, Paramount Global would retract its proposal in August...
McDonald’s has officially been ordered to stand trial in the $10 billion discrimination lawsuit brought forth by media mogul Byron Allen, Reuters reports. As previously reported by AfroTech, the suit accuses the fast-food chain of “racial stereotyping” by excluding Black-owned media from its advertising. As of Friday (Sept. 16), U.S. District Judge Fernando Olguin gave Allen the greenlight to attempt to prove that McDonald’s violated both federal and California rights by saying that his networks were not eligible for the “vast majority” of its advertising dollars.