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Paramount-Warner Bros merger, explaining AI, how parenthood changes you and more
A flag flies at Warner Bros. Studio on Sep. 12, 2025, in Burbank.
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Mario Tama
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Getty Images
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Today's show: AirTalk host Larry Mantle discusses the legal challenges to the Paramount-Warner Bros merger, how parenthood changes you, explaining AI and religious attire in the workplace.
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Legal challenges mount against Paramount-Warner Bros merger
The topic:
A dozen states, led by California, are suing to block Paramount from buying Warner Bros. Discovery in a Hollywood mega-merger that would unite some of the nation's largest movie studios, television newsrooms, and other entertainment properties. Now, according to the L.A. Times, the Writers Guild of America has filed a suit, and L.A. County is considering how to be part of the legal efforts.
Attorney General Rob Bonta: In his statement Monday, Bonta said, "the unlawful merger of these two entertainment behemoths would lead to higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and television, harming movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S."
The backstory: The acquisition is valued at approximately $111 billion, including debt and major (though nonvoting) investment stakes from Saudi and other sovereign wealth funds. The deal would give Larry and David Ellison the effective ownership of the companies' competing movie studios, streamers (Paramount+ and HBO Max), sports programming (CBS Sports and Turner Sports) and news divisions (CBS News and CNN) as well as a suite of cable channels, such as Comedy Central, VH1, MTV, TNT, TBS, HGTV and Discovery, among others.
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With files from LAist
Guest:
- Dominic Patten, executive editor at Deadline
- William Kovacic, director of the Competition Law Center at George Washington University and former commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission from 2006 to 2011, including as its chairman from 2008 to 2009
How did parenthood change you?
One expert tip on helping children navigate big feelings: Being calm yourself will help them to do the same.
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paulaphoto
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The topic:
For many first-time parents, the experience that comes with having a child can seem quite daunting, but once you bring that little one into this world, things can change drastically. For some folks, it can change their view of the world; for others, it’ll change their career priorities. Today, we’ll hear from listeners on what becoming a parent most impacted them.
Join the conversation: What stood out to you most once you became a first-time parent? Did it impact your self-perception? Were your priorities in life completely upended in a fundamentally different way? Share your experience by giving us a call at (866) 893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
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Guests:
- Austin Cross, LAist Morning Edition host
- Lindsey Wright, AirTalk senior producer
- Matt Dangelantonio, senior producer of daily news at LAist
AI Catchup: what's changed since the ChatGPT of two years ago
ChatGPT's landing page on a computer screen.
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Kiichiro Sato
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AP
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The topic:
Two years ago, "AI" mostly meant typing a question into ChatGPT and getting a paragraph back. Today, the tools draft code on their own, run multi-step tasks, and seem to be on their way to coworker status. For those of us who feel they've fallen behind, today on AirTalk we're doing a crash course on the state of these tools
Why it matters: AI is now showing up in classrooms, workplaces, and creative fields across Southern California, and the gap between casual users and the state of the art is widening fast.
How AI models work: Once you hit enter on your keyboard, your words are converted into tokens which are then fed into an AI's inference phase in parallel, and responses are output in the form of tokens sequentially. That sentence is exactly what we hope you'll understand by about 10:30 a.m. this morning.
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Join the conversation: What do you still not understand about AI, and what do you wish someone would just explain? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
Guests:
- Dave Bergmann, senior writer on AI Models for IBM
- Melanie Mitchell, professor focusing on artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and complex systems at the Santa Fe Institute
Religious attire in the workplace
How do you feel about religious attire in the workplace?
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gorodenkoff
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iStockphoto
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The topic:
The United States is known for its diverse tapestry of cultures, traditions, and religions. As a result, many in the American workforce wear religious attire, often in the form of garments and jewelry.
Join the conversation: We want to hear from you! Do you work with people who wear religious attire or symbols at work? How do you feel about it? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
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Guest:
- Yusra Farzan, LAist Higher Education reporter
-
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LAist sat down with two of the minds behind Pawn Shop, a new sports bar on Melrose with menu items like pickle-brined fried chicken and caviar.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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