AT&T Clash in D.C. Threatens Chill on Consolidation in Media

Resistance to Time Warner purchase upends conventional wisdom
Justice Department official takes hard stance in first review

Walter Piecyk, a BTIG analyst, discusses AT&T’s bid for Time Warner.(Source: Bloomberg)

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By Gerry Smith

November 10, 2017 at 5:01 AM UTC

Updated on

November 10, 2017 at 1:23 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Media executives dreaming of megamergers got a wake-up call this week: The Trump administration isn’t the rubber stamp they’d once thought it would be.

In media circles, the Trump presidency was seen as ushering in a new era of consolidation, largely because Republican administrations are thought to be more business-friendly.