Skydance Media and Paramount Global have said objections filed with the FCC over their planned merger “lack merit” and “seek relief that raises constitutional concerns” — and the companies have formally asked the agency to dismiss them.

In particular, Skydance and Paramount said a petition by the Center for American Rights, a conservative public-interest law firm, made “baseless claims” in its petition to the FCC seeking to add conditions to the agency’s transfer of CBS station licenses to the newly merged entity. The Center for American Rights’ Dec. 16 filing objected to CBS’s supposed “track record of ideological bias and news manipulation” and alleged CBS “has apparently engaged in illegal racial quotas for its hiring.” The group also raised concerns about the potential for “undue foreign influence from China” on the merged Skydance-Paramount, citing the minority interest in Skydance held by Chinese company Tencent Holdings.

The Center for American Rights...