Change Coming To Fox News?
Is Fox News on the brink of becoming (as Pinocchio might say) a "real news organization" instead of the wooden de facto propaganda wing of the Republican Party? This might have been seen as a wildly speculative (and unrealistic) question just a short time ago, but events seem to be moving quickly and it now can be seen as a distinct possibility.
Change is coming soon to the entire 21st Century Fox media conglomerate, since Rupert Murdoch recently announced he'll be stepping down as its head. He'll be turning the operations over to his two sons James and Lachlan, who are 42 and 43 years old, respectively. Both sons (as Salon put it) "reportedly detest" Fox News.
When the news broke about Murdoch stepping down, there was an interesting little footnote attached. Roger Ailes, the mastermind behind making Fox News what it is today, would still be directly reporting to Rupert Murdoch, even after the reins of the Fox empire were handed over to his sons. Why do we know about this footnote? It was reported on Fox News, of course. According to Ailes biographer Gabriel Sherman, this footnote was created out of whole cloth by Ailes himself:
According to a well-placed source, Ailes directed Fox Business executive Bill Shine to tell anchor Stuart Varney to read the statement on air. "Ailes told Shine to write the announcement of the move for Varney to say," the source said. "In it, Ailes inserted language that he would report to Rupert."
Again, as Salon put it: "That's the Roger Ailes way, just make stuff up to feed to your anchors who enthusiastically repeat the baseless claims on-air. News." Well, maybe not for much longer. A correction of sorts was just issued by 21st Century Fox, which baldly stated that Ailes will indeed be reporting to James and Lachlan, and not Rupert. This arrangement is set to begin on the first of July.
What will happen if the Murdoch sons demand major changes at the network? What will happen if they make the valiant effort to reform Fox News as a real, objective, fact-checking, non-partisan media operation? What happens when Pinocchio becomes a real boy, in other words?
A clash of titans seems the likely answer. Ailes is likely to resist any editorial policy changes, it almost goes without saying, which could easily result in either his sudden resignation or even him being fired by the new Murdochs in charge. How long this process would take to play out is anyone's guess, dependent mostly on how fast the Murdoch sons tried to change things and how tolerant they would be if Ailes defied such changes. Both of those are unknown quantities, for the moment. Ailes reportedly has a contract which runs through the winter of 2016 (conveniently just beyond the presidential election), so perhaps any changes will be delayed until then.
That's really the most interesting aspect of the situation -- we've already begun the campaign season for the 2016 presidential race. The first debates are roughly two months away. If Fox News is able to quickly transform itself into a non-partisan journalism outfit, how would that affect the Republican nomination race? How will Republican base voters react if Fox News metaphorically hangs up its Republican cheerleader outfit right as the contest begins? Would Ailes even eventually bolt and try to set up his own right-wing "news" organization, to go into competition with a transformed Fox News? That's certainly a possibility worth considering.
I'll admit this is all nothing short of speculation. Even in the most optimistic scenario, the Fox News tiger isn't going to be able to change its stripes overnight. Even assuming the Murdoch sons get their way (with or without Roger Ailes), the transition period may take a while. There'll be a lot of deadwood to carve away before the network can truly be said to have changed direction. Personnel changes would be almost inevitable, not only for on-air talent but for editorial staffs as well.
To say this would be a major change in the American news media landscape is actually a bit of an understatement. If Fox News truly began attempting to live up to its "fair and balanced" slogan, would its viewers consider it to be nothing short of just another member of what they derisively call "the liberal media"? The viewership base might radically change as Fox News changes, and if Ailes did move on to set up his own "conservative news only" organization, then the current fans of Fox News would have somewhere to go.
Again, the timing of any possible change may be important. If the Murdoch sons allow Ailes a lot of slack and only push for very gradual change over a long time, it means it probably won't affect the 2016 race all that much. But if the younger Murdochs decide to move quickly, we could see radical change happen even before Iowa and New Hampshire kick off the primary season. That could shake up the Republican race in a way no other news organization could, to put it mildly.
Whatever ultimately happens, the one thing that seems assured is that we'll be hearing more about the internal battles between Ailes and the Murdochs. The real question is whether we'll start hearing accurate reporting about these battles on Fox News itself, or whether they'll continue to allow Ailes to dictate what "news" will be read on the air. Is the era of Fox News as the propaganda machine for the Republican Party almost over? That, as I mentioned, is a stunning question to even pose, but the time is soon coming when we all may get the answer. Which brings up our final Pinocchio-inspired query: What will the puppet master do with himself when the strings disappear and a real boy emerges into the light?
-- Chris Weigant
Cross-posted at The Huffington Post
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
I'm skeptical about how much the boys really detest Fox. Are they going to give up a cash cow? Some people say that the Fox sheeple like Pinocchio's lies better than the truth.
What will happen if the Murdoch sons demand major changes at the network? What will happen if they make the valiant effort to reform Fox News as a real, objective, fact-checking, non-partisan media operation?
You mean, like MSNBC???
{{gag}} {{gag}}
I always have to smile when I hear the Left rail against Fox News..
For many reasons..
The foremost being that it's all jealousy.. The Left has tried to imitate the success of Fox News but they have always failed.
SPECTACULARLY failed..
So, the Left just tries to tear Fox News down...
Michale
On a somewhat unrelated note..
A few days ago, Stig asked when was the first mention of "quatloos" in chrisweigant.com
http://www.chrisweigant.com/2008/03/28/friday-talking-points-25-place-your-bets-on-the-democratic-race/
After 'exhaustive' research (the first 2 pages of an ADVANCED Google search :D) 28 Mar 2008, the 25th FTP, was the first reference I could find...
If I could figure out how to sort GOOGLE results by date, I might have a better answer... :D
Michale
Interesting side SIDE note about that particular FTP quatloo wager
10,000 quatloos on Clinton being forced out between 25-30 April. If I am wrong, I will shave my head, don a black robe and change my name to Galt. I would have my wife die her hair silver and get into that nifty glittery jumpsuit, but I don't think she would go for that.. :D
Remember that, CW?? :D heh
Michale
Michale
Fortunately, we'll still have Donald Trump!
And 24/7 coverage of the 112 or so Republican candidates for president.
Wait ... why would the "liberal" media spend so much time covering Republican candidates?
-David
And 24/7 coverage of the 112 or so Republican candidates for president.
I thought Democrats were all about "diversity"...??
:D
Michale
Should this come to pass, and I have me doubts, heads are going to explode in a certain demographic. That deme would be white men "of a certain age" with all the annoying infirmities that come with the perks of membership. Advertising on FNews tells the tale. These souls are going to be rudderless. Or, to mix nautical metaphors, their moral compass is going to flip, like the global magnetic reversal geoscientists predict.
It's not like there haven't been harbingers, and I'm not talking about that cheesy prophesy novel by a certain fake rabbi. I'm talking about the fall of Rush in major demographics. He's reduced to stations with the wattage of light bulb. An LED bulb, not the old incandescents. Pity the poor traveling salesman, who can no longer home in on Rush, like Japanese bombers on Radio Honolulu. You can see their abandoned cars on rural roads. Rush is still pulling in 50 megabucks a year. This suggests Rush has 1) an ironclad contract or 2) some seriously good dirt on the network formerly known as Clear Channel.
The Murdoch sons may be offended by their FNews inheritance, but that may be as much about potential return on investment vs opportunity costs as by quality of news content. After all, they're Murdochs.
Rush is still pulling in 50 megabucks a year. This suggests Rush has 1) an ironclad contract or 2) some seriously good dirt on the network formerly known as Clear Channel.
OR...
He is still extremely popular..
"We can't discount the possibility just because we don't happen to like it."
-Martin Sheen, THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
:D
Michale
M-8
Not 50 million dollars per year popular.
But, forget that. Much bigger news.
The Republican primary is about to heat up with the entrance of another wealthy candidate from the business world, this time from the vibrant, relevant new media of online streaming video WITH COMMERCIALS, Crackle. Trump like, only more so.
Dick Corchoran(R), 2016 (logo TBD)
Slogan: Giddy Up America!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv9XmP_9hNE
Not 50 million dollars per year popular.
In YOUR opinion... :D
Apparently, those with the checkbooks feel differently...
Dick Corchoran(R), 2016 (logo TBD)
Who????
:D
Michale
Not 50 million dollars per year popular.
Put another way...
I can't see why HBO would pay child rapist pedophile Lena Dunham a wooden nickel for what she does.. Or who she does it to....
I can't see why Vanity Fair would pay Bruce Jenner one red cent to go in Lauren Becall drag...
I can't see why the Seattle NAACP would pay whatserface a penny for what she does...
Yet, apparently those with the checkbooks at the various locations feel differently...
It's all about perspective, my friend....
I allow the others their perspective even though I think it's totally whacked... :D
Lena Dunham... Bruce Jenner... Whatserface... Rush Limbaugh..
They all have their niche in life...
K sara sara....
Michale
A bit of digging confirms Hypothesis one is true. Rush is in his last year of an 8 yr contract worth 400 megabucks. This does not exclude the possibility Hypothesis two is also true, but does suggest a weak or missing morals/sanity clause.
Prediction: Rush's contract is not renewed, or he declines a much less lucrative deal and hangs up his mic as a regularly scheduled syndicated host. The private jet is grounded. He does speaking gigs for a respectable fee. The age of Rush is over.
The rest is admittedly much, much more speculative. Eons later, he is cloned using paleo DNA (what else) and some bullfrog DNA to fill in genetic gaps. He is featured attraction at a theme park (Jurassic Branson), which he savages. Four times!!! Other reincarnated features include a Rachaelmaddasaus : )
Michale [3] -
Yeah, the easy answer is FTP [25], but I kinda suspect there were some side bets in the comments that predated this.
After all, it says:
" All betting will be in quatloos, this column's favorite standard fictional currency."
This seems to imply that there were previous quatloo occasions which made it the favorite. But my search function on the site doesn't cover comments, so for now it'll have to do as the marker of the first official quatloo bet challenge.
-CW
Should this come to pass, and I have me doubts, heads are going to explode in a certain demographic. That deme would be white men "of a certain age" with all the annoying infirmities that come with the perks of membership.
One of those perks is the continued ownership of the lion's share of our country's wealth, which is why it will not come to pass.
Fox may gradually morph into a "fox-lite" sort of network, with a similar tendency for political spin but a slightly lower incidence of outright making things up (such as MSNBC for example). but there is way too much invested to just casually wave goodbye to all those older white male partisan... dollars.
JL
Other reincarnated features include a Rachaelmaddasaus : )
I have heard that the Trumpasuarus Rex is a real killer.
nypoet22 - 14
I don't entirely discount the possibility that the younger Murdochs are traitors to their class, but I do think their political-economic self interests may point to restructuring FNews to 1) regain control of the message and 2) attract a younger, more diverse demographic with more swing voters who can be persuaded to go RED. The hard core Fox deme is gonna be dead in a decade, brain or literally. Prune the dead wood, move on with practical politics. All white all obstruction all the time is a losing strategy in the long run. Acknowledge the tide and start coping with it. Ailes won't do it, so throw him overboard. Cable is fragmented and dying. The internet is fragmented and small players can't make money unless they grow. The Murdoch sons have mass media in their blood. A really smart plutocrat would be thinking about building mass internet audiences to replace newspapers and broadcast TV with functional internet substitutes. A new mass media to build mass movements. Mass marketing is the game that needs to be played to gain and retain power in a two party winner take all political system. For good or ill, we are stuck with two parties. It's easier to change our communications than to change our basic system of government. I hope the Dems are thinking along these lines.
Fox may gradually morph into a "fox-lite" sort of network, with a similar tendency for political spin but a slightly lower incidence of outright making things up (such as MSNBC for example). but there is way too much invested to just casually wave goodbye to all those older white male partisan... dollars.
Could you provide one example, just ONE, of a Fox News *news* segment "just making things up"??
Just one...
Once you do that, I can provide dozens of examples of NBC, ABC, CBS, MSNBC etc etc news "making things up"...
Michale
Prediction: Rush's contract is not renewed, or he declines a much less lucrative deal and hangs up his mic as a regularly scheduled syndicated host. The private jet is grounded. He does speaking gigs for a respectable fee. The age of Rush is over.
Prediction??
Or Wishcasting?? :D
Michale
TS,
A bit of digging confirms Hypothesis one is true.
It maybe "true" insofar as your truth...
But it is not factual....
"If it's 'truth' you are after, Professor Tyree's Philosophy class is right down the hall.."
-Indiana Jones
:D
Michale
M-18
Forecasting? Wishcasting? I get your point, but I have to tell you it's forecasting. Limbaugh's numbers are terrible.....in part because radio is finally starting to adopt more accurate measures of listenership and relying less on guesswork. Another factor is that many advertisers are beginning to realize their bulk buys of airtime actually include Rush time. Now that he's provoking boycotts, or bad publicity from talk of boycotts, they are paying attention. Many are bailing . Advertisers typically hate controversy. The Rush brand is worth less by objective measures, and that will be reflected in the advertising market place.
Limbaugh's contract is up next year. His bargaining position is much weaker. Iheart is a business. They aren't likely to give him a 50 million per year pension. Few would doubt Rush has a huge ego, and his age is 64. If he retires from the big leagues now, he goes out at the top of his game. I think he'll choose to retire, but not exactly go away. There is always the internet.
Limbaugh's contract is up next year. His bargaining position is much weaker. Iheart is a business. They aren't likely to give him a 50 million per year pension. Few would doubt Rush has a huge ego, and his age is 64. If he retires from the big leagues now, he goes out at the top of his game. I think he'll choose to retire, but not exactly go away. There is always the internet.
We can revisit the issue next year and compare notes.. :D
Michale
M-21
Deal :-)