5390

Huh, would you look at that. Occasionally those few remaining brain cells of his fire and a correct thought emerges.

5391

Nobody makes any actual revenue from the news department.

5392

Broken analog clock time.

5393

Huh? I assume it has viewership and ad revenue like any other programming. Or are you saying news programs are categorical expensive to produce, beyond any possible revenue?

5394

I thought that everyone knew that news was a loss leader.

5395

Are you sure about that? Either way, that is different than Scuzz’s statement of no revenue, versus profit. Which was why I asked if he meant profit instead.

5396

Yep, news doesn’t really make much money. That’s why the monrnings and prime time on MSNBC, FOX News and CNN are all devoted to opinion and interview shows. They’re the tail that wags the dog.

5397

I can see not making much money/profit. Not making any profit and operating at a loss, for everyone, is a more dramatic statement. It’s frankly hard to swallow that all the networks with news operations are doing it as a loss leader of some type.

5398

One might say that shaping public opinion has its own kind of value.

5399

But that’s done better by the opinion shows AND makes more profit. I’m still skeptical that news sections are universally, or near universally, loss leaders.

5400
5401

Yea, that was my point. The reason news programs are the way they are today is that at one time having an industry important news department meant more than making money from it. Now money is the key.

They were in the past. They aren’t any more. In the past it was considered a cost of doing business. There was gravitas in having the best news department. Today, it is just another part of the equation.

5402

Wowwwwwww. They’ve gone full on nutso.

5403

Holy crap, that’s one of the most batshit things I’ve seen in some time.

5404

I’ve decided I detest whoever that woman is.

Also wondering what that segment has to do with “business.”

5405

It reminds of the tv folks from the running man

5406

She’s giving her viewers the business.

5407

Interesting piece that reminds me of an issue that’s lain buried for the last couple of years: Trump and Fox have different long-term interests.

Trump wants a loyal lapdog who does exactly what he says. He also wants a platform once he’s out of office.

Recall that he was threatening to create Trump TV in 2016. That would have competed with Fox, but he screwed up that plan by actually winning the election. Once he’s out of office, he’s going to demand that some TV channel be at his complete disposal - and if Fox won’t do it, he’ll switch allegiance to One America. Being the smaller batshit insane rightwing drivel channel, it tries harder and will probably give Donnie whatever he wants.

Fox, on the other hand, wants two things: a profitable business, and access to the gears of power (the second not just for Fox News itself, but also for the entire giant Murdoch empire.) While Fox still has plenty of viewers, those viewers are slowly but literally dying out. Fox viewership is actually up since Trump, but only among the old; it’s falling for those under 55. The network has also plummeted far downmarket in terms of advertisers in the Trump age, which must have adversely affected its revenues. And if a Dem wins in 2020, the people in power are unlikely to be forming their policies by watching Fox and Friends.

If Trump flames out spectacularly - is impeached and convicted, is arrested after he leaves office, starts showing (more) signs of dementia and starts groping women on live TV, etc - it probably makes sense for Fox to perform a pivot by disowning Trump in a clean break and then rebranding by changing their format and going after a somewhat different audience. It’s something they’ll need to do sooner or later anyway.

Trump has a reason to backstab Fox, because One America is constantly whispering in his ear that they’ll be a much better toadie than Fox, and that’s ultimately all a narcissist cares about. And Fox has a reason to backstab Trump, because they’re a ginormous company with vital interests that will outlive the Trump presidency, and, for that matter, Trump.

Barr and Murdoch met last week, followed by the immediate and seemingly unplanned exit of Shep Smith. So maybe Trump and Fox have reconciled and are now BFFs again. Maybe Fox will indeed stick by Trump forever. Maybe Trump won’t betray Fox like he’s betrayed everyone else he’s ever dealt with.

Or maybe, like Hitler and Stalin in 1939, they’re just pausing to sharpen their knives.

5408

If Trump leaves office at this point, he’s going to prison.

5409

You’re post scares me cause it’s all too true :(