Fox News Will Have Some Competition

It turns out not all conservatives love Fox.  Or at least feel it completely serves their needs.  A new news network called One America plans to launch this summer and it's aiming to provide more conservative but also more substantive content. 

The network will be the result of a partnership between Herring Broadcasting (owner of the Wealth Channel) and the Washington Times.  The Times reports:

The intent is to provide credible news and thoughtful analysis for “viewers with self-described independent, conservative and libertarian values,” (Robert Herring Sr.,  CEO of Herring Broadcasting) said. “ Fox News has done a great job serving the center-right and independent audiences.  But those who consider themselves liberal have a half dozen or more choices on TV each day from which to get their news,” he said. 

It is time for some more options, he added. 

I'll admit I get queasy at the thought that someone thinks Fox is not conservative enough.  But, ultimately, it's not Fox's conservative politics that I find so objectionable, it's the Republican propaganda.  So this news from the Daily Beast intrigues me:

“The news used to be you would confirm your source multiple times, you would report the fact, and you would leave it up to the viewer to determine what we should or should not do.  That is missing,” (Charles Herring, president) said. 

“Cable networks, many of them, have blurred the line between delivering the news and information and delivering the personal views of the host,” he added. “ Nothing wrong with either one, but we just believe that they should be separated, and we are going to do that.” 

...“We are really looking for a more substantive debate,” he said. “ Why does somebody believe what they believe?  No yelling, no shouting, no asking one question trying to define a subject, but really trying to get down to the core of why people believe what they believe.  Having people express their views make them think more.” 

Of course, Fox made promises like that, too, with its "fair and balanced" and "we report, you decide" slogans.  They're about as genuine as a three-dollar bill.  But if this is a serious attempt to put forth serious news, that can't be a bad thing. 

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There’s only so much stoopit to go around. 
This new network seems to think they’re going to garner the smarter of the stoopit. 
Unfortunately, that’s not enough of a demographic to populate a campfire, much less support a network. 
Ultimately, it’s going to boil down to which of the two networks shows more T & A.

Ok, just because I’m in the mood to slap down ratings troll, let’s explain how ratings work outside of the ratings bubble. 

Fox News’ ratings are down 260 points from where they were at this point last year- and that’s when they’re getting shock ratings.  Have a night when they aren’t getting that, they’re down 460, and their lower rated shows lose in the ratings, unless the competition’s having a bad night. 

Meanwhile, MSNBC is gaining- their spikes are higher, their drops are shallower.  CNN is having a rockier gain, but they are gaining. 

What’s going to happen when/if this “One America” takes off, and a large chunk of the Fox News crowd make it their only station?  We already know that their audience can’t watch a counterpoint, they’ve proven that with their hatefully stereotypical views of every other network, as well as their version of events on everyone else’s controversies. 

We can guarantee some of the former Fox “News” mouthpieces will defect to this new network.  And conservative audiences will flock to the new channel. 

One America may have trouble getting some conservatives to come on the network.  Ruthless Rupy has a long history of locking people into contracts (to keep out competitors).  And the old man and his co-horts have ways of “reminding” Fox “News” regulars of their “loyalties.” 

Also, Ruthless owns assets that may not carry One America.  That’s how the old goat controls his competition. 

We know how Ruthless operates (dating back to the 1980s).  We are familiar with his tactics.  And we won’t be surprised if there was dust up between Fox “News” and One America. 

We know what’s coming down the pipe, and it will get ugly this summer. 

The problem for Fox News is that younger viewers are leaving the network in droves.  In February, Fox News lost 29% of their age 25-54 primetime viewers.  Those viewers aren’t being replaced.  As the Baby Boomers age, they aren’t turning into Fox News viewers.  This means that Fox News Channel (FNC) has been very successful at maintaining their core audience, but that aren’t having any success with their attempts to expand. 

MSNBC had an extremely strong start to 2013, posting significant ratings gains in just about every hour.  In primetime, every single show was up compared to January 2012 in broth total viewers and the key adults 25-54 demo. 

@mj – I just thought of something else the Washington times could be used for.  I’ve one of those charcoal lighters that looks like a stovepipe – you stick wadded-up newspaper in one end and charcoal in the other. 

“The network will be the result of a partnership between Herring Broadcasting (owner of the Wealth Channel) and the Washington Times”

that told me all I needed to know. 

That fact that its being sponsored by something called “The Wealth Channel” tells me the demo they’re going after: it appears One Percenters like the Kochsucker Brothers and Sheldon Adelson just aren’t as into the pickup truck-drivin’, Confederate flag-wavin’, gun totin’ teabaggers as the latter may have thought (though they’ll happily accept their political contributions, votes, and tax subsidies.) 

And the Washington Times?  Seriously?  That Moonie-founded and funded rag is suitable for two things: fish wrapper and birdcage liner . . .