See this? Liberal Channel a Non-Starter, Says Wright

[AnnInLa]

This is dated the 13th, so you've probably seen it by now, and someone has probably posted it by now...but, I just saw it today.


http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6283390.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP

Liberal Net a Non-Starter, Says Wright

By Staff -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/13/2005 11:53:00 PM

snip about a symposium where these remarks were made

Waxing nostalgic for the days when networks played current events “down the middle,” Wright lamented the over-the-top tone that cable-news channels are increasingly embracing. And, of course, he laid responsibility for it all at the feet of Fox News Channel.

Given that Carlson, a conservative in good standing, was hired earlier this year by one of Wright’s own channels to host The Situation with Tucker Carlson—a move by the perennially struggling MSNBC that was seen as hoping to snag some of Fox’s reflected ratings glory—he might have been expected to quiz his boss a little more closely on this point.

But instead, Carlson made a suggestion: Why not start a channel that overtly caters to liberals? “There’s tons of liberals out there,” Carlson said.

Going after a lefty audience would be futile, Wright said. “For some strange, probably genetic, reasons”—we’re pretty sure that was a joke—”they don’t listen to a lot of radio and they don’t watch a lot of television.”

Another disincentive: Despite all the media attention given to cable-news programming—from Bill O’Reilly’s histrionics on Fox to Anderson Cooper’s exhibitionistic empathy at CNN—American viewers are not all that interested. Wright pointed out that the cable-news networks combined draw fewer unique viewers all night long than a single half-hour of NBC Nightly News.

snip

[shoelace414]

1. sounds like he's arguing that Fox, CNN and MSNBC should close

[Syncronaut Seven]

2. For some strange, probably genetic, reasons

Um yea, like being born with a brain?

What an extrordinarily insightfull thing to say!

[darkmaestro019]

3. Gee, I wonder why we don't watch a lot of television--

Perhaps when I can turn it on and find something that interests me without trying to insult my intelligence, convert me to Christianity, get me to get rich quick in vitamins/daytrading/real estate, or persuade me that Bush is good and all that he says shall come to pass, I'll watch more TV. As it is I watch the stack of animated sitcoms and some sci-fi and the occasional Nature/Nova type thing.

(American Dad, btw, is out there swinging an axe for our side pretty hard : )

[jayfish]

4. What A Moran...

I started listening to talk radio at the age of 12. I rarely do anymore because there's hardly anything for me to listen to.

Jay

[RepublicanElephant]

5. isn't that what they said about air america radio? n/t

?

[SoCalDem]

6. That makes about as much sense as saying that we shouldn;t send

food to Darfur.. Those people don;t eat very much anyway:(

[converted_democrat]

7. Is there somewhere or someone I can write to about this?? n/t

[MissMarple]

8. Well! Does Wright have that one wrong.

People are hungry for intelligent and accurate news programming, I'm sure Tucker knows that quite well from his e-mails. And it doesn't have to pander either right or left. The truth is sensational enough, as it is.