Tucker Carlson Wins Cable TV’s Triple Crown
Somebody I vaguely know on TwitFace said yesterday they heard from a friend that people were dancing in the aisles at a Trader Joe’s somewhere when the news broke about Fox News firing Tucker Carlson.
Ok, maybe that exact thing didn’t happen, but I think it’s safe to assume many Americans did feel like celebrating yesterday.
The nation’s top rated hate-monger will no longer be gracing the living rooms on weekday evenings, doling out conspiracy theories, amplifying fear, and promoting the idea that the most privileged middle class in history are victims.
A lot of people who weren’t his fans only knew of Tucker’s reputation for saying outrageous things to “own the libs.” In that context it can be hard to discern between stunts (tanning testicles to boost testosterone) and ideological messages. At its root the core message was about promoting and/or triggering racism.
Watchdog group Media Matters kept an ongoing tally –amounting to dozens of pages–of Carlson's racist quips. A New York Times analysis found he’d given positive coverage of the “Great Replacement” concept in more than 400 episodes of his show.
News coverage of the firing tended to focus on determining motivations and mechanisms behind the event. Given all the possible reasons given for giving the TV dinner heir the boot, I think CNN’s Oliver Darcy interviewed a media executive with the most likely version:
We know the basic contours of how the decision was made (Lachlan Murdoch and Suzanne Scott came to agreement Friday evening about canceling Carlson's show and informed him on Monday morning, just before publicly announcing the news). But we are unable to say definitively, for now, what led to the firing of one of the most powerful figures in modern American media and politics.
One veteran television news executive told me that they believed the decision came down to a straightforward calculation by the Murdochs: Risk versus reward. "There's a lot of drama and intrigue, but this is always about managing risk vs reward," the person said.
"I know that’s not very exciting, but it’s how these decisions get made at the highest level," the executive added. "A weighing of the negatives - and risks to the business - versus the positives or benefits."
That’s right folks, canning Carlson was about future business. From the Murdoch point of view, having an on air mouthpiece for Donald J Trump didn’t make sense because 1) they didn’t think he could win and 2) the company didn’t need to sully its image any further.
In the short term this was an expensive call. The move cost the company $962 million in stock market value on Monday, even more than the $787.5 million than the potential (there are still appeals) judgment against them in the Dominion defamation lawsuit.
On the other hand, as Radar.com discovered, Fox saying the parting of ways was due to ‘cause’ might save some money:
Fox told Tucker Carlson’s lawyers were told he was fired “with cause” concerning the ex- producer’s lawsuit, which claimed sexism, antisemitism, and harassment, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The “with cause” label means the company will likely seek to avoid severance payments to Carlson. Most executive contracts contain language stipulating different scenarios of how their separation from the company would be treated financially.
The terminations of Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly triggered “golden parachutes” on their way out. At this point Carlson won’t get paid; at least until the inevitable lawsuits make their way through the courts. He stands to have more damaging documents coming to light in the discovery process, so if there is a settlement, the advantage will go to Fox.
Such truths waiting to be discovered will likely come from Carlson’s private studios in Maine and Florida, grandiose facilities for beaming out his versions of the truth.
One sweet bit of gossip comes via Vanity Fair’s Gabriel Sherman saying that Carlson “was in the midst of negotiating the renewal of his Fox News contract through 2029 … [and] expected the contract to be renewed.”
Mainstream conservative columnists, like Jonah Goldberg, are saying adios to a man they believe damaged the conservative movement. It hasn’t dawned on them that there is no movement left outside their protected enclaves.
Heritage’s shift from Reaganism has been described by many as a turn to Trumpism , and it is that, of course. But it was also a turn to Tuckerism.
Indeed, most right-wing institutions that depend on a large customer or donor base have embraced a strategy of monetizing the constant stoking of crisis and paranoia as the new True Faith. Small donors are the lifeblood of the smash-mouth populism. When the facts don’t lend themselves sufficiently to catastrophization, fresh ones are invented.
And Tucker was the high priest of that faith.
New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg offered some insight into what the fallen TV host’s future might hold, and again, Fox has a better long term outlook. Part of the separation process for Carlson will be figuring out a way to get past any non-compete agreements he might have signed. This is yet another way leading to discovery in a lawsuit.
It’s impossible to know what happens to that career now that Carlson has achieved the rare cable news trifecta of flaming out at CNN, MSNBC and Fox. He has an intensely loyal following, and could easily start his own venture or join a would-be Fox competitor like Newsmax or OAN. It would be a tremendous irony if Fox News, which aired lies about Dominion because it was afraid of being outflanked on the right by Newsmax, now finds itself losing to Newsmax thanks to the fallout from the Dominion lawsuit.
But other Fox hosts have seen their relevance rapidly diminish after being deprived of the network’s platform. Glenn Beck is still performing his 21st-century John Birch Society routine at his company Blaze Media, but he’s speaking to a much smaller niche than he once did. Bill O’Reilly, once the face of Fox, has a podcast and a string of best-selling books, but he’s no longer a particularly important cultural figure. Maybe Carlson will be different, though the text messages exposed by Dominion suggest an intense awareness of his own vulnerability. After the viewer backlash over Fox News correctly calling Arizona for Joe Biden, an enraged Carlson texted a producer, “We worked really hard to build what we have.” And now it’s gone
Tucker Carlson’s departure from Fox wasn’t about satisfying its critics; it will continue to cater to some of the worst elements looking to undermine freedom and democracy. But, for now, the broadcast with the most reach in cable TV is history.
Other News Spotted in the Wild
As I’ve warned people in the past, RFK Jr’s purported candidacy as a Democrat running for president is a Trojan horse.
Don Lemon’s Misogyny at CNN, Exposed: Malicious Texts, Mocking Female Co-Workers and ‘Diva-Like Behavior’ Via Vanity Fair
Another misogynist of the talking head variety went out the door yesterday at CNN, when Don Lemon was let go after 17 years with the network. While he was a groundbreaker in the sense of being the first on-air news personality to come out as gay, he was unable or unwilling to deal with the part of his persona that fostered sexist stereotypes and caused emotional distress to those around him.
Yes, Lemon was aggressive, and had a following for his willingness to confront bad players in politics, but his ego was his downfall. The above article was published three weeks ago and seemed destined to be ignored, until now.
Florida surgeon general altered key findings in Covid study Via MSNBC. The data said one thing, Ron DeSantis’ appointee changed it to fit into the administration’s anti-vaccine program.
Why this California Democrat is running for governor more than 3 years early Via Daily Kos. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis is hoping succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom and become the first woman to lead California
Tennessee tried to ban drag shows. So Lizzo invited drag queens onstage Via The Los Angeles Times.
“In light of recent and tragic events ... I was told by people on the internet, ‘Cancel your shows in Tennessee. Don’t go to Tennessee,’” Lizzo told the crowd on Friday.
“We don’t have to boo that person — their reason was valid. But why would I not come to the people who need to hear this message the most, the people who need to feel this release the most?”
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Lead image: Edited Screen grab from CNN
I sincerely hope that the OAN/Dominion lawsuit prevents OAN from offering *ucker a job. I really don't want him to move here.