April 20, 2017

Bill O'Reilly is not the headline, Fox News is

Bill O'Reilly got fired by Fox News yesterday for reported misconduct of a sexual harassment nature. I don't care.  I always could take or leave O'Reilly's show. Sometimes he was way off base or frankly, annoying.  A lot of times he got it right too, it should be said.  The problem is his success on Fox and the potential direction of Fox news media. Apparently Rupert Murdoch and his sons have different visions not only for O'Reilly but also for the direction of Fox News,  Fox News has long been the lone bastion of news media for conservatives (by saying that I am lumping conservative stalwarts like Rush Limbaugh or Townhall etc., into other categories - pundits, editorialists or too small to compare with Fox).

The loss of O'Reilly at Fox may matter to ratings for Fox but likely not - unless Rupert Murdoch's sons decide a more centrist direction.  When Megyn Kelly jumped Fox for NBC, Tucker Carlson stepped in and the network never missed a beat. That can be true for an O'Reilly replacement - conservatives need a media outlet with the size and reach of Fox News.  The younger Murdochs would do wise to realize the success of their father's news outlet rests upon it being the sole entity with the heft to stand up to the liberal media behemoth that confronts the right.  To change it because of their own possible political views would be to make Fox a voice among countless others on the left.  

Disappointed conservatives would abandon Fox in droves as it became apparent that Fox is moving to a 'balanced' line-up. Fox is the balance, not just part of the liberal throng.  Should that come to pass, there is a real opportunity for someone like a Breitbart to step up and fill in the void.  I'd do it but I do not have the critical mass necessary to start a broadcast network.


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