The FOX "News" spin thread!

[Torurot]

I knew there was a Fox (the spin begins here) thread but didn't think it was this far back in time...

The Corporate Sponsors of Fox News
The Political Economy of Character Assassination
http://counterpunch.org/feldman01142011.html
By JONATHAN M. FELDMAN Weekend Edition January 14, 2011


[Here are a couple of cuts from an extensively referenced article on Fox (the spin begins here). Go to the link for the full Monty]


Ideology and Economics

The motto of "Deep Throat" of Watergate fame was "follow the money." How can we understand the discourse of hate in economic terms? Essentially, there are three critical questions. First, is right-wing character assassination profitable? Second, who invests in it? Finally, how are these investments recycled into the political and cultural system so that the larger media corporation that sponsors such violent speech appears banal?

.....A study by Pew Research in September 12, 2010 said that 39% of Americans said that they regularly received news from a cable channel. Yet, "the proportions saying they regularly watch CNN, MSNBC and CNBC€¦slipped substantially from [the period] during the presidential election." In contrast, "only Fox News€¦maintained its audience size, and this is because of the increasing number of Republicans who regularly get news there." In fact 40% of Republicans claimed that they regularly watched FOX News, an increase from 36% in 2008 and just 18% in 2000. Only "12% of Republicans regularly watch CNN, and just 6% regularly watch MSNBC." The Pew study said Tea Party movement listeners and National Rifle Association supporters comprised "disproportionately large proportions of the audiences for [Rush] Limbaugh's radio show and FOX News opinion programs."

A review of the News Corporation's annual report for 2010 reveals how profoundly important that cable television programming really is. In 2010, the News Corporation reported that it generated $32.8 billion in revenues and about $2.5 billion in profits. In 2010, cable television programming represented 21% of total revenues but 57% percent of operating income (in 2009 the proportion was 46%). The report states: "For Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2010, FOX News' revenues increased 23% as compared to fiscal 2009, primarily due to higher net affiliate and advertising revenues€¦Advertising revenues increased 9% as compared to fiscal 2009, primarily due to higher pricing. As of June 30, 2010, FOX News reached over 98 million Nielsen households." That's a considerable slice of the U.S. populace.

Fox is helping to shape public opinion among millions of voters. According to the Pew Research Center only 22% of Fox News viewers turn to it mostly for "in depth reporting" and "views and opinions" as opposed to 44% mostly for getting the "latest headlines." Nevertheless, for Sean Hannity the proportions are 60% (reporting, views and opinions) and 14% (headlines), for Beck 56% (reporting, views and opinions) and 10% (headlines), for the O'Reilly Factor 64% (reporting, views and opinions) and 11% (headlines), and for Rush Limbaugh 52% (reporting, views and opinions) and 10% (headlines)

As of June 30, 2010, FOX News reached over 98 million Nielsen households." That's a considerable slice of the U.S. populace.

Fox is helping to shape public opinion among millions of voters. According to the Pew Research Center only 22% of Fox News viewers turn to it mostly for "in depth reporting" and "views and opinions" as opposed to 44% mostly for getting the "latest headlines." Nevertheless, for Sean Hannity the proportions are 60% (reporting, views and opinions) and 14% (headlines), for Beck 56% (reporting, views and opinions) and 10% (headlines), for the O'Reilly Factor 64% (reporting, views and opinions) and 11% (headlines), and for Rush Limbaugh 52% (reporting, views and opinions) and 10% (headlines)

[kahuna]

(Torurot @ Jan. 19 2011,15:38) As of June 30, 2010, FOX News reached over 98 million Nielsen households." That's a considerable slice of the U.S. populace.

Just how did you come up with this figure...

Nielsen only samples 25,000 households...out of over 114,000,000...

Another criticism of the measuring system itself is that it fails the most important criteria of a sample: it is not random in the statistical sense of the word. Only a small fraction of the population is selected and only those that actually accept are used as the sample size. There are only 25,000 total American households that participate in the Nielsen daily metered system. The number of U.S. television households as of 2009 is 114,500,000. As a result, the total number of Nielsen homes only amounts to 0.02183% of the total American television households, meaning that 99.97817% of American households have no input at all into what is actually being watched.

[Torurot]

Obviously I didn't come up the figure...  

I think the point is that Fox has considerable viewship and arguably influence. Good or bad open to interpretation.

The entire paragraph below reads as if it came from a "Fox annual report". (Quote marks around the original para) Either way it's an extrapolation of the viewing audience as represented by the Nielsen sample..... right??

A review of the News Corporation's annual report for 2010 reveals how profoundly important that cable television programming really is. In 2010, the News Corporation reported that it generated $32.8 billion in revenues and about $2.5 billion in profits. In 2010, cable television programming represented 21% of total revenues but 57% percent of operating income (in 2009 the proportion was 46%). The report states: "For Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2010, FOX News' revenues increased 23% as compared to fiscal 2009, primarily due to higher net affiliate and advertising revenues€¦Advertising revenues increased 9% as compared to fiscal 2009, primarily due to higher pricing. As of June 30, 2010, FOX News reached over 98 million Nielsen households." That's a considerable slice of the U.S. populace.

[PDF] http://www.newscorp.com/Report2010/AR2010.pdf ~4.8meg
Download Report - ANNUAL REPORT 2010
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
2010 Annual Report 13. News Corporation ...... As of June 30, 2010, FOX News reached over 98 million Nielsen households. The RSNs' revenues increased 12% ...

www.newscorp.com/Report2010/AR2010.pdf
2010 Annual Report 13. News Corporation ...... For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2010, FOX News' revenues increased 23% as compared to fiscal 2009, ...
www.newscorp.com/Report2010/AR2010.pdf

[BlueBallz]

This is a big fucking YAWN!!! Its like the weather, you piss and oam about it but what the fuck are you going to do about it?? Same same about Fox news. Fox news is a REACTION to what the mainstream cack that has been on TV the last 50 years. thats 50 years for the old networks and CNN has been on about 30 years. Guess what, we needed (or wanted) more and more choice. I remember the days when you got 22 minutes of "news" a night. When the Falklands War kicked off I would wait with baited breath for scraps of news at 630 pm every night.

Fox is biased-so what. Wasnt CBS, ABC, and NBC biased all those years?? Of course they were. MSNBC is a right riot these days although hardly anyone watches. What about NPR and PBS?? they dont even have to get out there and battle for advertisers as they get most of their funding on a silver platter.

You know the bodies werent even removed for the area when Tuscon happened and that odious, unctous twat Keith Olberman BLAMED all the boogeymen of the left: Fox, OReilly, Hannity, Glenn beck, the RNC, the Tea party ad nausem. It was disgraceful. I saw it!!

Fox is horrible, Fox is a disgrace yada yada yada. At the end of the day, what do you propse to do about it?? Censorship?? Pass some bullshit "hate speech act""?? Go pray at the alter of hugo Chavez then. Hows that working out for those folks down there??

Its Bush's fault, of course....

[PigDogg]

(BlueBallz @ Jan. 20 2011,12:54) Fox is biased-so what. it??  

Censorship??  

No one forces anyone to watch and I have other souces for News. They did have good coverage when Capt Sully landed the jet on the Hudson River.

Give people a choice; no problemo for me.

I do prefer when news and current event shows seek to uncover the truth rather than promote an agenda but all media is somewhat biased.

but I really enjoy Charlie Rose interviews.

and liked Tim Russert allot.

McLaughlin pretty good.

And the harder edged Gergory is good too.

[PigDogg]

9:43 p.m. | Updated Keith Olbermann, the highest-rated host on MSNBC, announced abruptly on the air Friday night that he was leaving his show, €œCountdown,€ immediately.

In a closing statement on his show, Mr. Olbermann said simply that it would be the last edition of the program. He offered no explanation other than on occasion the show had become too much for him.

Mr. Olbermann thanked his viewers for their enthusiastic support of a show that had €œgradually established its position as antiestablishment.€

Mr. Olbermann€™s outspoken, and sometimes controversial, support of liberal positions and Democratic candidates redefined MSNBC from a neutral news channel to one that openly offered a voice to viewers on the left, much as Fox News has done for conservatives.

Mr. Olbermann challenged Fox News publicly on numerous occasions, especially the top-rated cable host Bill O€™Reilly.

[alan1chef]

Agreed. There are lots of choices....watch what you want...don't watch what you don't like. It's better to have choices on the liberal and on the conservative side of the aisle. That's exactly what makes democracy a good thing; the right to air ones views regardless of whether you agree or not.

[Torurot]

Is it "democracy" when RFox continuously misleads, lies, and spins. It IS NOT "fair & balanced". If half it's audience of mouth breathing knuckle draggers could spot the deception and omissions then fair enough. Unfortunately they cannot. Does putting a gun target on the opposition, and incendiary talk become nothing but shouting "fire" in a crowded theatre?

[katoeylover]

The same can be said of the liberal press.

If you dont like it, stop watching.

[guydesavoy]

I think some people (on both sides) take some of this too seriously. There are many media outlets to choose from.

I'm not sure they really 'influence' anyone in the sense of actually 'changing' or 'forming' views. Most people will gravitate to the places that share and reinforce their established viewpoints. Preaching to the converted.

The Israel thread here amply demonstrated this point. Most people choose their Camp and stick to it. Little chance of voicing a reasoned opinion in the hopes of 'converting' anyone  

I was always bemused at the vilification that Rush Limbaugh suffered at the hands of the so-called Liberal Media. I listened to his show on AFN for years and you know what ? He's really an intellectual light weight with a loud voice and a big ego  

So what ? He has his fans and gets a lot of exposure (thanks ironically to the Liberals),  but he doesn't set any real agenda.

Much like that old English king who went to fight the Crusades in Pattaya 

[Tomcat]

The Western World is so politically correct now that i am for anyone who goes against this madness. Fox news seems to be backlash and not surprising either.

In Politics there is no truth , only opinions. Just like morality , its just as bad as Religion ... it deosnt exist " out there somewhere". There are no axioms in Politics and so trying to prove a point is meaningless

[BlueBallz]

(Torurot @ Jan. 24 2011,05:38) Is it "democracy" when RFox continuously misleads, lies, and spins. It IS NOT "fair & balanced". If half it's audience of mouth breathing knuckle draggers could spot the deception and omissions then fair enough. Unfortunately they cannot.  Does putting a gun target on the opposition, and incendiary talk become nothing but shouting "fire" in a crowded theatre?

I guess you were equally as outraged when the Democratic Leadership Coucil did the exact same thing a couple of years ago.

Cue crickets chirping.

I am shocked all this biz over in Egypt hasnt been blamed on Palin, Bush 43 and Glenn Beck!!!! FFS!!!

[alan1chef]

LOL.... Just give it some time and the whole mess will be blamed on Bush and the CIA!