One of the more interesting things that has happened recently is a defamation claim being filed against right wing media resulting in the media actually backing down. It’s a rare thing that’s usually reserved for lowly liberal bloggers and twitter users who can’t afford to have big time lawyers on retainer.
But it happened to Newsmax, OAN and Fox over their insane conspiracy mongering about the voting machine companies Smartmatic and Dominion. I have no doubt that there are plenty of questions about the relative safety of those machines in various ways, but this particular conspiracy is just stark, raving nuts. They fought back and won. The three networks all walked back their accusation, no doubt resulting in some very confused Trump cultists.
I don’t know that this will result in any lasting changes, although Ben Smith of the NY Times posits that this defamation claim could have disastrous results for Newsmax and OAN which are both seeking financing for an expansion. Fox can ride it out, of course, but the fact that they quickly issued a “fact check” on the shows that had been pushing this false claim is telling nonetheless.
We don’t know what Trump will do when he leaves office but you can be sure that he’s thinking about something in media. (He’s even been talking about doing The Apprentice again.) Maybe he’ll end up investing in Newsmax or OAN and turning them into his private media vehicle. But if he’s smart he’ll be looking more at something like this, which puts money directly into his pockets:
The conservative media company that owns BlazeTV has quietly been building a massive subscriber base, a direct threat to any digital TV effort being floated by President Trump and his allies, sources tell Axios.
Blaze Media — which was created as a result of the 2018 merger between The Blaze, a pay-TV network founded by Glenn Beck, and CRTV, an online subscription network that owns Conservative Review — now has 450,000 paid subscribers to BlazeTV, paying on average $102 a year.
Blaze Media’s business model offers a blueprint for how to build a successful partisan media network with little overhead, in a post-cable world.BlazeTV, the OTT channel, is the cornerstone of the business. But the company also runs a sizable podcast platform, the Blaze Podcast Network, which caters to personalities that already have massive radio and social media followings, like Mark Levin and Glenn Beck.
The company also has a 24/7 digital TV channel called Live, which is available to BlazeTV subscribers and is also available on ViacomCBS’ free streaming channel Pluto TV.. Its digital linear radio stream, Blaze Radio, is available on its website and on the iHeartRadio app.The podcast network, along with Blaze Live, Blaze Radio and its website, serve as a marketing funnel to its lucrative BlazeTV product, while also bringing in additional ad revenue.
Prior to the merger, The Blaze had a traditional TV channel. It yanked the channel off the air to focus on building a digital empire that it thought would have more staying power and give the company greater control of its distribution.
“It wasn’t without risk because we were walking away from a substantial amount of revenue, but we wanted to focus on better positioning ourselves for where we see things going within the next 3 to 5 years,” emails Blaze Media CEO Tyler Cardon. “It was the right call, even in the short-term. Ad revenue is up 70% year-over-year.”
Unlike Fox News or even cable upstarts like Newsmax and One America News Network (OANN), Blaze Media is truly an identity brand. Its business has been built around outspoken conservative personalities that have already proved successful in building massive, loyal audiences, like Levin and Beck, as well as Dave Rubin, and Phil and Jase Robertson from “Duck Dynasty.”
If you want an “identity brand” Trump is it. You can easily see the possibilities.
The big problem, of course, is that Donald Trump is the world’s most famous TV addict. I doubt very much that he would be willing to give up being on the boob tube. He’s too old to get into the brave new world of digital media. But if Jared can talk him into it, it could be a big money maker for him. His cult has already shown they are willing to spend hundreds of millions to prove their fealty to Dear Leader.
I don’t know if Trump will run in 2024 but I do know that he’s going to keep the possibility open as long as he can make money from it. And he desperately needs to stay in the public eye if he’s going to do that. Luckily for us, we will not have to pay much attention to him once he’s out of office and can focus on what government is actually doing instead of the circus sideshow we’ve been subjected to for the past four years.
However, here at Hullabaloo we will also keep one eye on what’s going on with this right wing cult because there are whole lot of them and they are not going away. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the decades I’ve been writing this blog is that it’s important that we not ignore what’s happening on the right, even when it seems as if they are nothing more than fringe players. Failing to understand them, particularly as they influence the way elected officials wield their power, is a good part of the reason we got Donald Trump.
There’s always a lot to cover and we can’t do it all. But hopefully we can provide some of the stories and analysis that will enrich your understanding of what’s happening in politics and maybe offer up a little culture and humor from time to time as well.
If you’d like to help keep the lights on for another year, I would very much appreciate your kind contribution. And Happy Hollandaise, everyone!
Cheers,
digby