FBN Launches: Another review..
Time.com’s Justin Fox expands upon his earlier review…
The question is: Are there hundreds of thousands of affluent Americans who aren’t obsessed with the market but do want to watch business news all day? I would think not, but then I wouldn’t have thought there were enough cranky, right-wing old people out there to make Fox News the No. 1 cable news channel. Roger Ailes knows a lot more about TV than I do.
I have in fact lasted until Happy Hour, broadcast from the Bull & Bear bar at the Waldorf Astoria. Hosts Cody and Rebecca are very animated. But the sound went out more than ten minutes ago (some sort of nefarious Time Warner Cable plot, I’m sure) so I can’t really tell what they’re being animated about.
What a condescending little snot is this Justin Fox. I hate to tell him this, but most “cranky” people are on the left. And even though the majority of Fox viewers may be older, the number of viewers in the “coveted” demo still outnumber those of the other news networks.
And if any of you older people still subscribe to Time, I’d suggest you cancel your subscriptions, as you do not need to be spoken to in such a patronizing manner.
Comment by Missy — October 15, 2007 @ 6:59 pm
I’m with Missy. I am not old, and I am not cranky. Liberals just like to portray conservatives this way. Being a liberal is just desparate clinging to your youth. Grow up!
Comment by scott — October 15, 2007 @ 7:02 pm
dang justin hits the nail on the head. i know alot of people that watch fnc and I tell ya they are always cranky and unhappy. and to think now there are two channels that caters to them. maybe prozac needs to run commercials offering a free sample..but if fnc/fbn did that, there goes their audience.
Comment by Me — October 15, 2007 @ 7:12 pm
Missy and Me: Please don’t try to convince me that either side, right or left have the market on cranky people. That kind of generalizing on both your parts is just plain silly.
Comment by myview — October 15, 2007 @ 7:16 pm
#3 is so unbelievable hahahahaha! Have yoy seen this guys constant whining? He just wrote about himself!!!!lol
Comment by Lurker — October 15, 2007 @ 7:35 pm
myview,
Justin Fox is getting paid by a major magazine to trash a certain segment of our population, and “Me” and I just reacted to same. So why are you calling us out and not Mr. Fox?
Comment by Missy — October 15, 2007 @ 7:36 pm
Yeah… that’s why FOX has that one guy who always makes an effort to point out who he thinks the “Worst Person” is… whether it’s in “the World” or in “the NFL.” He’s always so negative.
That guy is on FOX right? What do you mean he’s not on FOX. Next you’ll tell me he’s not a right-winger. Noooo.
Comment by ImNotBlue — October 15, 2007 @ 7:48 pm
Missy: Because he isn’t here at this site to “talk to”.:) Seriously though I don’t take much stock in what he says nor am I interested in business networks be it CNBC or FBN. But did have an “eye rolling moment” when I read both you and Me try to paint the other side as the cranky side.
Comment by myview — October 15, 2007 @ 7:52 pm
I’m in the “prime demo” and I’m a lifelong Democrat who watches Fox. And the only thing that is making me cranky is this stupid review! I’ll admit I hated Fox News for a long time too–all based on what I read about it on my favorite political (liberal) websites and in mainstream publications just like this. And then during Hurricane Katrina, I began to watch Shep Smith. I still steer away from their prime-time line-up (except for Greta on occasions) and I don’t really like their morning show (I still miss Imus) but they aren’t the horrible creature they are made out to be in certain quarters, as in this review.
Comment by Alison — October 15, 2007 @ 8:26 pm
Alison, your honesty is highly commendable, albeit nonextant in most quarters. For people who hate FOX News, it’s pointless for them to be attacking it… they should find or create suitable competition for it. Most Americans prefer FOX to CNN or MSNBC, why? It’s not because of the traditionalist tilt of FOX anchors, because MSNBC is deeply tilted to the left. If people only watched anchors they agreed with, liberal viewers would be all over MSNBC, and it’d be tied in the ratings with FOX News. I’ll tell you the secret sauce. The reason people watch FOX is because it has a better record of having both sides represented, it wraps the veggies with entertainment, and it has a Church and State separation between it’s opinion and news shows. In other words, you know where they’re coming from, and they’re not embedding their opinions in their news. If MSNBC started doing that, viewers would be on them like white on rice too. Liberal networks ought to be more liberal with the opinions expressed on their programs if they aspire for viewers. The only reason so much time, ink and air are consumed in assailing FOX is because of it’s resounding success. Hating someone for their success is truly pitiful. Last I saw this was America and competition of ideas was a good thing.
Comment by Haile Welde — October 15, 2007 @ 9:04 pm
#10, I would have to partially agree there and partially not. Personally, Shepard Smith was originally why I watched back in the start of 2005, and I agreed with much of the opinionated programming. Over time, I have just grown to disagree with much of the primetime tilt with Hannity and O’Reilly, but I still hold a level of respect to the news programming. Even so, as of late, I have found myself turning off FNC during my morning watching (5:45-7:00 AM PT) and turning over to CNN since I feel like watching pure news content and not just the fluff stories on FNC. It may just be me, but I am sick of the missing children, OJ, celebrities, sex, and other scum stories which just pollute more of FNC’s news programming, not to mention the usual terror scare moments that don’t really seem to have merit.
Overall, FNC has began to loose me with their more tabloid turn, in addition to the issue that they just don’t really cover much news these days, much turning into the newly excessive clip-happy Shepard Smith. I luv Shepard, I will usually watch B if I’m home and the Report nightly, but the coverage of news needs to become the focus again, not just fluff because people can’t deal with bad news.
Comment by Chris (clind) — October 15, 2007 @ 10:49 pm
“For people who hate FOX News, it’s pointless for them to be attacking it… they should find or create suitable competition for it.”
You’re exactly right here, Haile. The problem is they can’t. They’ve tried, and they always fail. They can’t do it on TV, and they can’t do it on radio. The reason is because a) they’re way out of step with most of America, and b) they’re boring! They’re in love with their own ideas so much that they can’t stand to hear dissent and in fact attack anyone who dares to disagree. Besides that, they can’t even argue their views with fact and logic to make a convincing, linear argument for their position. They “argue” by name-calling, smearing, distorting and lying. Who wants to listen to that day after day?
FNC is often accused of leaning to the right, but no matter what your view on anything, there is at least one person on FNC, likely more, that represents that viewpoint.
Until the left learns to put on an informative, entertaining show, they will never be serious competition for FNC or conservative talk radio.
Comment by Laurel — October 15, 2007 @ 11:29 pm
Chris, I agree with much of what you said, and you sound intelligent, but I also think your critique that FNC is too OJ/celebrities/sex-happy applies to all the networks. Alas, it’s not only a problem of supply, but a problem of demand. You and I turn the dial when the titillating tabloid stories come on, while plenty others gather around the screen.
There is one comment on which I have to differ… that “people can’t deal with bad news”. A major newspaper today echoed the same sentiment, in indicting FOX Business as being “too happy” due to people’s aversion to bad news. Just the opposite is true, if it bleeds, it leads. People watch bad news, that’s why 10 corporate scandals are hyped to sound like all corporations are crooked, and why the local news stations exist on serving bad news. That said, I agree FOX would be more wholesome with less sex, but it’d also be less viewed.
Laura: You said it better than I, I don’t want to be bored to death!
Comment by Haile Welde — October 15, 2007 @ 11:33 pm
One more thing….I suspect that will also become the triumph of FBN over CNBC.
Comment by Laurel — October 15, 2007 @ 11:34 pm
Halie, I guess you’re right about the tabloid news story bit, I mean, the other networks have as much of a love fest as FNC does, though I seem to find CNN’s coverage a little more tolerable or something, I honestly don’t know how to explain it.
With that point passed, I want to warn everyone I am probably treading into questionable ground at this point. The whole idea of “good news” is largely around the war and the administration, which I believe I get better coverage of by watching CNN largely with a mix of the FOX Report and Special Report programs. During the daytime, and during the evening, FNC’s coverage of politics just seems to have questions largely, if not all, from a more Republican point of view, kinda focusing the argument on one side largely more than the other. While both sides are commonly included, the questions just seem to make the debate angled in one direction, which doesn’t really serve the viewer in my opinion.
Either way, the only time I usually watch MSNBC is probably weekend mornings due to the usually great host (Alex Witt, I believe) and the bad choice of alternatives. As a sideline note to end on, the one element FOX has had is that it commonly has made news coverage more compelling, though the other networks have improved, like with AC360, Situation Room, CNN Newsroom, and possibly a few others.
Comment by Chris (clind) — October 16, 2007 @ 12:11 am
#3 ME “and to think now there are two channels that caters to them”. What do you mean ME?
Comment by SHANE — October 16, 2007 @ 6:45 am
Rebecca would trip my trigger if she was plunging a toilet. Animate THAT! Business, news, sports, entertainment…she can do it all, “beautifully”.
Comment by Roger C. — October 16, 2007 @ 10:46 am