By Lee Pfeiffer
Much of the TV cable news universe has become a lot of hyperbole as some show hosts use increasingly theatrical techniques to increase audiences in the highly competitive industry. There are three major American TV cable news outlets: Fox News, MSNBC and CNN. Fox News has long dominated the ratings world by catering to conservative viewpoints. The election of Barack Obama has only increased ratings among those who oppose his policies. Similarly, MSNBC, which has a left-wing point of view, saw significant growth during the Bush administration, when its programs became harshly critical of the president's policies. CNN claims to be the network that tries to stride the middle of the road, though both conservatives and liberals claim the network favors the other side. The contentious world of cable news has made one thing clear: most viewers are not interested in a balanced viewpoint of the world, nor do they want to hear the other side of the story. Ideologues on both sides simply seek out shows and hosts they are most comfortable with in order to reaffirm their existing convictions.
As the hyperbole increases, so does the risk-at least as it pertains to advertisers. Take the case of Fox News personality Glenn Beck, who hosts a top-rated daily show that has made him an icon among the far right. Beck, who refers to himself as "a rodeo clown", is known for engaging in theatrical gestures that would rival those of Elmer Gantry. However, when he recently referred to President Obama as a "racist" with a "deep-seated hatred of white people", a line was crossed that may have implications for all controversial talk show hosts. Beck's refusal to back away from the claim - along with his "dig-the-heels" follow-up defense of his statement - outraged liberals and caused even moderate conservatives to denounce what he said. More importantly, a liberal advocacy group began a petition campaign to target Beck's advertisers, saying their company should not want to be associated with such a program. The strategy has worked: dozens of major advertisers have pulled out of Beck's program. Fox News says the network has still kept most of the revenues as the ads were simply switched to other programs - and it's doubtful the network would ever cancel Beck, given the fact that he is a ratings powerhouse. Nevertheless, the ad rates on his show will almost certainly be dropped in order to attract advertisers.Â
Keith Olbermann, host of MSNBC's top news analysis show Countdown, is a frequent critic of Beck and often refers to him as "Lonesome Rhodes", a reference to the phony country singer portrayed by Andy Griffith in A Face in the Crowd. However, Olbermann is also steeped in controversy and has plenty of enemies among conservatives, largely for his continued humorous lambasting of the Bush administration and virtually everyone on Fox News. You can be sure that right wing advocacy groups will be attempting to take a page out of the left's strategy of targeting advertisers of shows they believe are too controversial.
The situation raises the old argument about the fine line between advocacy and censorship. No one is suggesting that the government get involved in any of this, but targeting specific talk show hosts through the threat of boycotting their advertisers opens up a Pandora's Box of issues that can impact both sides of the political spectrum. It remains to be seen what type of pressures, if any, will be put on talk show hosts by their networks in terms of cooling off these feuds, which have mesmerized audiences. Keith Olbermann denied that the absence of criticism against Fox News over a period of weeks had anything to do with published reports that he was ordered to tone down the rhetoric. As if to prove he was not part of any such agreement, he is as vitriolic as ever in mocking his arch rival Bill O'Reilly, the superstar of Fox News Channel. For his part, O'Reilly has refused to even utter Olbermann's name on the air, choosing to insult him through thinly-veiled references as a hate monger. If corporate management did succeed in calling a truce between their top personalities, it would be a mixed blessing as it is the controversial aspects of these shows that motivate people to tune in. For more click here