Morning Joe Goes After Fox News Sponsors: Hard Pivot Right Has ‘Taken Them out of Mainstream Advertiser Business’
Joe Scarborough and Morning Joe’s set were uniquely focused on comments made by Newt Gingrich Thursday night, in which the former House Speaker claimed Democrats want to “exterminate” Republicans. Yes, he really said that which Scarborough fairly called “beyond grotesque,” “sick,” and “un-American.”
Scarborough stated “the former Republican leader is going on Fox News now and telling people watching Fox News that Joe Biden’s Democratic party wants to, quote, exterminate all Republicans,” before wondering aloud “if the Murdochs were not paying attention on January 6th.”
He then returned to Fox News business model, asking “if they are really so concerned about NewsMax getting a few of their viewers that they are allowing former Republican leaders to go out and talk about extermination to continue, whipping Qanon people, continuing whipping potential future insurrectionists into a rabid frenzy? Are they never ever going to wake up and understand how damaging this sort of talk is to America?”
Former ad exec and Morning Joe contributor Donny Deutsch went further.
“Here’s what I don’t understand,” he opened. “Forget the moral point of view. It’s reprehensible. I don’t know how Rupert and Lachlan [Murdoch] they look at themselves in a mirror.”
“From a business point of view, it’s a very, very desperate end game,” he explained. “Do you know in primetime, one of three commercials on primetime Fox is the Pillow Guy?” Deutsch is referencing the spate of My Pillow ads throughout Fox News, which are direct ads that often come from unsold or remnant ad inventory and are therefore much cheaper. My Pillow ads, Mediaite has learned, do not pay a remnant rate.
Deutsch then added that Fox News has “pretty much taken themselves out of the mainstream advertiser business. And that’s going to continue. I don’t care how many viewers you get.”
“At the end of the day, you are not being supported by advertisers; that’s where the money is. They may get a very harsh wake-up call because it’s only going to get worse.”
While it is true that advertising revenue is the most important variable for a television executive, it’s worth noting that Fox News has enjoyed record revenue, according to the independent outlet Kagan.
Watch above via MSNBC.
