Afternoon media chatter for anons!
The natives are restless at Fox News:
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/06/rupert-murdoch-son-lachlan-moves-to-consolidate-power#intcid=recommendations_vanity-fair-popular_3ca466f8-0a8f-444c-be4b-c84fe16c263d_cral-top1-1
"In many ways, it’s not surprising that the 87-year-old Rupert is refusing to allow Lachlan, 46, to reign unfettered. Over the last five months, Rupert has been recovering from a serious back injury that left him homebound after he fell on Lachlan’s yacht and is looking for ways to demonstrate to colleagues that he’s still vital. Rupert recently hosted entertainment-industry swells at a dinner at his Bel Air estate for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. And in April, Rupert called Jared Kushner to get a last-minute invite to the White House’s state dinner for French president Emmanuel Macron (Murdoch’s spokesperson denied Rupert called the White House for an invite at the time)."
"While Fox News dominated the ratings in May—a fact Trump bragged about on Saturday—the network is having new difficulties monetizing its most pro-Trump programming. According to three sources briefed on the numbers, advertising revenues for Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham are down in recent months. “The pro-Trump thing isn’t working. We can’t monetize DACA and the wall and that right-wing shit,” one staffer said. “Despite all the hype on Hannity, they can’t sell it,” another insider told me. (Tucker Carlson’s show is faring better, sources said)."
Meanwhile, Sinclair Broadcasting Group is circling its wagons:
http://thehill.com/homenews/media/389773-former-trump-staffer-joins-sinclair-broadcasting
"A former Trump campaign member who later joined the White House communications team is joining Sinclair Broadcasting Group as the network has weathered controversy in recent months over its pro-Trump leanings… Kaelan Dorr, who worked for the Trump campaign as a deputy communications adviser and later joined the White House as director of congressional communications, will join the right-leaning network…"
Sinclair wants to rope Sean Hannity out of Fox's corral:
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/16/sean-hannity-sinclair-broadcasting-594348
I reckon $910 million will help Sinclair do that and a lot more. Kek at selling their garage sale stuff to the competition:
https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/fox-sinclair-tribune-media-deal-1202804273/
After the garage sale, Sinclair went shopping for the WGN Radio network:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/backstory/ct-biz-back-story-todd-manley-wgn-radio-20180530-story.html
Yep, Sinclair is rattling their swords. Hannity's been approached, and so have Michael Savage.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sinclair-laying-groundwork-fox-news-competitor-1114176
Sinclair's big obstacle at this point is regulatory approval:
"But before Baltimore-based Sinclair can take on Fox News, it must wait for federal regulators to approve the company's purchase of Tribune Media, which would give Sinclair a cable channel, WGN America, that could be converted to right-leaning news and opinion. "They don't want to cause any waves, but they are preparing for the network as soon as they can," says one source."