Tucker Carlson was pulled from Fox News Channel’s primetime slot last month. The inflammatory political pundit was known for being able to stoke his right-wing audience into a frenzy. He was also known for making several outrageous claims that made him extremely popular but frightened away big corporations from hosting ads during his show. Tucker Carlson’s dismissal comes shortly after Fox settled with Dominion in a defamation lawsuit. Dominion claimed that Fox promoted falsehoods that Dominion’s voting machines somehow rigged the 2020 election.
Now that Tucker Carlson is out, more ad revenue is coming in. Fox News has seen an increase in advertisers wanting to sponsor products during the 8 pm timeslot that Carlson once inhabited. Fox News Tonight, the show that plays there now, appears friendlier to a wider demographic. Tucker Carlson was a paradox. His opinions made him extremely popular among alt-right conservatives, and very specific advertisers spent more money on his show than they would have on comparable shows like Hannity. But despite his popularity, his views scared certain companies. And in a strange reversal of democracy, his popularity made him less valuable to Fox.
Why Was Tucker Carlson Fired?
Tucker Carlson had been walking a thin line for a long time. He was extremely popular during the Trump era for obvious reasons, but many of his comments made him a pariah outside of his very particular audience.
Many viewers were aware of the racist, homophobic, and often perverse statements made by the talk show host, but Rupert Murdoch and his family, who are Fox’s controlling shareholders, continued to support Carlson. It was rather suddenly in April that the final straw fell, though nobody knows what it was. Fox released this statement:
“Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.”
Before his departure, Tucker Carlson called transgender individuals “a cancer on the country” and said that teachers who talked about gender identity should “get beaten up.” But this was nothing new from the mouth of the pundit. Many people remember in 2018 when he blamed immigrants for making America “dirtier,” and in 2019 when he defended convicted child rapist Warren Jeffs.
There were many things he said that didn’t get him fired. But, of course, none of these comments got Carlson fired. Instead, these were the things that made him so popular with a specific type of American citizen.
It’s possible that Fox News had begun to see Carlson as more of a liability. Fox News recently settled out of court in a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems, wherein Dominion accused Fox of spreading lies that their voting machines helped rig the 2020 election.
The settlement was ultimately set at $787.5 million. With the vast amount of money now gone from the company, the Murdochs could have fired Carlson to attract more popular brands to its 8 pm timeslot and reduce the risk of continuing to promote conspiracy theories.
Tucker Carlson and Ad Revenue
Despite Tucker Carlson’s unique popularity, he did not appeal to a wide variety of advertisers. The top advertisers during Tucker Carlson Tonight, according to iSpot.tv, were Fox itself, MyPillow, a product created by conservative entrepreneur Mike Lindell, and a nutritional supplement company called Balance of Nature. Outside of Fox, these are not the most recognizable brand names to the average person.
According to Variety, Tucker Carlson was primarily supported by “direct response” advertisers. Instead of buying a specific time for their commercial, a company would pay a lower price in exchange for the network showing their advertisement on an as-needed basis.
But ever since Carlson left, there has been an uptick in new advertisers going to Fox. Variety quoted a Fox exec:
“We have had over 40 new advertisers come into the hour since we launched the new program, including some of the largest in the country and, really, across all major categories,” says Jeff Collins, executive vice president of ad sales at Fox News Media, in an interview. “We have seen new advertisers come in, and new demand.”
Some of those new advertisers include Procter & Gamble, one of the largest consumer goods brands in the country. With Carlson gone, the multinational conglomerate is no longer afraid to place female-targeted ads like Gillette’s Venus razor blades and Secret deodorant.
Beforehand, certain demographics shied away from this time due to critiques coming from different political advocacy groups. But now it seems the ground is fertile for a wider range of products to advertise there.
The Dominion case was a significant one-time loss for Fox News. And some still wonder if there may be other reasons behind Tucker Carlson’s exit from the network. But for now, it seems that the companies that associate themselves with Fox News will change based on the opinions and reputations of the news anchors there.
Tucker Carlson may not have been fired for his hateful sentiments, but this may prove that Fox News wants to look in a different direction, at least for the time being.
0 Comments