How Fox News Network cheats to stay in business:

[KY_EnviroGuy]

This is the first two parts of a 23 part Twitter thread by Angelo Carusone (@GoAngelo) that reveals how Fox News cheats cable subscribers to stay in business. See thread reader link below for the rest......

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Text:

1/ I want to share a bit about Fox News, advertisers, revenue and accountability. Let me first start by saying that, Fox News is actually suffering quite severely on the advertiser front. (The next chart will illustrate just how badly)...
2/ This is the number of paid ads on Tucker's show. As you can see this chart shows the average number of *paid* commercials per show. It dropped off quite severely in 2019. It *still* hasn't recovered. So what's this mean in terms of dollars?

Thread Reader Link: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1244819790650322944.html

A few of the best parts:

Well, surprise surprise, Fox News cheats. And we all basically subsidize Fox News as a result of that cheating. Fox News could have $0 in advertising revenue and still have a 90% profit margin. That should be surprising given that they are a commercial media outlet. But this is in large part why Fox seems impervious to some ad pressure. They have a big cushion.
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Fox News is notoriously recognized as the most aggressive negotiator. And it's not just that they are good at it. They lie and cheat. They tell Fox News viewers that their cable company is trying to silence Fox News, they enlist their hosts to spread that misinformation too. The effect? News & info channels’ subscriber fees are normally small. MSNBC gets ~$0.33, CNN gets between $0.70-0.90 per month (and includes CNN and CNN Headline News). In contrast, Fox News charges near or over $2 a month. This is wildly out of step with industry averages.

Fox News' fees are artificially inflated. Fox would not be able to sustain itself in its current incarnation w/out bullying cable providers into overpaying. It's time the 90M cable customers pushback way Fox has pushed all these years. We need a Fox News fee correction.

Lawsuits - Fox News spent months not only downplaying coronavirus, but actively misinforming their audience about it - and also encouraging them to do dangerous things (like take trips). While Fox News was lying, the Murdochs were canceling gatherings and social distancing. Lawsuits - It isn't a question. There will be lawsuits. And the thing is, when that happens, my sense is that discovery will reveal that they were intentionally misinforming their audience and that they were coordinating with Trump admin to align messaging.

KY........ .........

[pat_k]

1. Big kick -- this is VERY important.

I did not realize Fox subscriber fees were so high.

Subscriber action is absolutely needed. Why should my cable dollars disproportionately support these propagandists? It's bad enough that their bullshit has been systematically destroying real American values for decades. They are getting 6 times more than MSNBC to do it? They are getting 2.5 times more than CNN to do it?

Appalling and needs a push back from the people that pay the bills.

I don't want to support them at all, but that is not in the cards if I want to keep my cable. At a minimum, we must "level the playing field."

[KY_EnviroGuy]

2. I don't have cable but it was suggested in his Twitter thread....

with some cable packages, you can customize and drop Fox for a monthly credit. One would think that millions of subscribers threatening to boycott advertisers by letter or email would have an effect.

See, for example........

Link to tweet

Text:

NeverLockedCut @NeverCutLocked
maybe this year get Ds on a campaign to call their TV provider and ask for the "California bundle" that's where you the viewer get a $2 discount, and the company gives you the same bundle without FoxNews. DirectTV/Spectrum get leverage, and D customers piss off the republicans.
1:45 AM - Mar 31, 2020

and............

Link to tweet

Text:

Janice Claire @JaniceClaire14, Replying to: @GoAngelo
So we should be contacting our cable provider to express our feelings about subsidizing a state-run propaganda network that actively harms people with lies & misinformation. I have Verizon Fios. I’ll have to figure out who needs to get my letter.
10:22 AM · Mar 31, 2020

KY...........

[pat_k]

3. "with some cable packages, you can customize and drop Fox for a monthly credit"

I am calling comcast about xfinity package tomorrow. Will post results.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

4. Would be nice if someone cold post this suggestion here say....

every couple of months and even put it out on social media to get more people to at least try to drop Fox or let their provider know they don't appreciate paying a premium for a channel they don't want.

Drip, drip, drip and the word gets out.......

Thanks for giving it a try!

[calimary]

8. That's a good idea!

[spudspud]

9. What were the results? /nt

[dalton99a]

5. Kick

[BadgerMom]

6. Kick

[BComplex]

7. We need to keep this kicked. There's more to learn about how to deal with this.

And who is better at figuring out that kind of thing than DUers treasured researchers?

[LeftInTX]

10. Shared with a bunch of Democrats on FB

[dmr]

11. Kick