The twilight of the right-wing media and money elite

[echochamberlain]

The average age of the right-wing media and financial elite has officially ticked over 70. The two major media moguls, Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch, are 74 and 83 respectively. The influential financiers, Sheldon Adelson, and Charles and David Koch, are in their seventies and eighties. The highest-profile pundits are comparatively younger, though almost all of them - Bill O'Reilly, Charles Krauthammer, Bill Kristol, Rush Limbaugh, Karl Rove and George Will - are well over sixty.
The seniority is reflected in Conservative television and radio demographics. The average age of FOX viewers, according to the Nielson ratings, is 68, up from 65 in 2009.

Fox News's audience is still relatively huge, but it's taking in smaller numbers of the only viewers ad buyers pay attention to: the 25-54 demographic. The cable channel's ratings for that demographic is the lowest it's been in 12 years, attracting an average of 264,000 prime-time viewers in May.

Bill O'Reilly's show remains popular with overall audience of 2.1 million viewers. But in the key demographic, he averaged just 313,000 viewers, a small percentage of his overall pull. His show's median viewer age is now 72.1, which is a high. That's part of a trend. Fox News's viewership is aging out of the key demographic. In the other major Conservative medium, talk-back radio, the median age is 67, and rising.

Many of this elite are from the last generation to come of age before The Pill, integration and the Beatles.

many grew up and matured under the cultural censorship of the Catholic League and the motion picture codes. In barely 3 or 4 years the entire culture changed, and many of this Fox Generation which might otherwise be called the Ozzie & Harriet Generation, could not make the leap. This generation is now all of retirement age and are also the only generation to grow up and to retire with the full promise of their grandparents' New Deal.

The relatively younger baby-boomers among this elite, the likes of Bill O'Reilly and Charles Krauthammer, were in their twenties during the sixties; but their more formative time seems to have been in the eighties, when their burgeoning, successful professional lives coincided with the rise of Reagan and the resurgence of the right-wing ethos. With only intermittent success for the right since then, this circle of pundits with direct connections to or influence upon that retrospectively gilded age of conservatism have remained in the ascendancy ever since, as authentic and trusted voices. Without those direct links, the generation coming through doesn't have as much gravitas. The likes of Eric Bolling, Grover Norquist and Steve Hayes came of political age during the nineties and the first decade of the new millennium, during two election cycles with no Republican in the White House, and two fiscally as well as geo-politically unsatisfactory terms with one in it.

Within one election cycle, perhaps two, there will be a massive shift, as this right-wing media and money elite from the conservative gilded age enters its twilight, and exits the airwaves.

For a portrait gallery of these influencers, with their surprisingly high ages attached, see here: http://sheppardpost.com/the-twilight-of-the-right-wing-media-and-money-elite/

[PowerToThePeople]

1. So, when they die, where will the money and power go?

Not to any left wingers, you can be pretty damn sure of that.

100% inheritance tax. End generational Oligarchy!!

[Cosmocat]

2. Nonsense

This is wishful thinking.

I was in my 20s in the 90s when the right wing eviscerated Bill Clinton. I never understood it, I just did not get how distorted it was and how people hated a personable AND GOOD President. I didn't get how the media passively allowed the well crafted bullshit the republican spewed to be advance.

I was aghast when a decent, intelligent and highly capable man was painted as a arrogant and untrustworthy elite while a hapless son of privilege was deferentially portrayed as a "guy you would like to have a beer with, and THAT is what we want in a President!"

I knew things would be bad under Bush II, and they were WORSE than I expected.

He clearly was asleep at the wheel when 9-11 happened, but somehow it was the prior Presidents fault.

And, despite having allowed the worst, by far, terrorist attack on our soil in our history, the moron not only got RE-ELECTED for "keeping us safe!" but, every single stupid ass thing the republicans wanted for 7 years was advanced based on the meme of KEEPING US SAFE. You dare not criticize the COMMANDER IN CHIEF when we had troops in the field. And, no way you can try to hold him accountable for lying this country into the Iraq debacle because "It would tear the country apart!"

All that ended completely when BHO was sworn in as President. He owned the economic downturn that occurred under Bush II's presidency and we have not heard the phrase "you can't criticize the commander in chief with troops in the field" since he was swore in, and the republicans have breathlessly babbled about impeachment since BEFORE he took office.

Today, we once again have a personable and GOOD president, but the republicans are meaner and even more virulent. They have totally given up on even trying to wrap their bullshit in the constitution or trying to have some well crafted "message" they just get up and start screaming about whatever they want even if it totally contradicts where they were the day before. AND, the media has advanced from passively allowing their bullshit to go on to GLEEFULLY spewing right wing bullshit as fact.

In other words - it somehow is even worse now than it was when I was mystified at how bad it was two decades ago.

Absolutely wishful and fanstastical thinking that "within one election cycle, perhaps two, there will be a massive shift ..."

What our history has shown now, beyond a doubt, is this that country has increasingly become more willing to greedily eat up republican bullshit while the democratic party advances nothing of substance to counter it. Minus the capacity to find some strong personalities that can win the Presidency (and that is no sure thing, as there are GOOD people like Gore and Kerry who don't have the personality), what has the democratic party done the last quarter century vs the never ending, relentless borg like advances of the republican "agenda."

It isn't going to magically get better, that is for darn sure.

It most likely is going to get worse.

[procon]

4. I shudder to say that you're probably right

Younger hardline conservatives may not be attracted to Fox tv or hate radio, but that trend is consistent with everyone else who is shifting away from the old media sources.

The Internet is the new home for the radical right. The more extreme the online content is, or the more bizarre the emailed conspiracy theory might be, the more influence new media gains on inciting the next incident of growing rightwing terrorism.

[Cosmocat]

5. The big hople was that the internet would be the game changer

that it would allow the truth to come to light.

But, as has been the case repeatedly the "side" with more passion wins out. They overtook AM radio, they have overtaken the media, and internet and social media simply act as needles to directly inject right wing bullshit into people's heads.

The negative passions are winning out.

[JustAnotherGen]

6. I'm right there with you Cosmocat

On all of it.

rec for your response

[CanonRay]

7. I'm beginning to believe that nothing will change

until the economy collapses or we have a violent revolution. Or both.

[Cosmocat]

8. Yep

we are simply too content and distracted, and our standard of living is too high and comfortable on average.

Things are going to have to take a REALLY bad turn for people to tune in and make good decisions AND, if it happens it can't be with a democratic president, either.

Thanks Christ 9-11 didn't happen with a democratic president in charge, cause we would not have seen a democratic president in a quarter century the way things are now.

[Punkingal]

10. One of the best posts I have seen on DU..

And I have been here a long time! Bless you, you nailed it! I am sad to say I agree with you. It is hard to believe it can get worse, but it is already, and I'm afraid that will continue.

[LiberalElite]

3. I read "motion picture codes" and

was reminded of the weekly chart in a Catholic newspaper that listed movies by their (Catholic) ratings. This was in the '50s-'60s. Maybe they still do this for all I know. I only looked at it to find out what "condemned" movies to try to see. (I was raised Catholic.)

[Orsino]

9. It's only the twilight of a few who could call themselves self-made.

You want detached? You want callous? Look to their heirs, the hereditary aristos who want all the cake, and who have never been told no.

[GOLGO 13]

11. Wish it will be so. But,

the heirs of these self-made kings will follow the play book. Others will go even more far, far right. Some will expand their empires while other will maintain their stranglehold.

I have more faith in a shift in the supreme court or Texas going blue than a twilight of the kings scenario. Hope I'm wrong and your right.