Jeff Zucker’s singular role in promoting Donald Trump’s rise

[DonViejo]

By Margaret Sullivan Media Columnist October 2 at 4:20 PM

Looking for someone specific to hold responsible for the improbable rise of Donald Trump? Although there are many options, you could do worse than to take a hard look at Jeff Zucker, president of CNN Worldwide.

It was Zucker, after all, who as the new head of NBC Entertainment gave Trump his start in reality TV with “The Apprentice” and then milked the real estate developer’s uncanny knack for success for all it was worth in ratings and profits.

“The show was built as a virtually nonstop advertisement for the Trump empire and lifestyle,” according to the book “Trump Revealed,” by Washington Post journalists Marc Fisher and Michael Kranish.

And it succeeded wildly — boosting the network’s ratings, as well as Zucker’s meteoric career. In turn, under Zucker, the show gave rise to “Celebrity Apprentice,” another Trump extravaganza. And, in turn, Zucker became the head of NBC overall.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/jeff-zuckers-singular-role-in-promoting-donald-trumps-rise/2016/10/02/7c3d4366-865b-11e6-a3ef-f35afb41797f_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines&wpmm=1

[onenote]

1. This story needed a fact checker

It's absolutely true that Trump has received disproportionate media coverage -- and not just from CNN (and, of course, Fox), but also MSNBC, the broadcast networks, newspapers...you name it.

But what isn't true is that CNN's ratings have benefited from its Trump coverage. For a good portion of the year, CNN's ratings have been dropping, falling below MSNBC at one point. (Trumpkins claim its because CNN began portraying their lunatic leader in a negative light, but there's no evidence of such a correlation). Yes, ratings were "sky high" last week -- as they were for every news outlet because of the number of viewers tuning into the debate.

And let's put to rest the notion that the Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice were career-boosting ratings successes. After a very successful first season in which it finished 7th in ratings, Apprentice quickly crashed,ending up as the ending up as the 75th highest rated show just three years later. And the Celebrity Apprentice didn't turn things around that much. It was 48th in the ratings its first year and dropped steadily to the point it was the 84th highest rated show before it was killed off.

The reality is that while folks are desperate to find some excuse for Trump's electoral success, and the media is an easy target, the real answer is that there simply are a lot of people who believe in the crap Trump's been feeding them. And for that core of supporters, it doesn't matter whether the media portrays him positively or negatively. In fact, it's a badge of honor when he's portrayed negatively by the so-called "mainstream" media.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

2. There is definitely a link with reality tv in general. Check out this article

I posted earlier: How reality TV gave us reality candidate Donald Trump

[lou ky dem]

3. The brainwashing of my dad

This is what is happening to our country http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/7/20/1542947/-Exclusive-Interview-Veteran-exposes-blatant-FOX-right-wing-brainwashing-in-the-U-S-military?_

[TeamPooka]

4. Zucker bought the show but producer Mark Burnett packaged all the bullshit in the series

that made Trump look good.
I blame Burnett