Conservative entertainment network launches

[RamboLiberal]

Source: MSNBC

Actor Kelsey Grammer is an investor and public face supporting a new network that launched Wednesday with entertainment designed to appeal to political conservatives.

RightNetwork, whose first series, "Running," follows the fortunes of a couple of Tea Party-backed candidates for public office, is also trying a new model to establish itself. It is initially making programming available through video-on-demand services, the Internet and through mobile phones, bypassing the route of traditional TV networks with a spot on channel lineups.

Investors hope that the support of a conservative audience that has made Fox News Channel and radio hosts such as Rush Limbaugh successful could also work for entertainment programming, said Kevin McFeeley, RightNetwork's president.

"We feel the precedent has been set," he said.


Read more: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39062521/ns/today-entertainment/

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I thought the Tea Party was already a comedy/tragedy!

[CreekDog]

1. This has all the potential of a stand-up comic in church

:eyes:

[mike_c]

2. snooze....

:boring:

[Mz Pip]

3. Fox News isn't enough?

:puke:

[ProgressiveEconomist]

61. Not to put your whole family completely inside an extremist fantasyworld bubble--Fox

"News" has no programming for children, for example.

[classof56]

4. Gosh--I can hardly wait!

:eyes:

[Ken Burch]

6. I'm guessing they'll do animated versions of "Mallard Fillmore" and "Prickly City"

and Kid Rock will host "Republicans Unplugged".

[WhiteTara]

9. oh, I can wait and I'll bet the teabaggers

will too.

[Ken Burch]

5. I think Kelsey figures, if he OWNS the network, they CAN'T cancel his show

Weirdly, Kelsey Grammer wasn't always right wing. A number of years ago, he played J. Edgar Hoover in the original radio broadcast of Harry Shearer's "J. Edgar-THe Musical". The show nailed Hoover on everything(and it DID go there about Hoover's relationship with Clyde Tolson, who was played by John "Dan Connor" Goodman).

I wonder what happened with him?

[Chicago dyke]

15. actor =/= writer =/= producer

if you have to worship celebrity, understand that actors speak words mostly put in their mouths by other, very different people. some actors get famous enough to have creative control over their shows, but that's rare. and even so, when that happens they still rely on writers to do the scripting of programs. just like the guy who serves your food in a fast food restaurant is different than the guy who comes up with the recipe for the burger. the people who pay for TV to happen are yet again a totally separate group. i don't watch a lot of TV for these and many other reasons, but i'll guess that K is like a lot of famous actors, and not really that bright.

my crowning moment in realizing how true that all is? when i found out that the actress who played "Buffy," one of the most progressive shows for feminism ever put out on TV, is a Republican. so very sad that she learned nothing from the lines she read.

[Ken Burch]

16. She was probably more concerned with keeping her taxes down than with feminism

Given that the show suddenly made her freakishly rich.

[tanyev]

34. The thing about Kelsey is that I thought that he and David Hyde Pierce

got to be pretty close during the run of Frasier. I just love DHP and I don't understand how Kelsey can be both a good friend of his AND a jackass Republican.

Makes no sense.

[Ken Burch]

37. The Reagans were close friends with Rock Hudson.

n/t.

[No Elephants]

41. Both actors. Reagan started as a Democrat. I have no idea what Hudson's politics were.

Did they remain friends while Reagan refused to do anything about AIDS?

[Ken Burch]

43. Actually, from what I saw, they did.

It could simply have been, of course, that Rock Hudson(whose personal politics were always Republican, according to every source I've ever read on the matter)was too sick by then to say much of anything against them publicly.

[No Elephants]

47. There is a step between remaining good friends and public condemnation.

I'd like to keep the illusion that everyone in Hollywood is a Democrat, but it's far from true. Sigh.

[Ken Burch]

48. Agreed.

And actually, I didn't even know Rock Hudson had any political views until that last couple of years of his life. Rock was in the 1950's show business tradition that called on celebrities to pretend the real world and real problems didn't actually exist.

[No Elephants]

46. DHP became a famous actor and a multi-millionaire bc Grammer was good enough on Cheers to get a spin

off show. And Grammer probably had a say in casting Frasier as chemistry between Grammer and cast members was critical. If all that happened to me bc of one person, I'd probably like him too.

I had a much beloved friend who was on the opposite side of an important issue. We simply did not discuss it with each other, ever. She died before she was 30. I'm glad there had been no strife between us, especially over something neither of us had, as a practical reality, any power to impact, one way or the other.

[Ken Burch]

49. I think we' ve all had good friends whose politics we disagreed with.

When neither of you is running for national office, it's easier to do that, since ordinary liberals and conservatives out in the world don't tend to equate political disagreement with personal evil.

[tourivers83]

57. I love Buffy.

I have all seven seasons on DVD. I think I know about half the episodes by heart.

:toast:

[MadMaddie]

66. Oh man that's a bummer I loved that show

I agree it was a very progressive show.

[KamaAina]

25. I heard he flipped out after 9/11

started having patriotic dreams and the like. :eyes:

[No Elephants]

40. Playing a role doesn't say anything about your own beliefs. It's a paycheck.

Think of Charlton Heston, one of the nuttiest right wing nuts, in Soylent Green and Planet of the Apes.

[Ken Burch]

50. Well, yeah, but this was on public radio(KCRW in Santa Monica, to be exact)

Unless you're Jim Lehrer, an "Antiques Roadshow" appraiser, or the "Car Talk" guys, public broadcasting doesn't GIVE you a paycheck.

[baldguy]

7. Conservative-oriented entertainment has a long history.

After all, Auschwitz did have an orchestra.

[Psephos]

54. Point taken, but Nazis weren't conservatives.

They weren't socialists or liberals, either.

Despite the name of the party, Nazism was a blend of fascism, virulent nationalism, and mass reaction to economic and political humiliation.

[Iris]

8. I hope it gets on tv soon; it will do wonders for my insomnia!

[mike r]

10. How exciting

[nosmokes]

11. McFeeley?

The president is named McFeeley? I suppose the COO is O'truthy...

[SkyDaddy7]

12. America is becoming nothing but one big Right Wing Propaganda Country!

[Francesca9]

55. 4 of 10 Americans is conservative

So this makes sense

What network is the most liberal? Why not a new one?

[SkyDaddy7]

58. If the network or media source is not pushing...

A FOX "News" brand of Right Wing propaganda then it is LIBERAL in the eyes of most conservatives!

[Journeyman]

13. So what're the odds this network folds before Xmas?. . .

I guess it mainly depends on who's backing it. But were it judged strictly on its merits, a fortune could be had betting it'll end before the year's out.

[Ken Burch]

20. And they'll say the low ratings were due to the "War On Christmas".

Of course "Pastor Jones' Thanksgiving Qoran Roast Special" probably won't help.

[regnaD kciN]

14. "Conservative entertainment network"...? Do they mean 24/7 of dead air?

:shrug:

[Ken Burch]

19. Think "Wilford Brimley Reality Show"...

And be afraid...be VERY afraid...

[mac56]

17. Maybe they;ll show clips of John McCain's convention week appearance on Letterman!

Oh, wait.....

[Ken Burch]

18. Here's the pitch they'll use to get conservative "entertainers" to appear on this network

"RightNetwork-Where You Go When You're Too Young To Play Branson".

[Kolesar]

21. If it is not on a cable lineup, it might as well be a "channel" of YouTube videos

Nobody is going to find it when channel surfing

[anthroguy101]

31. Let's hope it stays that way nt.

[Lint Head]

22. Kevin McFeeley? Is he related to Mr. Mcfeeley?

[Tx4obama]

23. They will be documenting their own craziness. Jon Stewart will be happy ;) n/t

[rpannier]

24. I thought they tried that already

Anyone remember their Fox Show that was going to compete with the Daily Show?
Yeah...most don't

It didn't last very long

[Joanne98]

26. They're only funny when they're not trying to be funny!

[Joe Bacon]

27. Let me guess--it's headquartered in Branson?

There's only so much Andy Williams, Lawrence Welk, Yakov Smirnoff and Osmonds I can stand without going into diabetic shock.

[DefenseLawyer]

28. An American Carol Marathon!

Yeeeeee Haw!

[Ken Burch]

44. I think they already do that, in the interrogation room at Gitmo.

The Syrians, however, said that was too cruel for their prisons.

[anthroguy101]

29. This is a joke, right?

This sounds like a horrible excuse for an entertainment network. Even the name is lame (and very conspicuous). The whole concept sounds lame. There's no way they will be able to get away with something like this. I'm already counting down the time it takes for this to go bankrupt.

[Jkid]

60. I wish it was a joke.

I have not seen Running, but I will today to take a look.

[cosmicone]

30. For those who are even loonier than Faux viewers? n/t

[Zorra]

32. Can't wait to see the pilot of the new soap "Springtime for Hitler". nt

[anthroguy101]

33. RIP RightNetwork 2010-2012 (and that's the optimistic prediction mind you)

We knew it wouldn't last very long.

[ldf]

35. so why is it so friggin' hard for progressives

to start a progressive "entertainment" network, WITH a news/media center?

apparently it's not. big money progressives just won't back it. money is more important than the message, and saving our country.

:shrug:

the rabid right has no problem doing anything, and the progressive left can't do shit.

go figure.

[Ken Burch]

52. There's also the history of "progressive" shows on network tv

("The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" in the Sixties's, "Lou Grant" in the Eighties, to name just a couple)being cancelled by the networks even when they have killer ratings, just because one wackjob in Louisiana wrote in to complain.

[PFunk]

36. Actually I think this network's gonna be around for awhile past 2012

it's just gonna be one of those lower tier channels (you know the ones with 000+ channel numbers). Enough idiots will see to that.

[SomeGuyInEagan]

53. Yup ... this has nothing to do with "Free Markets"

They'll have no problem getting money to keep it alive.

[FMBM]

38. Okay, guilty pleasue...

the local television PBS channel used to re-broadcast old Lawrence Welk shows... and I liked them...

[NYC Liberal]

39. Conservatives are only funny unintentionally.

They aren't funny and don't "do" satire, because good comedy is subversive and satire usually takes aim at authority

Right-wing ideology is authoritarian, so their "comedy" consists of mocking poor people and minorities...and making fart jokes.

[John Kerry VonErich]

42. Kevin McFeely?

Isn't he that speedy delivery guy?

[Doctor_J]

45. Shit. Comcast, DISH, DirectTV, all run by teabaggers,

will ram this down our throats.

[bemildred]

51. Why not just go for "All Advertising All the Time" or "Propaganda 'R US"? nt

[alarimer]

56. Conservative and entertainment do not belong in the same sentence

unless it's us making fun of conservatives.
They are humorless assholes.

[MissMillie]

59. Is "Running" supposed to be the new "West Wing"?

um.... that bar is set pretty high... doesn't look good for "Running"

[prolesunited]

62. Bypassing traditional channels

Translation: We really don't have enough money or interest to launch a real network so we are trying to rope in enough suckers to give us their money.

[Roland99]

63. Yeah...that'll last.

:eyes:


conservatives have the creativity of a rock.

[Supersedeas]

64. CNN with John King and John Roberts is not entertaining enough for them

[jmowreader]

65. There's already lots of entertainment that can go on it

Well...if you consider one hour of "Running" and 23 hours of Ronald Reagan films, John Wayne films, westerns and war movies to be entertainment, they've got plenty of things to put on here.