Fox primary: complicated, contractual

[TomCADem]

Source: Yahoo News

With Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee all making moves indicating they may run for president, their common employer is facing a question that hasn’t been asked before: How does a news organization cover White House hopefuls when so many are on the payroll?

The answer is a complicated one for Fox News.

As Fox’s popularity grows among conservatives, the presence of four potentially serious Republican candidates as paid contributors is beginning to frustrate competitors of the network, figures within its own news division and rivals of what some GOP insiders have begun calling “the Fox candidates.”

With the exception of Mitt Romney, Fox now has deals with every major potential Republican presidential candidate not currently in elected office.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/42745

[Grassy Knoll]

1. Roger Ailes reminds me of Al Davis.......

Al Davis is the owner of the Oakland Raiders
First off Mr. Davis is an expert in the third reich
second , he hires misfits and has beens to his team
And third, he hasn't won a super bowl in a long time
but his fans are extremely loyal.

[alfredo]

2. Maybe they should register as a political party?

They should just drop any pretense of being a news organization.

[Towlie]

3. It's not complicated, it's simple! Just quit pretending and admit what they really are.

[toddwv]

4. This is not such a "complicated" issue for Fox "News"

Remember, Fox "News" already has a card up its sleeve that it can play. The right-leaning corporate-friendly Roberts SCOTUS has already ruled that corps are people and have the same Constitutional rights. This is, of course, an abominable idea to the majority of ACTUAL people, but it is a SCOTUS precedent now. So look for many other "archaic" ideas to be overturned as Fox "News" fields its stable of in-the-pocket "Republicans" who will file lawsuit after lawsuit to break down the last vestiges of campaign finance and "equal time" laws so that Fox "News" can become a Republican campaign center 24/7.

Fox Republican News: "Fair & Balanced? We Have Your Fair & Balanced RIGHT HERE!"

[groundloop]

5. Newt Gingrich....serious presidential candidate - GET REAL !!!!

This isn't a problem for faux, they'll settle it like any good little republicon..... their endorsement will go to the highest bidder.

[melm00se]

6. Until a candidate actually declares

they can continue to be employed by any news organization.

Once they announce, however, they must resign from the network and only appear as "news items". Anything else invokes the Political Advertising rules (http://www.fcc.gov/mb/policy/political/candrule.htm), aka "Equal time provisions" which, in a nut shell, says that if a broadcaster makes X amount of time available to Candidate A, they must make the same time, in amount and quality (so no giving "A" prime time and "B" graveyard time) to any other qualified candidate for the same office at the same "price" (and if "A" is being paid as a commentator, the case could be made that "B" should also be paid).

This is all covered by the above link and cable outlets are specifically covered under §76.

This situation is nothing new. it happens quite often in local races where a local media personality runs for office. It can get really complicated when "Bob Miller", owner of a local car dealership, runs for city council and his advertising campaign for his auto dealership has him appearing all the ads. Is that an "equal time" situation? even if he is not actively campaigning in the commercial just hawking his dealership?

I know that at a station I worked for the decision was made that "Bob" could no longer actually appear in his commercials while running for office..any and all commercials featuring "Bob" were pulled and his money carried over to post-election advertising. (he lost BTW and lost BIG)

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. If it weren't for the pesky constitution, Murdoch could run himself, like Berlusconi

See, that's the way Rupert would like to do it - grab all media and political power for himself. But since the constitution inconveniently bars people born outside the US from the presidency, Murdoch has had to go through the hassle of buying up most of the possible Republican candidates. So much more expensive and time-consuming. Never mind, I'm sure he'll be able to choose one, and propel them to the general election. Maybe he just has to promise the losing Fox candidates bigger contracts once they're out of the race, to get them to shut up and support his Chosen One.