Reality Check. Fox News isn't going anywhere.

[Bonhomme Richard]

It doesn't matter what Murdoch did, doesn't matter what Ailes did, or any actual formal policy that Fox can get nailed for. The bottom line is that the Fox agenda is way too important to a powerful faction of this country and they will not let it go away. Period. Add to the fact that Fox seems to make money and you will have a whole group of conservative business leaders (think Koch) getting in line to buy what is left after the whole affair drops down the rabbit hole. They have an agenda and no matter how outrageous Fox's behavior they will not let it disappear. They can't because they don't actually have ideas, only triggering Pavlovian responses.
Some may say that they will lose credibility...the fact is that they never had it to anyone that has a functioning brain but that isn't their target demographic. Never was. Credibility doesn't compute in the brains of their market and they count on that. If you want an example look at Limbaugh's followers after the drug bust.

[Tony_FLADEM]

1. I tend to agree that Fox News isn't going anywhere

However, if it were no longer associated with News Corp I think it would become more marginalized and less relevant. Without the resources of a media company, it would just become another channel on television.

[Kahuna]

2. I have to agree. nt

[lame54]

3. News of the World was around for 160+ years...

and closed up over-night

If - and it's a big IF - our gov takes this as seriously as Britain - they could be in trouble

[tularetom]

4. Murdoch isn't very important to the fox "news" agenda

But if Ailes can be proven to have been involved in some criminal activity the whole house of cards could come tumbling down. And I don't believe it's much of a stretch to envision this happening. The man is notoriously paranoid but he has stepped on a lot of toes over the years and it is at least a possibility that somebody is out there who is ready to blow the whistle on the whole shitaroo. And even if some rich right winger steps in to take the thing over it won't be the same without Ailes, and the stink of him will still be all over it.

They'll still whine about being persecuted by the liberal media and the socialist US government. But it'll ring hollow if it comes out that they have hacked the phones of 9/11 victims, members of congress, administration officials, or representatives of legitimate news organizations.

It's far from certain that this will occur I'll grant you. But I don't think it's a slam dunk that it won't.

[apnu]

7. Right, Ailes is the keystone of Fox News.

Its his baby, he runs it, he rules it, he is "it." Remove him and Fox News will fundamentally change in a few months. Maybe more crazy, maybe less crazy, but the one thing we know is that Fox News will not be anything like it is today.

[immoderate]

5. Someone will cover that large niche of freeper crazies.

If there are moths, someone will light a flame.

--imm

[RZM]

6. When a scandal hits, people who follow the person/organization in question have a choice to make

Do you continue to support them or not? Quite often the answer is 'yes.' People survive scandals all the time. Limbaugh's followers stood by him because they care a lot more about what he has to say than they do about his pill-popping. There are a myriad of other far worse examples. R Kelly retained a lot of support despite being accused of urinating on a 14 year old girl. Same logic there. Plenty of people care more about his music than they do about his (alleged) penchant for young girls.

If the hacking scandal becomes a big deal here, I don't think a whole lot of Fox viewers will care all that much (if they watch Fox exclusively, they won't get as much exposure to it anyway). Most Fox viewers care more about getting their news from a conservative perspective than they do about phones being hacked.

[Marr]

8. I'm not so sure it' s a foregone conclusion. If Fox sponsors are

scared off in sufficient numbers in combination with big PR damage, it might sink the thing-- or at least greatly reduce its reach and grasp.

[DearAbby]

9. Once Fox is discredited

the market will determine it's fate, and How many sponsers do you believe will stay with fox when its proven they hacked or attempted to hack 9/11 victims...I am thinking not that many.

[OneGrassRoot]

11. Yep, it's the advertising revenue that will cause the impact. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. I call that the Glen Beck effect

[Ganja Ninja]

10. Don't be so sure.

Mike Papantonio was just on the Ed Schultz show talking about Rupert's daughter Elisabeth who is being mentioned as the family's replacement for Rupert. It seems her and her husband are not fond of Ailes. According to Papantonio FOX News was always Rupert's pet project. His daughter again according to Papantonio thinks FOX is damaging the brand. They believe that FOX news does not need to be a right wing propaganda mill to succeed and would prefer it become an actual news organization.

[SpiralHawk]

12. "Fox Propaganda is too big - smirk - to fail. Smirk." - RepubliBaggers, inc. (R)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v-3gbtENGj8/SYIwT4QiqVI/AAAAAAAAErA/zGSulGf83bY/s320/The+Bigger+They+Come.3.jpg

[LaydeeBug]

13. Alas, I agree with you. nt

[Yavin4]

15. Getting Rid of Murdoch Is Like Getting Rid of Osama Bin Laden.

Yes, Al Qaeda still lives on, but now they don't have a leader than inspires and recruits others to join and sacrifice.

Sure, another right wing multi-billionaire will buy the network, but will they run it the same way as Murdoch? Will they have the same ruthlessness in doing so? Will they be able to dominate right wing news and information like he did?

Maybe the new owners won't pay Hannity and O'Reilly their bucket loads of dough. Maybe they will be tightwads.


Fox will remain, but it won't be the same.

[proud patriot]

16. Yes but we can make them and anyone who watches it very uncomfortable

they'll be know as the National Enquirer of Cable news to more and more people.

[Grrrfun]

17. 'There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip.'

If they bump off too many whistle-blowers advertisers will get nervous. Their audience may learn the news corp dirt elsewhere and become, educated!

I have a hunch they've tempted fate a little too long and a little too boldly...


Every day I visualize faux snooze shuttering their operations for good and rupee behind bars and down to his last 10 million...

[kick-ass-bob]

18. I think it would be funny if it went up for sale, and liberals bought it.

And (as subtly as necessary, which may not be very at all) switched it over to pro-left stances.

I would laugh my ass off.

[bahrbearian]

19. If only Current and AL Gore bought them.

[otohara]

20. They Will Get Worse

feeling attacked by the lamestream, librul media!

[LondonReign2]

21. Boldly going into Freeperland so you don't have to

There are so many things wrong with this post is simply makes my head hurt:

"I think you are right...the sharks of the MSM and this presidency are circling the victim that is bleeding right now.

I hope they aren’t successful. Fox is flawed, but it’s the closest thing to being “fair” in the media today.



31 posted on Sunday, July 17, 2011 9:05:20 AM by LUV W (RUN SARAH...R U N!!!)"

[Cannikin]

22. If you believe democrats never do good, and republicans never do wrong, then they are fair.

They've admitted their slant. They have to defend themselves against comedy shows on a regular basis for being called out on it.

[Snoutport]

23. THey said the same exact thing about News of the World--the world's largest newspaper

[Bonhomme Richard]

24. If anything, they will re-brand the product. It' too....

important to the conservative agenda.