Air America vs. Fox News

Fox News is always ragging on Air America. They say that a liberal radio network can't work, the hosts don't have any talent and that the network is always losing money. So, let's see how Air America did against Fox News last year.

In 2008, former Air America host, Al Franken was elected the next Senator from Minnesota. Current Air America host Rachel Maddow was given her own television show on MSNBC, where she instantly doubled the ratings and even beat legendary Larry King on CNN (and also tripled the ratings of current Fox host Glenn Beck when he was on CNN Headline News in the same time slot).

In 2008, no Fox News host or anchor became a United States Senator. Nor did anyone double their ratings. To be fair, they still did relatively well in the ratings although both CNN and MSNBC closed ground on them during the year.

Oh yeah, one other thing - their parent corporation lost a tremendous amount of money. The Rupert Murdoch run News Corporation lost $30 billion in market cap. Yes, Fox's parent corporation lost a stunning $30 billion in value in 2008. Boy, those conservatives sure know how to run a business!

What happened, I thought Air America couldn't make money? Did you know that Fox News lost $90 million a year for its first five years of operation? Air America has never come close to losing that kind of money. But you see, when it comes to them, they call that an investment. When it comes to liberal networks, they just call it losing money.

Does that distinction make any sense? Of course, not. But their advantage is that they don't live in the reality-based world. So, they can use any rhetorical trick they like and not be held accountable. But here is the problem, the reality-based world has a way of catching up with you. Just ask George Bush. And in this case, it caught up to News Corp. to the tune of $30 billion. Ouch.

I assume we won't be hearing much from Fox anymore about how to run a business. Or how to run a Senate campaign. Or how to double your ratings. They might be best served by drinking a tall glass of shut up juice for awhile. Somehow, I doubt they will though.

Young Turks on You Tube

Disclaimer: The Young Turks were also an Air America show at one time and our videos are still carried on their website. Plus, I loathe Fox News. So, those are my biases, but the facts remain the same nonetheless.

By the way, we also did our part in 2008. The Young Turks is one of the top rated shows on XM satellite radio and we now have 60 million views on You Tube. And unlike News Corp., we turned a profit this year.

Comments

[scared4ALL]

Help save & secure our nation by boycotting the Fox Network. Do this in the name of justice, since it's known fact they were the mouth piece for the outgoing administration. Because of the likes of Bill O'Reilly & Sean Hannity, many of "US" believe we need a national boycott of the Fox network.

Since "We The People" probably won't be seeing charges filed against anyone in the Bush administration, maybe the Fox Network should get their just reward? To be fair & balanced we need an elimination of the "spin" masters & perpetrators who stood with the past administration & the man who should go down in history for what he really was. Please pass this idea along by word of mouth at your favorite blogs & such if you think it a good idea. Contact Fox's advertisers, too, if you want to help keep America safe & secure from those who don't have the best interests of middle class America at heart. Here's where you can updated lists>

http://www.newshounds.us/2007/07/24/advertisers_on_the_oreilly_factor_update_707.php

[clevelandchick]

Cenk you forgot some other glaring failures for Fox News:

1.) Their business channel....TOTAL FAIL
2.) Their attempt at a late night Colbert/Daily Show comedy news show....EPIC FAIL

Couple that with the facts you stated above and Fox News really has no standing to call any other media enterprise a failure.

The only show that Fox airs that really does well with is the unintentionally hilarious O'Reilly Factor. I truly believe half of Bill O's viewership are liberal bloggers and Keith Olbermann fans pulling video clips of O'Reilly's moronic, manic episodes. And the other half consists of really really cranky old people.

[callenish]

Cenk you rock and I love you!

[nancytheragingliberal]

Ditto!

[Buddy McCue]

I'd sure like to see Air America's Thom Hartmann get his own show on MSNBC (or any other channel.)

[surfcitysteven]

Yeah, he is really cool, but I saw a simulcast show once. He would have to lose the coke bottle glasses.

[merger]

Didn't Minnesota elect that weird Jesse Ventura ex-wrestler guy as their Govenor? Yea, I thought so. So I don't give their electorate much credibility. GE, the parent company of MSNBC announced it would be cutting jobs and its forecast for 09 is expected to be at the bottom of their projections. In 1990 and again in 1992, GE was convicted of defrauding the DOD, it is listed as the 4th largest polluter in the US, in 1999 they were forced to pay a $250 million settlement for polluting the Housatoni River and other sites with PCB's, in 2002 they were ordered to clean up 40 miles of the Hudson they had polluted, but only after spending millions to avoid cleaning it, and they are presently restructuring their bankrupt finance unit.
Air America has lost 63 of its affiliates in the last 4 1/2 years. I am not a necessarily a fan of Fox, but let's not slant this and be honest about both sides.

[onlinesavant]

You mean slant towards the truth? Where is the lie in anything that Cenk wrote? Please, tell me.

[protagonia]

Common neo-trick to associate a good thing with a bad one and let them both sink together.

Attack KO to Bill O. Attach Air America to fox.

These are unimaginative people here, fortunately.

[merger]

My point is I wouldn't set up GE, MSNBC or Air America as the new milestone of financial genius or corporate responsibility.

[stepper]

merger, you go. Tell those crazy Minnesotans what's what. You're from Texas. You've never produced a politician who turned out to be a great national embarrassment.

[Heady]

If a report about their losses airs on Faux, they'll just yell over the accountant/guy reading the data until he "loses" the debate.

[noamjunior]

First off, Haters should recognize Al Franken WILL be the US Senator from Minnesota. Second, the only reason Fox news is on the air is because it was bankrolled by Murdoch- no other station, news or otherwise, would be allowed to continue after losing nearly 100 million $ in its first years.

[Annoula]

CENK:
Thanks for inspiring your audience (and readership) to THINK INDEPENDENTLY instead of feeding them pre-digested sound bites and right wing propaganda like our "fair and balanced" friends at FOX!
It looks like they're on a path of self-destruction, anyway...
It's going to be so much fun to watch them fight among them as they become increasingly irrelevant...!
I for one, plan to enjoy the show!

[merger]

Hannity had more viewers than King and Rachel combined. That was without Alan Colmes. They aren't going anywhere.

[onlinesavant]

And you have the numbers to back that up, or just the one's you pulled out of your ?

[surfcitysteven]

Did you watch his weak-@ssed show? Of course the first week will have high ratings. But the format is erratic and awkward. The ratings will tank as the novelty of the whine-bag Hannity going solo wears off. His "All American" panels are lame and the country music will soon turn people away. In a nutshell, liberal bias aside, the show truly sucks.

[Marlyn]

George W. Bush sees himself as a cheerleader, not one of the players.

Did you hear that part where he says they always managed to have fun, no matter how bad the news was?

[Antifascist-08]

Go, Air America!

[Antifascist-08]

Great points. Two things.

1. Everyone quit ragging on Al Franken. He has done more to further the progressive cause than most of you here. He stood up to the lying rethugs when no one else was doing it and he gets his facts straight. There is a good chance he will make a very good senator. Certainly a huge improvement for all you Minnesotans. Don't accept the right wingnut talking points about him being a comedian. So what. Jon Stewart is a comedian too, and i would vote for him if he ever ran because he is smart and unafraid, just like Al.

Al stood up to the vote stealers and did a great service for this country in the process. How many others would have done the same, faced with his choice and the seemingly long odds against success? People need to stand up for their rights. He just stood up for yours. Enough said. He is a good man for the job ahead.

2. All those right wing idiots know that they could never actually win an election, so they don't run. Why should they anyway, since they can make more money and accomplish more of their pathetic tasks by concentrating on the daily brainwashing.

[Geranium]

"In 2008, no FOX News host or anchor became a US Senator."

Well, maybe because In 2008, no FOX News host or anchor ran for US Senator.
Franken, a has-been comedian hack, who MIGHT or might not end up in the Senate, and Maddow, who doubled the last place viewership at MSNBC (for the first month, anyway) sure showed FOX .

(And you claim it is FOX that doesn't live in a reality base world???)

[Antifascist-08]

Geranium.

I do. Fox is lies and distortions and simply a right wing propaganda machine. If you can't see that then they have accomplished their mission with you.

Franken will be a great senator, certainly better than the nutjob Coleman. Rachel is popular because she is smarter than all the Fox commentators combined and she speaks truth to power. There is a history in this country of the popularity of right wing radio. Big deal. Most of us progressives have better things to do than listen to people who lie to us.

[Annoula]

I think Geranium is Bill O'Reilly's blogging pseudonym!

[GuyPere]

There has always been a rule at my mother house no TV at the dinner table period.

So I was suprised to find my 80 year old Goldwater/Reagan voting parents watching Rachel while eating dinner the other night. As mom says "I can't miss Rachel" . When people like my parents
break 50 year old dinner time rules to watch a TV show its a sign she'd pulling strong.

[slarabee]

Good to hear thing are going well Cenk. Keep up the good work.

[mocha59]

I'm listening to you right now on my xm / mp3 combo! Every day, baby! Keep up the great work!

[RJPI]

Dont bring up Al Franken as senator? Minnesotans are a wonderful people full of scandinivian frozen thoughts.