Connect with us
blank

News Print & Digital

Smerconish Blames “Pro-Wrestling” Approach to News for D.C Divisions

Smerconish said the rise of hosts like Rush Limbaugh and others of his same ilk changed the business model, shifting focus away from local hosts to nationally syndicated ones.

Jacob Conley

Published

on

blank
Photo by IVN News CC BY 2.0

Media personality Michael Smerconish took to Twitter early Wednesday morning to share his thoughts about what and who was driving the deep partisanship in Washington D.C.:  The professional wrestling approach to news, fathered by Rush Limbaugh and followed by many others.

Smerconish teased his revelation on Twitter with a link to his website that contained an extended nine minute clip from Smerconish’s recent documentary, The Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Talking. In a post to his website, which has since been deleted, Smerconish urges readers to purchase the entire full length documentary, but “this nine minute clip is the most important to show how the media is driving the partisanship in Washington”. The clip can still be found on Facebook.

“When I first started out in radio 30 years ago, (hosts’) personality mattered, not ideology,” Smerconish said in the clip. “They weren’t on air because of a political perspective but because they could tell stories.”

Smerconish said the rise of hosts like Limbaugh and others of his same ilk changed the business model, shifting focus away from local hosts to nationally syndicated ones.

“When I was getting started, AM radio was in trouble, FM was taking over,” Smerconish said. “AM radio needed a savior and they found it in Rush Limbaugh… Conservatives rightfully felt shutout of the mainstream media and he is a gifted showman who filled that void and created this clubhouse for conservatives.”

While Smerconish believes that Limbaugh provided a needed voice for conservatives, he and similar radio and TV hosts that followed changed the political climate in Washington.

“When Fox News came along in 1996 and later MSNBC, they took a page from that playbook,” he said. “Now the business model was toned down to entertainment masked as news. It’s like professional wrestling, good for ratings, good for revenue bad for the country. You have good guy vs bad guys, constant conflict and a predetermined outcome.”

Smerconish concludes that the pro wrestling approach to news is the major driving force between the political divisions within the United States.

“The media has moved to extremes,” he said. “The rise of polarization in Washington directly correlates with the changes in broadcasting I am describing. Pre-Limbaugh, 60 percent of the House and Senate were comprised of moderates. By 2010, every Senate Republican was more conservative than every Senate Democrat and every Senate Democrat was more liberal than every Senate Republican. In the 1970’s, members of Congress would vote with his or her party about 60 percent of the time. Now the typical member of Congress votes with their party more than 90 percent of the time.”

The clip ends with Smerconish claiming that while there were many factors that caused this change, media was the driving force behind it.

“Look, I’m not trying to blame this all on the media,” he said. “Social media is an issue. The beer muscles that come from anonymity online has fueled incivility and polarization, but mostly this is what happens when Washington takes its ques from those with microphones and not the vast majority of the people. When politicians follow the modern era pro-wrestling approach to news, the nation suffers. For that to change, people need to change the channel.”

Sign up for the BSM 8@8

The Top 8 Sports Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox, every morning at 8am ET.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.

News Print & Digital

Report: More Than a Third of Twitter’s Top 100 Advertisers Have Exited

CNN’s Oliver Darcy shared the reporting done by the Washington Post that more than a third of the top 100 Twitter advertisers have abandoned the platform.

Eduardo Razo

Published

on

blank

One of Elon Musk’s most significant challenges, as he now owns Twitter, lies on the financial side as the Tesla CEO attempts to make the social media stay afloat or at least somewhat profitable. 

However, CNN’s Oliver Darcy shared the reporting done by the Washington Post in his “Reliable Sources” newsletter that more than a third of Twitter’s top 100 advertisers have abandoned the platform.

With advertisers exiting, the lack of ad revenue is one of the most significant dangers to Twitter since it accounted for approximately 90 percent of its income last year.

The reporting also reveals that the pausing of ad campaigns is getting under Musk’s skin. The new Twitter owner lashed out at brands again Tuesday for “starving” the company of revenue. 

Musk also strongly suggested he never really created a “content moderation council” due to advertisers who “broke the deal” they allegedly had with him when they began exiting the platform after he “agreed to this condition.”

Sign up for the BSM 8@8

The Top 8 Sports Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox, every morning at 8am ET.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading

News Print & Digital

Elon Musk: Ownership of Twitter Isn’t ‘Right-Wing Takeover’

Tesla CEO Elon Musk spoke with those who are still with the company, reassuring them that his ownership isn’t a “right-wing takeover.”

Eduardo Razo

Published

on

blank

Last week saw Twitter have another mass exodus of staffers and Tesla CEO Elon Musk spoke with those who are still with the company, reassuring them that his ownership isn’t a “right-wing takeover.”

Furthermore, Musk stated that he doesn’t plan on moving the platform to Texas despite many suggesting he do so since, for him, it would send a wrong message. 

“If we want to move the headquarters to Texas, I think it would play into the idea that Twitter has gone from being left-wing to right-wing, which is not the case,” Musk said (h/t The Verge). “This is not a right-wing takeover of Twitter. It is a moderate-wing takeover of Twitter.”

However, Musk is open to the idea of having dual headquarters, one in San Francisco and another in Texas, but for now, his objective appears to be stabilizing the company after a rocky transition. 

Musk indicated he might be done with slashing employees, telling employees to refer potential staffers for engineering and sales positions.

Sign up for the BSM 8@8

The Top 8 Sports Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox, every morning at 8am ET.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading

News Print & Digital

Blaze TV Hosts React To Controversy With Elon Musk, Twitter

Blaze TV hosts are reacting to the ongoing controversy involving Twitter as the company has seen mass layoffs under Elon Musk.

Ryan Hedrick

Published

on

blank

Blaze TV hosts are reacting to the ongoing controversy involving Twitter. Last week, CBS News said it was halting its activity on the platform amid layoffs and resignations at the company. 

Jeff Fisher joined Pat Gray and Steve Burguiere aka Stu, on the “Glenn Beck Show ” Monday to discuss some of the latest developments involving Twitter including owner Elion Musk banning conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. 

Burguiere said it’s strange to see how left-leaning pundits have demonized Elon Musk following his acquisition of Twitter. 

“This guy should be a liberal icon,” stated Burguiere. “We lose sight of this because he says things about free speech that I guess is exclusively a right-wing issue.” 

Burguiere said that Musk should be able to do anything that he wants with Twitter considering the amount of money he invested to purchase the company. 

“This whole thing that he’s the icon of free speech, I don’t know if that’s true,” added Burguiere. 

Musk announced recently that conspiracy theorist Alex Jones received a permanent ban on Twitter for his involvement in denying that the Sandy Hook massacre took place.

“He (Musk) has been a hard no on Alex no matter what,” said Fisher. 

“He has apologized for it,” Burguiere said. “He’s also been sued for billions of dollars over it.” 

“The thing about Alex Jones is that some of us don’t like what he said,” Gray remarked. “But, who cares, that’s what you call free speech.”

Sign up for the BSM 8@8

The Top 8 Sports Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox, every morning at 8am ET.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading
Advertisement

blank

Advertisement

blank

Advertisement

blank

Barrett Media Writers

Copyright © 2023 Barrett Media.