Why Is a Trumpy Cable Network Poaching All of Hallmark's Biggest Stars?

[FM123]

(Daily Beast) It’s a sentence that would have blown minds in the ’90s: Full House star Candace Cameron Bure is now embroiled in a quest to build the TV empire of former President Donald Trump’s dreams. Since her ABC sitcom days, the erstwhile D.J. Tanner has become something of an “it” girl on the Hallmark Channel; since 2008, she’s starred in dozens of titles for the cabler. On Tuesday, however, she announced her impending move to GAC Family—a Hallmark competitor funded by a group of investors with ties to the former president. Among the group’s previous reported pursuits? Assembling a far-right Fox News rival.

Last summer, Thomas Hicks and his private equity firm, Hicks Equity Partners, led an investor group that purchased cable networks Great American Country and Ride TV. The former became GAC Family; the latter, once a 24-hour equestrian network, is now GAC Living. In 2020, however, Hicks Equity reportedly had its eye on a different corner of the media landscape. First the group tried to buy out the Trump-friendly One American News Network (OANN), and later that year they eyed Newsmax TV.

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Rumors that Donald Trump wanted his own entertainment behemoth to rival Rupert Murdoch and Fox swirled from at least the moment he took office. In November 2020, days after the presidential election, the Wall Street Journal reported that sources claimed Hicks Equity had begun to explore “putting together a streaming service that would challenge Fox from the right”—a quest the paper described as a “longshot” based on the networks’ viewership.

Hicks’ eldest son, Thomas “Tommy” Hicks Jr., is co-chair of the Republican National committee, longtime family friend of the Trumps, and Donald Trump Jr.’s hunting buddy. Beyond his personal ties to the Trump family, Hicks Jr. also served as national finance co-chair for the Trump campaign and chaired the pro-Trump groups America First Policies and America First Action. BuzzFeed reports he raised $75 million in his first two years alone.

The news arm the Hicks group was trying to build, the Journal reported at the time, was part of a larger vision.

(Read More - Daily Beast via Yahoo) https://news.yahoo.com/why-trumpy-cable-network-poaching-091129630.html

[jimfields33]

1. Both channels show same style of movies

[Thomas Hurt]

2. If these people are smart they won't let the Pig near their project...

He will just cause it to crash and burn.

[Rebl2]

3. Big surprise

Surprised she didn’t make the move last year along with Cameron Mathison and Danica McKeller. Won’t be watching that channel. Guess we know who those three backed in the last election. When I hear Mathison’s name I think of dr. Oz.

[Scrivener7]

4. GAC family! Bahahahaha! Can't make this shit up.

https://www.wordsense.eu/gack/

Interjection
GACK
1. (often, repeated several times) The sound of a cat coughing up a hairball.
2. Also used of similar noises, particularly one made to show disgust or disapproval.

[nolabear]

6. I thought that too. The jokes just write themselves.

I say have at it.

[Blue Owl]

5. The Skidmark Channel

[Justice]

7. "Heartwarming" apparently means only marriages between men and women of the same race/color

Abbott, the head of GAC used to be the head of Crown Media (Hallmark Channel’s parent company). He left Crown in January 2020 after the company apologized for pulling an ad featuring a same-sex couple.

Since 2020, several Hallmark movies have featured same sex as well as interracial relationships and couples. Hallmark movies have typically focused less on religion and more on morality and values.

I've read some Hallmark actors are also doing GAC movies, but only a few have signed exclusive deals with GAC. For the ones that are doing so, I say goodbye. I thought Danica did it more to be top billing - but she miscalculated that - with Candace now going to GAC.