Murdoch forced to defend why Fox continues to ‘subsidize’ Beck’s show.

[cal04]

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/05/05/murdoch-beck-investors/

Color of Change and Stop Beck have been waging an aggressive campaign to convince Fox News advertisers to boycott Glenn Beck’s show. So far, 123 companies have dropped him, and his broadcast in the UK has been running without ads for nearly three months. Yesterday on a conference call about its third quarter earnings, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch had to defend the fact that Fox News is keeping Beck on:

Murdoch was asked on the company’s third quarter analyst call about the departure of advertisers, many of whom have left the show in an organized protest that began last year when Beck said President Obama had a “deep-seated hatred of white people.” One wanted to know how long Fox News would “subsidize” the show, which is “filled with house ads.”

“It’s not subsidizing the show at all,” Murdoch fired back, adding that the theatrical Beck gives “a terrific kickoff” to the Fox News evening lineup.

Although Beck is still a strong lead-in for other Fox shows, he has “seen his audience fall almost 30% since the start of the year, from about 2.9 million viewers in January to 2.1 million in April.”

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Does ANY MEDIA OUTLET Murdoch owns make a profit? He is in it for the propaganda....and if he

makes some money along the way, all the better.

[LiberalAndProud]

2. According to this interview, Avatar was very helpful.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,592203,00.html
MURDOCH: So, we’re very happy with The Journal.

CAVUTO: And then that big blue guy from "Avatar" helps, right?

MURDOCH: That helped a lot.

CAVUTO: OK.

MURDOCH: It was — yes, that contributed probably something a bit more than $200 million to this quarter...

CAVUTO: All right. And...

MURDOCH: ...and will produce, you know, more in the next quarter, not as much, and then more next year. It will slowly run down.

And he's eyeing the iPad.

I have one of these iPad devices. I get The Journal on this iPad device. And you had said a long time ago the content will still be necessary. The vehicle over which it’s carried will be the only debate.

Do you think that this device, the iPad, is going to be, for newspapers, the printed word, the savior?

MURDOCH: Yes, I think digital printing — look, there’s never been such demand for journalism as there is today, nor as much consumption.

I mean, just look at Fox News or its competitors. People are consuming and needing news all the time. We don’t care in the least whether it goes out on a piece of paper or whether it goes out on a digital platform. There will be many competitors to the iPad.

CAVUTO: But is this your favorite device?

(CROSSTALK)

MURDOCH: Well, it’s the only one at the moment, but there are ones coming.

CAVUTO: Well, there are others that carry "The Wall Street Journal."

MURDOCH: Oh, little ones, you know — yes, but I mean big ones, where you can really see the display.

CAVUTO: You met with Steve Jobs, right?

MURDOCH: Yes, about a week ago, 10 days ago.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. Not sure I would consider Avatar part of a media outlet. I was thinking more along the lines of

what some might call "news" purveyors.

[Canuckistanian]

3. Someone should tell those investors they're subidizing progpaganda

And it's not even PROFITABLE propaganda. They should vote with their wallet.

[LiberalAndProud]

4. I rented Avatar from Netflix. So I guess I subsidized Beck. Ouch.

Fuck me.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. He produces things for liberal consumers to buy to subsidize his right wing ranters.

The regular FOX channel here in NYC has some pretty good stuff...including the Simpsons and House.

[one_voice]

6. I see your rental..

and raise you an "I bought it". *groan*. x(

Fuck me twice!...*figuratively*