We are into the dog-days of summer here in North America and this is the perfect time to introduce a subject that fits with the mood that this time of year tends to reflect. Heat can lead to a wondering focus that can easily overcome the most ambitious businessperson during the summer. These characteristics can also be used to describe the state of affairs in the cable news business.
The Fox News Channel is the clear frontrunner in the battle for hearts and minds in cable news. The other players are not even close. Fox has clearly positioned itself as the “go-to” network for breaking stories and insightful commentary on the issues of the day. Whether or not the critics agree with the right-wing ideology that runs through most of the network’s commentary, Roger Ailes and his team have built a business that is the envy of the cable news community. Their coverage of stories that matter to the public is solid. They have their finger on the pulse of today’s American viewer and they serve it up in a way that keeps them coming back.
The Fox formula works. They get the numbers (ratings) that allow them to attract advertisers. During their most popular shows, Fox can command an advertising premium. That’s how you make money in television.
It is important to remember that television is a business (a big business). The pundits and TV critics continue to hammer home the fact that Fox has a point of view. They act as if no news organization has ever mixed the news and ideology prior to Fox News firing up its transmitter. This is a telling symptom of the problem with the other cable news networks. In trying to please the critics, they do not present a clear image to the TV news consumer.
The fact that America leans to the right (politically) allows Fox to give their viewers what they want – good news coverage presented in a way that their viewers welcome. Providing a solid product the way the customer wants to consume that product sounds like a good business to me.
The critics will be quick to point out that Fox will never admit to having a network-wide ideology. That’s fine. Think about it; when consumers go to the store to buy soap does anyone tell them that there is little (if any) difference in the chemical composition of the products on the shelves? The soap manufacturers dress up their product so that it will sell. They do this by packaging the product differently then their competition. Fox does the same with news. They tout their reporting and they package it in a way that sells – with insightful, consistent commentary.
What we see today in the form of competition from the other cable news outlets are cable news networks that try to present the news in a way that will not offend people. This is a defensive posture. While CNN and MSNBC offer coverage of most of the same stories as Fox News, they have no network-wide consistency when it comes to opinion. The product on CNN and MSNBC is unpredictable and consumers embrace consistency. The number two and number three cable news networks package their product in a generic wrapper that says “News”. This leaves the consumer searching for a way to differentiate the products. Clearly this is not as effective as the Fox approach – a point supported by the ratings day after day.
Cable news is not network news. It is a different animal. It is a 24-hour business. The viewer gets that. There are too many hours to fill and reading news from sanitized copy just doesn’t cut it on cable. Journalistic integrity dictates that everyone must get the story right based upon the facts. Interpretation of the facts (opinion) is one of the cornerstones of free speech. It has also been a staple of news reporting since the invention of the printing press.
Viewers want to hear what the experts think and they want to know where to go to get a definite opinion – day or night. Fox makes this clear and the consumer will always embrace a well-defined product over an ambiguous one.
I’ll post regularly on the business of the media. If you want to get a daily dose of what is going on in this world, try these sites:
i love your site. i stumbled into it while trying to create a powerpoint presentation...hmmm
what do you think of podcasting and podcasting sponsorship opportunities?
any thoughts on ON-DEMAND media/radio programs?
Posted by: kathleen sheehan | October 21, 2005 at 06:40 PM