Originally, I reported that the special master’s investigation into Fox would continue to ensure that Fox complied with the discovery orders (because it could break up a settlement if there was bad faith).
But according to more research, the judge vacated that order three days after the settlement. So there was some further argument.Â
It doesn’t entirely bust up my theory.
According to CNN:
Fox News and Tucker Carlson, the right-wing extremist who hosted the network’s highly rated 8pm hour, have severed ties, the network said in a stunning announcement Monday.
The announcement came one week after Fox News settled a monster defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million over the network’s dissemination of election lies.
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I do not think the settlement drove the decision to instantly fire Tucker.
Obviously, something very very big happened.
Tucker Carlson is their ATM machine, often the most-watched cable television show. We know that embarrassing stuff came out in pre-trial discovery. Tucker skated through that easily. No sweat, just a lot of money.
Fox News didn’t fire Tucker because he helped cost them a lot of money. And Fox News desperately needs Tucker right now to get some of that money back.
It is something else.
This is my initial impression.
The judge in the case appointed a special master. The judge charged the special master with the duty to parse through everything at Fox to ensure that they had turned everything over.
ITALICS FALSE: I admit errors. I do not delete them.Â
The settlement didn’t end the special master’s investigation, presumably because if the special master finds something huge that Fox failed to turn over, it would vitiate the agreement and either the trial would be re-set or there could be a new settlement. Either way, the special master was going to go through Fox’s “stuff.”
I leave this up:
Something in that “stuff” is so bad that Fox needed to fire Tucker immediately. It might not even directly relate to the Dominion and Trump’s election. But Fox is holding something so devastating that they need to fire Tucker immediately to get ahead of what we’re about to hear from the special master.
Well, it won’t be from the Special Master. Thus, my theory now turns to something similar but unrelated to the special master.
In my opinion, the most likely cause is that while digging through discovery in the case, Fox found something about Tucker that is so volatile that they could not keep him in the company. But they couldn’t fire him immediately amidst the lawsuit because it would have people clamoring to know why – including Dominion.
So. Right now, Tucker’s biggest problem isn’t that Fox fired him. His biggest problem is why Fox fired him and whether that reason will get out (It will, eventually). We know this. Fox didn’t want to wait another day. We also know that it wasn’t a “pleasant” good-bye. He never got a “last show” – it was Friday.
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[email protected], @JasonMiciak, Substack: Much Left Ado
I was under the impression that with the settlement, the special master investigation died. Tucker wasn’t the cash cow for Fux that his ratings might suggest, because no one with any decency would advertise on his show. MyPillow was, last I heard, his only advertiser. The fact that he is pushing Russian propaganda might have something to do with his ouster. He is constantly praised on Russian TV and Rupert may have decided that’s not a good look.
Nearly a week ago there was an NBC report to the effect that the special master investigation was being called off. This was from “a source familiar with the situation.” Since then, crickets. So Jason may be right, but the situation remains murky.
https://www.nbcnews.com/media/judge-appoints-special-master-investigate-fox-news-dominion-defamation-rcna80289
No. I was wrong. It took the judge 3-4 days but he then vacated the order. (See above, it is fixed to relay that.)
There is still something big that Fox found rummaging through things.
Probably Abby Grossberg’s suit, which details the hostile work environment.
(They fired Tucker’s executive producer also. So it’s something more than just Tucker.)
As for Tucker’s advertising revenue, what you say is true, but it doesn’t bother Fox. Most of Fox’s profits by far come not from advertising but from cable channel bundling, which means that the great majority of people paying for Fox do not even watch it. A ridiculous, indeed a tragic, situation for our country.
Yes. Bundles make a lot of money.
But so do advertisers and that’s why you see heavy pressure on advertisers on some of their programs.
That has always infuriated me. Paying for a channel that airs content that goes against everything I believe in. I’ve also been ticked that Comcast forced me to pay $5 a month for “sports access” and I don’t watch sports on TV – ever.
Good for you. I don’t either. But I’ve been off cable for 30 years.
I wonder if the real problem for Fox, and the reason they ditched Carlson, has to do with the current negotiations with the cable carriers. Up until now Fox has used its leverage to extract higher fees from them. Perhaps the Dominion settlement gives the carriers something to counter Fox’s demands. So maybe Fox thinks that shit-canning Carlson will strengthen their position so that they can continue demanding a “massive increase” in cable fees? This would make sense only if these real or postulated developments have a strong impact on the negotiations. Do the carriers really care what anybody thinks about Fox? Certainly customers don’t like paying for stuff they don’t watch and don’t even want to support, but so far their alternatives have been very limited. There is potentially a huge consumer issue here with Fox at the middle of it, but it would only be significant if media consumer advocates see a viable legal strategy. Indeed there is a consumer drive by Media Matters, “Tell your cable provider, Don’t Let Fox Raise my Bill.”
https://www.mediamatters.org/murdoch-family/fox-news-wants-massive-increase-its-cable-fees-which-will-be-paid-all-cable
It certainly makes a difference! That is a good point. I don’t think it’s why they dumped him, exclusively, but it’s a strong point to go along with it.
One last thing. Here is another page from Media Matters that speaks to the issue even more directly. The focus is on Fox’s weakening bargaining position vis à vis the cable carriers. Even though this dates from before the Dominion trial (which never took place), I don’t think that changes the situation much if at all. And with Smartmatic, the Suzanne Grossberg suits, the special master investigation (if there is one), consumer discontent, etc., etc., the carriers may be smelling blood in the water.
https://www.mediamatters.org/msnbc/msnbc-media-matters-angelo-carusone-explains-how-fox-news-carriage-fees-could-be-hugely
Sorry, I meant ABBY Grossberg.
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay…..WooooooooooHooooooo!!! One down, two more to go!! Hannity and Ingraham should be next to go!!!
Big trouble for someone is coming.
Rupert, I think. “He didn’t notice that the lights had changed.”
I wonder what the rubes who watch FUX will think.
“Gee, what happened to that guy who used to be on every night at this time?
“What was his name again?”
Dominion might have settled but Smartmatic was warming up in the bullpen and is headed towards the mound. Then there’s the lawsuit from the producer (Abby Grossman) they fired and maybe because after jumping out of the frying pan of working on Bartiromo’s show she jumped into the fire of Carlson’s. Maybe, just maybe after her experience with Bartiromo she decided to collect a whole bunch of “receipts” just in case. There’s no telling what she might have on not just Carlson but other key people that put on his show. So yeah, getting out in front of all that might have made sense. Not doing so with O’Reilly was an expensive lesson, even if Carlson wound up making them just as much money. Luck is not a solid business strategy. Anyway, let’s hope dumping Carlson is only the beginning of some badly needed change at Fox.
I had forgotten about Abby Grossman and her lawsuit. That makes as much sense for his removal as any. Toxic workplaces, sexual harrassment/assault have been hallmarks of the ousting of Bill O’Reilly and Roger Ailes as well as some other lesser known Fux reporters.
It probably didn’t help Carlson’s position at Fox for him to have, AFTER the settlement given Trump an hour long “fluffing” on his show last week. (I didn’t watch – were both of Tucker’s hands visible the entire time of was one under that table at times giving Trump a handjob? – there’s a great cartoon I’d attach but although I can add videos to comments something prevents me from adding pictures) That was for sure an “in your face” type of thing to do and as I noted already perhaps Lachlan Murdoch finally convinced his dad Rupert it was time to start doing things HIS (Lachlan’s) way. Time will tell.
I do have to wonder where Tuckboy will end up. He has $, but he’s lost the limelight and, like Trump, will do a LOT to get it back. I think Newsmax and that ilk, having seen what FoxEntertainment is going through, will be….hesitant in giving Tuckboy a platform.
we dropped cable a few years back. we watch local TV using an antenna and have a few streaming channels. another article I read said that tuck is actually not that important for fox ratings. people tune in for the hate. so just about anyone in that time slot will get good ratings as long as the message is hate and anti diversity.
Maybe dominion told fox, fire Carlson or whatever weasel word used and ultimately they won’t sue him for defamation? A three party deal.