Media Bosses CRAVE 2016 Ratings & Revenue – How About A Brokered Convention?

“It may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS” (CBS boss Les Moonves)

Then head of CBS (he had to resign in 2018 over allegations of sexual misconduct) Les Moonves famously said the line quoted above at a media conference in February, 2016.  Trump was on the rise and media outlets routinely cut to him live doing his rallies – a TV version of shock-jock radio where it didn’t matter whether listeners loved or loathed a DJ.  They listened because “I want to hear what he’ll say next.”  Moonves caught the heat but he didn’t say anything the head of any other network (major or niche), radio empire (or small group) or print outlet honcho didn’t believe.

Yes, they ALL knew how toxic it was to the national discourse.  But whether ears listening on radio or eyeballs watching TV and reading articles, Trump coverage drew them.  Which meant huge, “bigly” increases in ad revenue and off the charts profits.  Not to mention giving Trump tons of free coverage which some have estimated would have cost a billion or more to buy via ads.  It all propelled Trump to the nomination, and ultimately via the Constitutional vestigial organ known as the Electoral College into the White House.

The campaign damaged our country in ways beyond repair.  That wasn’t even half of it though.  With the exception of the slobbering goober masses of MAGAs who early on became cult members everyone, and I mean EVERYONE knew a President Trump would be a disaster.  That includes Moonves and his cronies.  Bad as Les, his pals all all of us thought it would be the reality was worse than our worst nightmares!

But those in the news business milked that Trump cash cow for all it was worth.  With the blessing (if not encouragement) of their boards, the bosses went after the money.  For that matter, so did most of the “talent” – the people you see on TV.  The news show hosts and their talking head guests, many of whom are well-known print reporters and/or authors on books about America and politics.  There was money, LOTS of money to be made and they fought for places at the trough to suck up all they could.

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it – they want to do it all again next year!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’ve also written multiple articles about craving a Trump vs. Biden rematch and Trump marauding through the primaries and all the ad revenue that would create is exactly why the news bosses (and again, much of the “talent) are doing all they can to ensure Trump isn’t convicted, or even tried (at least on federal charges) until after the Nov. 2024 election.  Now you might come back at me and say “not next year – Trump’s 2016 act is old and stale.”  I’d agree but consider this.  He’s got new material already, and just think what his rallies will be like with him railing about pending trials.  Blowing off judicial order after judicial order to restrain his comments to basic criticism and avoid stuff that could be perceived as threats, things that will rile up MAGAs and incite new violence.

I’ve no doubt Trump, and maybe his lawyers too will get hit with some steep fines but that’s all that will happen.  Rich and/or powerful people almost always get special treatment by courts.  That’s always been true and you know it.  I also know that many serious judges do all they can to keep outside considerations, public opinion and news coverage at bay.  But at least in the media age we haven’t had the specter of a major Party Presidential candidate facing multiple trials on felony charges.   You or I, and even maybe a rich and powerful person might get locked up pending trial but Trump won’t.  He will get special (favorable) treatment.  Accept that right now.

And news bosses (and “talent” too) can’t f**king wait.  They have dreams of dollars flowing into their bank accounts.  LOTS of dollars.  Oh, Trump will have new “material” alright instead of only rehashing his 2020 loss.  All kinds of new stuff for him to rail about, and there will be endless discussion on how outrageous it is and how he can’t be controlled by electronic and print journalists.

The ONE thing that would kill this golden goose (A Trump vs. Biden rematch) they dream of is a quick Trump trial and conviction.  For all the bluster, I say that will ruin his 2024 candidacy.  It will hang around of course, like Marley’s Ghost but he won’t be the GOP nominee.  Still, he’ll be out on appeal and continue to campaign but he will start losing primaries and some states will start rethinking giving him their delegates by acclamation.  More on that in a bit.

I’m sure news bosses (and talent) were devastated about being right, that Jack Smith would file a National Security case focused on classified documents Trump stole and wouldn’t return, and worse would limit it to just the ones recovered during the search of Mar A Lago.  A simple, straightforward case.  One that could quickly go to trial, even before the end of the year.  As those of us who remember the original SNL would say, it was a collective Mr. Bill saying “Oh Nooooooooooooooooo!!” when “Sluggo” played by Jack Smith did just what they predicted.  They must have thought they’d died and gone to at least the gate of journalism heaven when Judge Cannon got the case!

Then a brief period of “OMG!  She seems to want to move this along!  She learned her lesson last year when she tried to help Trump!” causing wailing, the gnashing of teeth and rending of garments.   Ah, but she was just teasing them.  She set a trial date for May of 2024!   “Oh boy!” they all thought.  Again, the prevailing belief was that the FL trial was Jack Smith’s one shot to get Trump convicted before election season got rolling.  Because a January 6 case would be wide-ranging and take as much as a couple of years to get to trial.  As a result, a couple of weeks after the arraignment in FL the orders came down from the news biz bosses.  Orders which have been obeyed.  The orders?   Give judge Cannon cover.  Start talking about how “COMPLEX” the FL case is, and how the May trial date will almost certainly get pushed.  Maybe, probably into the fall election season which would mean no trial until after the Nov. 2024 election.

And we’d have Trump vs. Biden with all that ad revenue!

Then that “mean” Boy Scout Jack Smith comes along and files a January 6 case against Trump that is NOT wide ranging and COULD be brought to trial well before the election.  I can only imagine the anguished cries of:

“How can he DO this to US?”  (I refer you to the opening quote)  My god! they wailed, Trump could be tried and convicted by Smith during the very the time window the FL National Security case could have (and should have) been tried in!   “Oh the humanity!”  Or, “What manner of madness is this, a prosecutor putting the national interest, actual justice ahead of OUR profits?  It’s our goddamned money!”

That’s their thinking.  Like Trump, they believe they are ENTITLED to it like some kind of birthright.  And some prosecutor who believes in the law and the Constitution more than fattening their wallets is keeping them from what they believe is theirs already!  However, as the title indicates the thing is, while the news biz won’t get a few post convention months of GOP nominee Trump jacking up ratings and revenue they can have the next best thing.

A BROKERED convention!

I was only eleven years old in 1968, and my small town was on the other end of the state from Chicago but I was old enough to see how awful what went on at the Democratic convention that year was.  At least it was over in three days.  However, a convicted of felonies Trump simply isn’t going to get the GOP nomination.  Even if he’s behind in the delegate count he will have won some states and being Trump he WILL show up and mount a fight.  One that would make Democrats in Chicago in 1968 look like angels in comparison.  How many days might it drag on?  And how long the aftermath with the inevitable recriminations?

Look, as I reached adulthood every Presidential cycle journalists started having 1968 inspired wet-dreams about a brokered convention.  For those who happen to be religious I’ll bet they’ve regularly PRAYED for such a thing!   Long before that (for them) glorious event there would be all that airtime and column inches to fill with what they love most – speculation.  LOT’S more fun and also a lot easier than doing… you know actual work!   They’d be flooded with “insiders” running to them with tips and rather than take time to sort out who’s got what agenda journalists would be off to the races sensationalizing it all.  And for the bosses it would be money in the bank.  As for the convention itself?  In summertime all they’d be pre-empting with dumping scheduled programming is re-runs and six or seven nights (or more) of floor fights would be the biggest ratings gold AND diamond mine ever!

Ok, it still wouldn’t match 2016 but if you think about it like the news bosses (and “talent”) should it would still make for lots of ad revenue and money in their bank accounts.  The old joke about chocolate, or pizza comes to mind – the one that says chocolate/pizza is like sex  – when it’s good it’s great and when it’s not it’s still pretty damned good.

Newsies being bummed out about not getting a repeat of 2016 sucks for them to be sure.  I don’t know about you but I have zero f**ks to give on that score. In fact, if I wouldn’t go to jail for it I’d smack everyone in that business wanting it upside the head with a two-by-four.  Just because I know why they want it doesn’t mean I think they are right for wanting it.  However, even if they can’t have a big slice of Trump’s “beautiful chocolate cake” they can still have a pretty fair knock off.  Instead of getting in a funk about Trump being tried and convicted and not being the GOP nominee they can still have damned good cake and eat it to in the form of what they dream of every four years:

A BROKERED convention.

If they weren’t such greedy a-holes they’d realize what’s there for the taking by just covering the news instead of trying to shape it for a 2016 redux, STFU and take what will still be an obscene amount of extra money.