Kimmel returns Tuesday

[TheBigA]

This is humiliating for Sinclair (and I'm betting by the end of next week, if not sooner, Nexstar).

Sooner:

There Goes the Jimmy Kimmel Boycott: Nexstar, Sinclair Fold as Late Night Show Returns

The local TV giants backed away from opting to preempt the show on their ABC stations, which impacted nearly one quarter of the country.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

That's the risk of free speech. The thing about ABC is they didn't twist the knife. Other parties might not have been so circumspect. ABC didn't handle this in social media, the way some politicians do. They're a media company that didn't drag this into the media. How refreshing. This is how things used to be.

Nexstar and Sinclair spoke out. They said what they wanted to say. They took the action they wanted to take. Then they followed the terms of the contract they signed.

 

[michael hagerty]

Sooner:

There Goes the Jimmy Kimmel Boycott: Nexstar, Sinclair Fold as Late Night Show Returns

The local TV giants backed away from opting to preempt the show on their ABC stations, which impacted nearly one quarter of the country.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

That's the risk of free speech. The thing about ABC is they didn't twist the knife. Other parties might not have been so circumspect. ABC didn't handle this in social media, the way some politicians do. They're a media company that didn't drag this into the media. How refreshing. This is how things used to be.

Nexstar and Sinclair spoke out. They said what they wanted to say. They took the action they wanted to take. Then they followed the terms of the contract they signed.

Missed that entirely. Thanks, BigA!

 

[tall_guy1]

Sooner:

There Goes the Jimmy Kimmel Boycott: Nexstar, Sinclair Fold as Late Night Show Returns

The local TV giants backed away from opting to preempt the show on their ABC stations, which impacted nearly one quarter of the country.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

That's the risk of free speech. The thing about ABC is they didn't twist the knife. Other parties might not have been so circumspect. ABC didn't handle this in social media, the way some politicians do. They're a media company that didn't drag this into the media. How refreshing. This is how things used to be.

Nexstar and Sinclair spoke out. They said what they wanted to say. They took the action they wanted to take. Then they followed the terms of the contract they signed.

Wonder if they ever thought of just bumping his show to a later or overnight slot so it could technically "air" but at a later time? That practice used to be a lot more common than today with late night shows in local markets.

 

[Mark Roberts]

Mark, I think I agree with radiofan2023 on this one. This is humiliating for Sinclair (and I'm betting by the end of next week, if not sooner, Nexstar). They accomplished exactly zero other than pissing off a much larger percentage of their audience in multiple markets than Kimmel did with his monologue on September 15.

ABC (eventually) did what it should have done over Stephanopoulos, and CBS should have done over "60 Minutes"---stood by its broadcast.

The government (in its current mutation) may well try to exact a pound of flesh, but, if they do, in the words of Brendan Carr, it'll be "the hard way".

Yes, ABC/Disney should have stood up and eventually did. There’s no argument from me on that point.

Why do I think the positive effects may not last?

1) Public memories are short. Who’s going to remember this three months from now, except briefly in end-of-year reviews?

2) Corporate executives tend to be risk-averse. That’s why they have so many lawyers at their side. Boards of directors also should (but don’t always) manage risks to their companies. In publicly traded companies, they have multiple constituencies to whom they’re accountable.

In the present controversy, Disney faced a pincher of conflicting risks. Sure, Nexstar and Sinclair had ‘em, too…read that Morningstar article I posted this morning for a concise summary of the risks involved. But I suspect Disney executives would rather have spent their time on other things. Executives at other networks no doubt were watching, too. Nexstar and Sinclair backed off but made their point. There’s going to be a calculation at the network level the next time of, “is this worth it?”

In the current environment, moderate or liberal viewpoints are scrutinized far more closely than so-called conservative viewpoints. The result is that those moderate or liberal viewpoints either are expressed very cautiously or not at all, while conservative viewpoints can be expressed with abandon with little fear of consequences. Imagine what if what was said about Charlie Kirk was said instead of Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez if something bad had happened to her.

 

[michael hagerty]

Wonder if they ever thought of just bumping his show to a later or overnight slot so it could technically "air" but at a later time? That practice used to be a lot more common than today with late night shows in local markets.

I mentioned this in another post, but hey, this is #385.

Beyond an 11:35 p.m. start time, commercial rates drop drastically. The show needs to run at 11:35. And let's stop acting like Nexstar and Sinclair had a legitimate point. They were trying to grease the administration and it blew up on them.

 

[Loverofradio]

Based on?

We’re going to start seeing more politicians speak out against this deal. All Nexstar had to do was keep their nose out of this (not speaking on their political beliefs or what was said by Kimmel). All this move did was put Nexstar under a microscope and give them attention they don’t want right now

 

[michael hagerty]

Yes, ABC/Disney should have stood up and eventually did. There’s no argument from me on that point.

Why do I think the positive effects may not last?

1) Public memories are short. Who’s going to remember this three months from now, except briefly in end-of-year reviews?

If this were the only assault on freedoms by the government---a one time f**kup, maybe. Colbert first, then this---a new season of "60 Minutes" under new ownership that will be examined closely---Paramount looking to gobble up HBO Max---guys like Ted Cruz and Joe Rogan calling it an assault on free speech---no, this one leaves a mark. And it's awakened an otherwise entirely too complacent public.

2) Corporate executives tend to be risk-averse. That’s why they have so many lawyers at their side. Boards of directors also should (but don’t always) manage risks to their companies. In publicly traded companies, they have multiple constituencies to whom they’re accountable.

In the present controversy, Disney faced a pincher of conflicting risks. Sure, Nexstar and Sinclair had ‘em, too…read that Morningstar article I posted this morning for a concise summary of the risks involved. But I suspect Disney executives would rather have spent their time on other things. Executives at other networks no doubt were watching, too. Nexstar and Sinclair backed off but made their point. There’s going to be a calculation at the network level the next time of, “is this worth it?”

Totally disagree. I don't think Nexstar and Sinclair made their point at all. They lost.

Disney put Kimmel back on the air after only three live pre-emptions (Fridays are "best-of"), while supposedly still talking to Nexstar and Sinclair. Nexstar and Sinclair pissed off viewers in all their markets, worried their stockholders, made themselves the bad guys in a story about the First Amendment, drawn unwanted attention to their politics and their ambitions for growth and started real-world conversations about how wise lifting the 39% cap is.

They even failed in their original objective. Brendan Carr's a punch line who has spent most of this week weaseling out of his tough-guy stance of the previous week. They didn't rid Trump of this meddlesome late-night comic, they gave him three nights off, the biggest audience he's had in decades for his comeback, made him the face of free speech for the time being, and....side effect....pretty much removed Charlie Kirk from the national conversation except for how he was involved in what happened to Kimmel.

And they got nothing for it.

In the current environment, moderate or liberal viewpoints are scrutinized far more closely than so-called conservative viewpoints. The result is that those moderate or liberal viewpoints either are expressed very cautiously or not at all, while conservative viewpoints can be expressed with abandon with little fear of consequences.

Tell me you haven't been watching MSNBC or late night this week.

Imagine what if what was said about Charlie Kirk was said instead of Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez if something bad had happened to her.

I'm confused. Are you saying what Kimmel said about Charlie Kirk or what commentators said about Charlie Kirk, and if so, which side?

 

[Don CT]

I mentioned this in another post, but hey, this is #385.

Beyond an 11:35 p.m. start time, commercial rates drop drastically. The show needs to run at 11:35. And let's stop acting like Nexstar and Sinclair had a legitimate point. They were trying to grease the administration and it blew up on them.

Some markets used to time shift the late late show to 1:05 before CBS said it had to air at 12:35. ABC has JKL as a must carry at 11:35.

 

[KML0224]

I don't watch too much of it anymore, but did college football weigh in on these station owners caving in?

 

[Don CT]

I don't watch too much of it anymore, but did college football weigh in on these station owners caving in?

There were rumors of ABC cutting off SEC games.

 

[Mark Roberts]

If this were the only assault on freedoms by the government---a one time f**kup, maybe. Colbert first, then this---a new season of "60 Minutes" under new ownership that will be examined closely---Paramount looking to gobble up HBO Max---guys like Ted Cruz and Joe Rogan calling it an assault on free speech---no, this one leaves a mark. And it's awakened an otherwise entirely too complacent public.

You're more of an optimist about public engagement than I am. The part that really discourages me is a judicial system which, at the trial court level, is mostly doing its job but, at the top level, is rolling over and playing dead, oblivious to the damage being done.

Totally disagree. I don't think Nexstar and Sinclair made their point at all. They lost.

Disney put Kimmel back on the air after only three live pre-emptions (Fridays are "best-of"), while supposedly still talking to Nexstar and Sinclair. Nexstar and Sinclair pissed off viewers in all their markets, worried their stockholders, made themselves the bad guys in a story about the First Amendment, drawn unwanted attention to their politics and their ambitions for growth and started real-world conversations about how wise lifting the 39% cap is.

They even failed in their original objective. Brendan Carr's a punch line who has spent most of this week weaseling out of his tough-guy stance of the previous week. They didn't rid Trump of this meddlesome late-night comic, they gave him three nights off, the biggest audience he's had in decades for his comeback, made him the face of free speech for the time being, and....side effect....pretty much removed Charlie Kirk from the national conversation except for how he was involved in what happened to Kimmel.

And they got nothing for it.

Yet.

Now they can say, "we stood up to the woke media" and portray themselves as the victim (as they always do) of a giant liberal conglomerate, thus needing to get that cap lifted so they can grow bigger and stand up to the liberal bully to make sure next time will be different. And there will be a next time. Their endgame was never to get Kimmel off the air right away. Their endgame was to brush up their extreme-right bona fides so they can get in on the action by getting government support for their acquisitive strategy. When completed, then they can send Kimmel to the cornfield. Look at Paramount+, soon to be Paramount minus any unapproved reporting or viewpoints. Whether or not that's a good business strategy is almost beyond the point.

Tell me you haven't been watching MSNBC or late night this week.

I don't watch MSNBC. I'm enjoying Colbert but even he seems to be pulling his punches at times.

I'm confused. Are you saying what Kimmel said about Charlie Kirk or what commentators said about Charlie Kirk, and if so, which side?

The seizing on a fairly bland remark by Kimmel and blowing it all out of proportion. Conservatives seem to be able to get away with a lot more.

 

[Delete My Account]

The seizing on a fairly bland remark by Kimmel and blowing it all out of proportion. Conservatives seem to be able to get away with a lot more.

Conservative talk radio would suggest a history of this. So would the fact that Brian Kilmeade was never suspended. What he said was far worse than the worst interpretation of Kimmel's remarks, and yet no advertisers pulled away from Fox News, and no alarm on the part of Brendan Carr. Kilmeade actually suggested the indiscriminate extermination of a group of inconvenient people (the unhoused.)

No big deal I suppose, to that audience or the administration they support.

 

[michael hagerty]

Conservatives seem to be able to get away with a lot more.

Absolutely. That's partly because there are no actual efforts to silence them.

When Limbaugh called Sandra Fluke a "slut", there may have been pressure from some individuals and groups for Premiere to fire him, but the real-world effect was an economic boycott---sponsors pulled their ads, talk radio as a whole became a "no buy" zone for certain accounts. It's what put those programs on the path to male enhancement supplements, gold brokers and sports betting apps as their ad base.

Also, there is no equivalent of a liberal broadcast chain running right-wing programming to pull a stunt like this (and the first person who says "What about George Soros?" is gonna wish they hadn't).

Salem's not gonna pull a right-wing host. iHeart could (their ideology is purely bottom line), but they won't.

 

[The Media Observer]

Good to see that this blatant assault on the First Amendment ultimately backfired on the FCC, Carr and most importantly, the felon occupant.

Hopefully, this will get more people out to vote in the mid-terms in 2026.

 

[tall_guy1]

If this were the only assault on freedoms by the government---a one time f**kup, maybe. Colbert first, then this---a new season of "60 Minutes" under new ownership that will be examined closely---Paramount looking to gobble up HBO Max---guys like Ted Cruz and Joe Rogan calling it an assault on free speech---no, this one leaves a mark. And it's awakened an otherwise entirely too complacent public.



Totally disagree. I don't think Nexstar and Sinclair made their point at all. They lost.

Disney put Kimmel back on the air after only three live pre-emptions (Fridays are "best-of"), while supposedly still talking to Nexstar and Sinclair. Nexstar and Sinclair pissed off viewers in all their markets, worried their stockholders, made themselves the bad guys in a story about the First Amendment, drawn unwanted attention to their politics and their ambitions for growth and started real-world conversations about how wise lifting the 39% cap is.

They even failed in their original objective. Brendan Carr's a punch line who has spent most of this week weaseling out of his tough-guy stance of the previous week. They didn't rid Trump of this meddlesome late-night comic, they gave him three nights off, the biggest audience he's had in decades for his comeback, made him the face of free speech for the time being, and....side effect....pretty much removed Charlie Kirk from the national conversation except for how he was involved in what happened to Kimmel.

And they got nothing for it.



Tell me you haven't been watching MSNBC or late night this week.



I'm confused. Are you saying what Kimmel said about Charlie Kirk or what commentators said about Charlie Kirk, and if so, which side?

I think it shows how easily corporate media like ABC can be controlled with the right influence is what I gathered.

 

[MarcB]

Yeah. For many years WFSB in Hartford used to delay whatever CBS was airing at 12:37AM to 1:07AM so they could air the same eoiside of Entertainment Tonight that had just aired at 7:30PM.

 

[tall_guy1]

Absolutely. That's partly because there are no actual efforts to silence them.

When Limbaugh called Sandra Fluke a "slut", there may have been pressure from some individuals and groups for Premiere to fire him, but the real-world effect was an economic boycott---sponsors pulled their ads, talk radio as a whole became a "no buy" zone for certain accounts. It's what put those programs on the path to male enhancement supplements, gold brokers and sports betting apps as their ad base.

Also, there is no equivalent of a liberal broadcast chain running right-wing programming to pull a stunt like this (and the first person who says "What about George Soros?" is gonna wish they hadn't).

Salem's not gonna pull a right-wing host. iHeart could (their ideology is purely bottom line), but they won't.

Plus, it seems like over the last decade or so within the Democratic party to play it "safe" to appease moderates, so it seems like there's pressure from within to not stray the line.

 

[radiofan2023]

Mark, I think I agree with radiofan2023 on this one.

 

[Mark Roberts]

I think it shows how easily corporate media like ABC can be controlled with the right influence is what I gathered.

I'm going to be picky here: media have always been "corporate" to a certain extent. The problem now comes about through concentration of media outlets into fewer and fewer entities.

 

[Mark Roberts]

[jokey gif]

If you go to Westport to celebrate, be sure to maintain situational awareness, based on what I've heard.