It's amazing that half the country votes Democratic, and yet no network wants to cater to this huge market.
The American Street » How CNN can Beat Fox.
If CNN wants to take over the news business again, they have one choice to make. And that is to be unrelentingly antagonistic toward the Bush administraton and the Republican party establishment.
This will generate a lot of attacks, whining, and complaining from the rightwing media machine. It may even generate a boycott of the network by the GOP, and/or a freeze out by the Bush administration.
If it does, that is 100% solid ratings gold for CNN. Nothing generates publicity like controversy. And nothing sends people rushing for their remotes to tune into your network like the prospect of fireworks.
Be honest. Do you tune in to watch American Idol to see some great feats of vocal gymnsatics? Or to see who will be the next William Hung?
CNN should summarily fire every one of its sycophantic, boring reporters, and hire evey liberal, entertaining, anti-Bush firebrand they can find. Do story and after story after story on the latest way Bush is screwiong America and the world. Hire Al Franken, John Stewart, Joe Conason, Ed Schultz, and Bob Somerby. Tell people that if they want balance, they should become buddhists.
You can bet that every network, and major newspaper will write editorials denouncing CNN, and attacking them. Howie Kurtz will have a connyption! Advertisers will pull out. The establishment will run for the hills. But you can also bet that CNN will no longer be hemorraging viewers.
People will tune in. And when they do, a market for anti-GOP, anti-Bush news will be born.
I accept as given that more Democrats want a more balanced, reality-based, news program than people from the Other Party, indeed like something that challenges them from time to time. But that can't be true of all Democrats — just as the opposite isn't close to true of all Republicans. But even so, that should leave a big narrowcasting market of red-meat Democrats.
Note that this is an argument against interest: I can't stand Air America any more than Air Fox.
