Newsmax, the leading conservative news channel after Fox News Channel, is reportedly trying to pick up Tucker Carlson now that Fox News has let him go. In fact, the up-and-coming network has reportedly pitched a deal to Tucker to let him handle the programming for the entire channel.
TMZ reported on the rumored deal, citing sources that have direct knowledge of Newsmax’s operation for the claim that Newsmax has offered to let Tucker do the programming for the entire network.
Commenting on the potential deal, TMZ said, “That would be a pretty enticing deal point … in addition to having his own primetime show, Tucker would have a say over what shows lead into and out of his show, which can be key in achieving bigger TV ratings.”
Continuing, TMZ noted that its Newsmax sources told it that the channel has not yet offered a job to Tucker, as his contract with Fox News forbids him from doing so, executives at the network have started suggesting the deal to his circle. In TMZ’s words: “While our sources stress Newsmax hasn’t formally offered Tucker a job — he can’t have formal discussions due to his current Fox News contract — we’re told the network execs have made it clear to people around him, they would basically give him a big say in rebranding their channel.”
The deal could make sense, as Fox News has dropped like a rock in the ratings after firing Tucker and its two big conservative competitors, Newsmax and OAN, have seen a huge jump. Even the New York Times reported on that situation, saying:
“On Monday evening, Eric Bolling’s 8 p.m. Newsmax program drew 531,000 viewers, according to Nielsen. One week earlier, it had 146,000. On Tuesday, Mr. Bolling’s audience grew to 562,000 viewers, equal to about 80 percent of Anderson Cooper’s CNN viewership that evening. Newsmax’s other prime-time shows also experienced big jumps.”
“On Tuesday, Fox News lost to both CNN and MSNBC in the 8 p.m. hour among adults ages 25 to 54, an exceedingly rare defeat for the network in the key demographic for cable news advertisers.”
However, Tucker could also be considering a move to James O’Keefe’s O’Keefe Media Group, or OMG, as Matt Gaetz seemingly suggested on Twitter and we at The American Tribune reported on, saying:
Tucker, when asked by The Daily Mail what his career plans are now that he’s been fired from Fox News, joked around and said that retirement was going well for him and his plans are “appetizers plus entree” at dinner with his wife.
But Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz took to Twitter Friday morning to suggest that Tucker has far, far more in mind for his future. Rep. Gaetz said, in a tweet that racked up 200k views in an hour, “OMG wait till everyone sees what @TuckerCarlson has planned…”
[…]Gaetz [started] his tweet with “OMG” and O’Keefe, fired from Project Veritas like Tucker was fired from Fox News, started a new media company called O’Keefe Media Group, or OMG. Whether Gaetz was hinting at that or simply meant “Oh My Gosh/Oh My God” is unclear, but it could have been a subtle, hidden reference.
Either way, or if he does something else, the video Tucker released to Twitter makes it appear like he wants to host a show that asks tougher questions and reports on more serious subjects. In the video, he said:
“The other thing you notice when you take a little time off is how unbelievably stupid most of the debates you see on television are, they’re completely irrelevant. They mean nothing. In five years, we won’t even remember that we had them, trust me as someone who’s participated, and yet the same time.
“And this is the amazing thing, the undeniably big topics, the ones that will define our future, get virtually no discussion at all war, civil liberties, emerging science, demographic change, corporate power, natural resources. When was the last time you heard a legitimate debate about any of those issues? It’s been a long time.
“Debates like that are not permitted in American media. Both political parties and their donors have reached consensus on what benefits them, and they actively collude to shut down any conversation about it. Suddenly, the United States looks very much like a one-party state.”
Good evening pic.twitter.com/SPrsYKWKCE
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) April 27, 2023
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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