Those of you waiting for the new Gore-backed “liberal” tv (after partaking of two hours of the West Wing marathon on Bravo, watching CNN for a little bit, then catching the ABC nightly news, it makes me giggle just to type “liberal” tv) will have to wait a little longer, because, guess what- liberalism doesn’t sell:
— Former vice president Al Gore and a group of investors have plans to launch an all-news channel, but it won’t be a liberal alternative to Fox News. Instead, it will be aimed at the under-25 crowd.
“Liberal TV is dead on arrival,” said an insider advising Mr. Gore and his team. “You just can’t do it.”
DOA. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Some observers feel that despite the change in tack, a network led by Mr. Gore will not be able to erect a firewall thick enough to insulate it from his Democratic Party affiliation.
“If there is any transparency to Gore, then it will be identified as a partisan operation, which will alienate advertisers,” said the sales executive.
“The problem with being associated as liberal is that they wouldn’t be going in a direction that advertisers are really interested in,” said Paul Rittenberg, senior VP-advertising and market research, Fox News. “We don’t get business for being conservative, we get business because the ratings are good and we believe that we’re fair. If you go out and say that you are a liberal network, you are cutting your potential audience and certainly your potential advertising pool, right off the bat. “
I bet GM is just chomping at the bit to fund a new half hour talk show by Michael Moore.