Fox News Devotes '$15.2 Million' To Trump Rally Coverage Since April 28

by Joe Mandese , July 6, 2018

Fox News has devoted the advertising equivalent of $15.2 million of value in its live coverage of Trump campaign rallies since April 28, according to a Media Matters analysis of estimates from competitive media monitoring service iQ Media.

The analysis, which included Trump’s rally Thursday night in Great Falls, MT, where the President ridiculed President George Bush’s “thousand points of lights” speech, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the #MeToo movement, and said Russian President Vladimir Putin is “just fine,” found that left-leaning MSNBC devoted the ad equivalent of just $56,737 and CNN devoted $0.

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9 comments about "Fox News Devotes '$15.2 Million' To Trump Rally Coverage Since April 28".

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Michael Pursel from Pursel Advertising, July 6, 2018 at 1:22 p.m.
And.... crickets when asked how much time between 2008 and 2011 the "other" nets gave to our former president speeches. I know, that is history, we're talking about NOW, correct? Even though your article is just showing the facts... would be nice to provide some historical background. Perhaps I'm all wrong, but bet you there was plenty of coverage of our former.
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Todd Gaak from Observer, July 6, 2018 at 1:30 p.m.

As compared to covering the Florida school kids' musical number or Mr. De niro or Ms. Bee's vugarities. Or Mrs. T's choice of jackets. You know, important stuff like that.

Kevin Barry from Simpli.fi, July 6, 2018 at 2:16 p.m.

The difference is, these are campaign rallies. Not figuratively. Literally. Not policy speeches.

All these networks carry actual news, but there I don't believe there is any precedent for a sitting President riling up crowds with campaign palaver outside the traditional campaign season.

Joe Mandese from MediaPost Inc., July 6, 2018 at 2:53 p.m.

@Kevin Barry: One of the differences, for sure!

I don't believe the Media Matters / iQ Media analysis includes actual Presidential speeches, such as the State of the Union Address, meetings with foreign leaders, etc. Just his campaign rallies.

Nicholas Fiekowsky from (personal opinion), July 6, 2018 at 3:25 p.m.

From mid-2009 to early 2010, National news gave heavy coverage to Obama's speeches in support of Affordable Care Act. Try date-constrained search on Internet search engine. That Presidential advocacy was clearly news.

Trump's advocacy for his programs is partisan campaigning, not news? Looks like elections do have consequences.

Don't watch networks much. Noticed our local NPR affiliate, and the national feed, reported heavily on Democratic primary candidates and contests with generous sound-bites - candidates outlining their positions and voters praising them. Very little about Republican primaries.

Does that count as spending on those campaigns? If NPR accepted campaign support, not sure how much billboard announcements and program support cost.

Joe Mandese from MediaPost Inc., July 6, 2018 at 3:39 p.m.

@Nicholas Fiekowsky: There's a big difference between covering a President's policy-making and campaigning. Obama's speeches promoting the Affordable Care Act were part of his effort to influence the public and the legislature to support his policy (much like the way most past POTUS' have sought to do that). The news media have given ample (arguably too much) coverage to Trump's speeches to influence various public policies too. This analysis is strictly about devoting network airtime to live campaign rally coverage.

For the record, it's also very unsual -- if not unprecedented -- for a POTUS to hold campaign rallies during the first couple of years of office.

Michael Pursel from Pursel Advertising, July 6, 2018 at 4:09 p.m.

Seems Trump administration is totally UN-Precidented, from his handling of the press to the economy, immigration. That is why you all hate him so much.. doesn't behave the way it's "been done" in the past. I'm sure loving this economy, strong employment, and MSM has no answers for his success except to tear him down however they can.

Phillip Nones from Mullin/Ashley Associates, Inc., July 6, 2018 at 10:34 p.m.

" ... Trump’s rally Thursday night in Great Falls, MT, where the President ridiculed President George Bush’s 'thousand points of lights' speech, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the #MeToo movement, and said Russian President Vladimir Putin is 'just fine' ..."

This is the first one of these 2018 rallies I've watched, and I don't dispute the notion that it was just that -- a campaign rally.

But to that point, the Mandese opinion piece misses the mark when it references the sound-bites above that totaled no more than 2 minutes in an speech that lasted well over an hour. That isn't the story -- even if it's irresistible fodder.

What's the real news is that Trump spent nearly 20 minutes on devastating verbal barbs aimed squarely at Montana incumbant Senator John Tester, a two-term senator who has never received more than 51% of the vote statewide.

That's the reason Trump went to Montana, and it's probably going to work out just the way Trump wants. My guess is, we won't be seeing John Tester in the Senate again come January. And it won't have anything to do with a Fox News broadcast.

Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, July 9, 2018 at 5:14 p.m.

Nothing strange about this, Joe. Fox's audience base consists of right wingers who watch hour after hour of its slanted comment and coverage. Why shouldn't Fox pander to the preferences of its fans? When CNN goes wall-to-wall covering every disaster--school shootings, the Thai teens trapped in a cave---etc. ---even though there is nothing new to say much of the time, this, too, is a programming strategy as a certain type of viewer loves to sop up such stuff.