Commentary

Why Fox News' Upfront Ad Pitch Is 40% Full (Of It)

As if Writers Guild picket lines outside network upfront events in New York City this week were not bad enough, the ad crowd were also reminded that they might have to step over another kind of line to buy Fox News Channel, as trucks circling the city Monday made the case that allocating their ad budgets on the network would help fuel its lies.

The trucks were part of a series of efforts by advocacy group Media Matters For America and MoveOn urging major advertisers to defund Fox News during the upfront buying season, including those attending Fox's upfront presentation at The Manhattan Center.

Whether advertisers and media buyers on the inside of the event were bellying up to a giant horseshoe-shaped bar as Fox's entertainment, sports and news execs and talented plied them with drinks and pitches, Fox News Media Executive Vice President of Advertising Sales Jeff Collins was doing his best to emphasize the less-than-controversial parts of the news channel's programming, noting: "Over the last two years, we’ve successfully launched over 20 new programs across Fox News Media, covering not only hard news, but also lifestyle content, which now comprises over 40% of our overall audience reach."

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Which isn't exactly the message Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch delivered to investors during its recent quarterly earnings call.

“With regards to our programming strategy in prime-time, there’s no change to our programming strategy at Fox News,” he double downed, adding: “It’s obviously a successful strategy. And as always, you know, we are adjusting our programming and our lineup and that’s what we continue to do.”

I guess it comes down to how you define lifestyle programming, and whose lifestyle you are programming for?

2 comments about "Why Fox News' Upfront Ad Pitch Is 40% Full (Of It)".
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  1. Dan Ciccone from STACKED Entertainment, May 16, 2023 at 12:05 p.m.

    What is the story or commentary here?  I don't see how Murdoch's message about a programming strategy is in opposition to Collins' statement.


    And clean up those type-os Joe.  Stating "hoes" attending Fox's upfront presentation isn't very polite and that last sentence needs a cleanup as well :D

  2. Ben B from Retired, May 16, 2023 at 9:44 p.m.

    Media Matters & MoveOn tactics don't move the needle, I'm not surprised that the ads returned at 8PM once Tucker got fired than the buy direct ads & My Pillow which those ads are run to death, not just Fox News many places. If Media Matters had it their way they wouldn't want Fox Broadcast to have NFL, MLB, etc which they don't get that Fox Broadcast & Fox News is very different. Media Matters is wrong that ad money fuels Fox Lies.

    Every Tue when watching Outnumbered that I see a few people with signs the cameras do pan out so you can't see it or cover the windows don't those have anything better to do? Just to get attention and likes RT'S on social media and websites pick the photos for Fox News articles on them. 

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