Robin PottratzWhat impact will the loss of Alan Colmes have on Fox News?
December 16th 2008 00:35
One of the stalwart programs on the Fox News Channel over the past decade has been the "debate" program "Hannity and Colmes" in which Fox News' poster boy Sean Hannity tackles the issues of the day with "hard-hitting liberal" Alan Colmes. "Hannity and Colmes" has been atop the ratings in its 9 PM eastern time slot, even overtaking Larry King. However the main criticism of the program has been that Alan Colmes is little more than a "token liberal" meaning that he is not a strong liberal, but more of a moderate one whose sole purpose is to make Sean Hannity look like he is presenting sterling arguments in order to further the Fox News conservative agenda. Colmes has always been quick to refute that claim, saying that if conservative members of their audience see him as a "foil" and not an equal of Hannity, then it was their problem, not his.
Despite frequent criticism, the show has maintained a level of success seldom realized in the world of cable TV news. However, it was announced on November 24th that Alan Colmes would be leaving "Hannity and Colmes" at the end of 2008. Sean Hannity will be left with no liberal counterpart to banter with...what ever will FNC do? Truth be told, I am one of the many people who viewed Alan Colmes as little more than a token member of the oppositional party to the dominant network ideology. Every network has one, MSNBC has Joe Scarborough and CNN has Lou Dobbs. However, Colmes was the weakest of all, especially because he was too strategically placed in the context of his show. It was apparent to anyone that he was only there to make Sean Hannity appear more intelligent and well versed then he actually is. Also Alan Colmes suffered constant verbal abuse from the far-right ideologues that were frequent guests to the Hannity and Colmes set. He was berated by the likes of Ann Coulter, Karl Rove, Richard Bay, and the Governor of my own homestate of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty. Colmes was a punching bag and a prop, which is disappointing because he seems like a very nice man.
So the big question is...what is Fox News going to do without Alan Colmes? It will now be harder and harder for the Rupert Murdoch creation to call itself "Fair and Balanced." The one quasi opposing viewpoint has now left the network. At least MSNBC and CNN gave the opposing viewpoint their own respective shows (Namely "Morning Joe" and "Lou Dobbs Tonight"). Given the stigma that Fox News has among the supposedly liberal mainstream media, it will be difficult to get a lame duck liberal that worked as well as Alan Colmes. I do believe that FNC will find one, but it may be a while.
Now the larger question is: Will the absence of Alan Colmes hurt "Hannity and Colmes" in the ratings war. MSNBC has gained ground and even surpassed Fox News on a few occasions with "The Rachel Maddow Show." I predict that MSNBC will take some of the audience that leaves along with Alan Colmes, and the emerging peacock network creation will finally take a big piece of the ratings pie away from FNC. Rachel Maddow has emerged as a solid ratings surprise for MSNBC and couple that with the momentum that Keith Olbermann has developed, also factor in the Obama Presidency and the departure of Alan Colmes, and I believe that for the first time in the better part of a decade, the Fox News Channel may face some real trouble in the ratings war. I may be competely off base with that assessment...only time will tell.
In closing, I would like to bid a fond farewell to Alan Colmes. Yes, he was the definition of a "token liberal," and he was feeding the enemy beast for years. However he is still a well respected political mind who has contributed many articulate thoughts and ideas during his time on Fox News and before that on New York radio. He will now ride off into the sunset and leave behind a legacy that often alternated between brilliant and frustrating. I salute you Alan Colmes, because if anything else, you made the liberal argument against Fox News just that much easier.
Despite frequent criticism, the show has maintained a level of success seldom realized in the world of cable TV news. However, it was announced on November 24th that Alan Colmes would be leaving "Hannity and Colmes" at the end of 2008. Sean Hannity will be left with no liberal counterpart to banter with...what ever will FNC do? Truth be told, I am one of the many people who viewed Alan Colmes as little more than a token member of the oppositional party to the dominant network ideology. Every network has one, MSNBC has Joe Scarborough and CNN has Lou Dobbs. However, Colmes was the weakest of all, especially because he was too strategically placed in the context of his show. It was apparent to anyone that he was only there to make Sean Hannity appear more intelligent and well versed then he actually is. Also Alan Colmes suffered constant verbal abuse from the far-right ideologues that were frequent guests to the Hannity and Colmes set. He was berated by the likes of Ann Coulter, Karl Rove, Richard Bay, and the Governor of my own homestate of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty. Colmes was a punching bag and a prop, which is disappointing because he seems like a very nice man.
So the big question is...what is Fox News going to do without Alan Colmes? It will now be harder and harder for the Rupert Murdoch creation to call itself "Fair and Balanced." The one quasi opposing viewpoint has now left the network. At least MSNBC and CNN gave the opposing viewpoint their own respective shows (Namely "Morning Joe" and "Lou Dobbs Tonight"). Given the stigma that Fox News has among the supposedly liberal mainstream media, it will be difficult to get a lame duck liberal that worked as well as Alan Colmes. I do believe that FNC will find one, but it may be a while.
Now the larger question is: Will the absence of Alan Colmes hurt "Hannity and Colmes" in the ratings war. MSNBC has gained ground and even surpassed Fox News on a few occasions with "The Rachel Maddow Show." I predict that MSNBC will take some of the audience that leaves along with Alan Colmes, and the emerging peacock network creation will finally take a big piece of the ratings pie away from FNC. Rachel Maddow has emerged as a solid ratings surprise for MSNBC and couple that with the momentum that Keith Olbermann has developed, also factor in the Obama Presidency and the departure of Alan Colmes, and I believe that for the first time in the better part of a decade, the Fox News Channel may face some real trouble in the ratings war. I may be competely off base with that assessment...only time will tell.
In closing, I would like to bid a fond farewell to Alan Colmes. Yes, he was the definition of a "token liberal," and he was feeding the enemy beast for years. However he is still a well respected political mind who has contributed many articulate thoughts and ideas during his time on Fox News and before that on New York radio. He will now ride off into the sunset and leave behind a legacy that often alternated between brilliant and frustrating. I salute you Alan Colmes, because if anything else, you made the liberal argument against Fox News just that much easier.
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