Why is Fox News so Successful

 Why is Fox News so Successful?

Regardless of your politics, you have to regard Fox News as a major success story.  Over 20 years ago they took on the big three networks in the niche market that is cable news and has thrived.

Their fan base is incredibly loyal.  Even when scandals rock their personalities and leadership, their market share seems never to waver.

If you are in a house with a Fox News watcher, you know it.  It's on the TV.  Constantly.  Why is that?

My experience with followers of Fox* spans decades, since the Monica Lewinsky scandal.  I have seen it pervert some of the greatest minds of my generation. 

I have recently started going back at the gym, and have a little insight on the matter.  It is not about the content, but the presentation.  Fox brooks no inattention.  The borders are bright primary colors, and about every minute or two they flash, FOX NEWS ALERT!

Really, an Alert! for Biden Wearing A Mask?

Today, when Trump's CFO was being arraigned, the Fox Alert was about the Princess Diana statue being unveiled in the UK.  While other stations were covering the Miami condo collapse tragedy, Fox was doing a segment on Britney Spear's court case.  But each of these minutia were preceded with the flashing ALERT.  As if they were of any real importance.

 

And this annoying100 point font in 3D lettering for other attention getting.

Meanwhile, the CNN display on the adjacent display is fairly ignorable.

Then there are the presenters.   While all presenters must be presentable, with the exception of the headliners like Hannity, Fox presenters are very well coifed.  Side by side against CNN and MSN, the difference is striking.

Their marketing style is mimicked by their advertising.  Flashing text that promises total ruin if you do not invest in their products.  Like their news, the advertisements focus on fear of inflation, so buy gold, or the economy will collapse so buy emergency food, and lets not let big pharma take away your useless supplements.   Sales pitches that makes your skin crawl with the dis-ingenuousness of them. 

I know Patriot Emergency supply has been in business for decades.  The last church I was a member of was trying to sell this stuff, in case you don't get translated to heaven when the rapture occurs**.  I've been hearing the gold pitch as a hedge against inflation for decades.  In 2011, gold was $1,900,  Yesterday it was $1,770.  So a net loss of about 6% + inflation.  

Supplements.  Because they are supplements, they are not required to be tested for the inferred, but not claimed, efficacy.  If they claim something, then it has to be proven, and big supplements will never  want that.

This is in keeping with Fox's tactics to get their fans good and scared, or angry, depending.  Reporting on items that occur under a Democratic administration are complete utter disasters, but not mentioned when the same thing was under a Republican administration.

And lets not forget the communists.  If there is one thing they really don't like is communism.  Including pain and suffering caused by corporate greed.  Which is the ultimate in capitalist expression.  And lately, it's Nazis.  Because apparently communists didn't scare people enough. 

Did Fox succeed because if found an under-served market, or did it create one?  Probably a bit of both.

Fox employs a number of cult strategies.  The first thing a cult does is cuts it's victims off from any voice of reason.  Your friends and family are all holding you back.  We are your family now.  They even call their morning show, Fox and Friends.  

Like a cult, Fox personalities insist they are the only source of truth.  They promote that the other major news agencies are lying to you and supporting big government.  So don't listen to them.  Once again, separating the victim from any other source of information.  It is true that most major news services is currently in the hands of 6 corporations.  But they also are in competition with each other. So it is unlikely there is a grand conspiracy of 5 of them verses Rupert Murdoch, who owns Fox and is not an American.  

Fox is the only service that does this.  The real news services are busy providing the information, not insisting on exclusivity of the news.

And if there really was this grand conspiracy, someone other than Fox would know about it.  These are not monolithic organizations, they employ millions.  Keeping a secret that big with that many people for this long is impossible.   

Here is an article on how cults entrap people.  
https://blog.usejournal.com/how-cults-entrap-people-d2f012c10149

The tactics are familiar.  They include:
    Hiding True Intent:  Minority control of power by the rich over the poor.
    Installing Fear:  Every morning they have something new to make you afraid.
    Love Bombing and the Surrogate Family: Fox Friends. 
    Elitism:  Only "we" have the true truth.
    Shunning: Liz Cheney
    Towing the Party Line:   Remember RINO's? 
    Cult Activities Dominate Member's time: For cult members, Fox is on from morning to night.
    Leaving Members are Vilified:  I'm short for an example here. 

So why are they so successful?  It's big shiny packaging, and 98% factual information, and 2% subtle lies.  While you are distracted by the shinies, the lies just slip by.

*We are going to stop glorifying the Fox moniker with the appended "News" here.  "Entertainment" would be more appropriate.  

** Think about it.  If you don't make the first pass on the rapture, your first thought isn't going to be, well thank god I have this Patriot food in the basement with a 25 year shelf life!