It’s pretty clear now that Fox News is also the Fox Republican Former Candidates’ Employment Agency. First former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown joined Fox News as a contributor. Now former White House hopeful Herman Cain:
Fox News Channel has hired former Republican presidential candidate and Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain as a contributor. Cain will provide political and business analysis and commentary across FNC’s daytime and primetime programming, as well as on Fox Business Network.
“Cain’s impressive resume makes him a valuable addition to the FOX News and FOX Business lineup,” said EVP Bill Shine. “As a political expert with business savvy, he brings an important voice to the nation’s debates.”
FNC announced earlier this week that former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown was joining on as a contributor. Last month, the network cut ties with onetime GOP VP nominee Sarah Palin.
FOX News Channel (FNC) has hired former Republican presidential candidate, businessman, author and columnist Herman Cain as a contributor, announced Bill Shine, Executive Vice President of Programming. Cain will provide analysis and commentary across FNC’s daytime and primetime programming, as well as on FOX Business Network (FBN).
In making the announcement, Shine said, “Cain’s impressive resume makes him a valuable addition to the FOX News and FOX Business lineup. As a political expert with business savvy, he brings an important voice to the nation’s debates.”
I wonder if Cain’s salary will be $999 a week?
This is a good move, and a not so good move.
GOOD MOVE: by basically dumping Sarah Palin and Dick Morris Fox News got rid of two individuals who not only were not respected by Republican-leaning independents and more conservative leaning moderates, but high concept symbols of the conservative political entertainment media. By bringing in Brown, it brought in someone who had been able to appeal to Tea Party members and also (for a while) independent voters. By bringing in Cain, it brings in someone whose personality is meant for talk radio or cable ideological talk — a personality brimming with life. The TV camera loves Herman Cain.
It’s a bit smoother impression then turning on and hearing Palin talk in terms that essentially would be suitable for a Facebook post or a Tweet, or hear her call Obama a socialist for the 439th time. Or listening to Morris give analysis at variance with serious analysis done by most others — including serious Republican analysts.
NOT SO GOOD MOVE: it’s further branding of Fox as a safety net for GOPers put out to pasture or by straying by choice from the pasture — and solidifies the image of Fox as highly connected to the Republican Party.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.