I do suspect that unless there are changes far more dramatic than those announced a couple of days ago, Fox News will not regain any lost ground quickly. Trying to be CNN-lite won’t cut it. Roger Ailes discovered a niche that was, as the late Charles Krauthammer joked, "half the country." That is a market position that is enviable, and worked like a charm for many years. Discarding it was a mistake.
If Fox News wants to restore its cable news ratings dominance, changes will have to be visible far lower in its organization than what is being reported.
Though I was angry over its election night coverage and have been dismayed at the behavior of a number of its on-air personalities, I take no joy in the ratings crisis that seems to be engulfing Fox News. For all its faults, its reach, resources, and stable of outstanding talent like Tucker Carlson make it an essential voice in a nation whose media scene is getting scarier by the day. There is no doubt in my mind that if FNC disappeared or lost its cable system distribution, as at least one of its rivals seems to be advocating, conservatism would be in a much weaker position." . . .
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