Heeeeere’s Tucker! Carlson starts his own network

You want more Tucker Carlson?

If you do, pony up $9 a month and you can get all the Tucker you want with his new streaming service called, appropriately enough, the Tucker Carlson Network.

If you’re keeping track at home, the past year has been a whirlwind for the conservative-talking, conspiracy-floating, Trump-loving (and sometimes hating) host. He was on top at Fox News. Then he was fired. He posted videos on X. And now he’s starting his own streaming service.

And it looks like he will still have his hand in various pies.

The Wall Street Journal’s Isabella Simonetti and Keach Hagey wrote, “Tucker Carlson Network, whose logo resembles a red pill, costs $9 a month — or $72 for a year — and will initially be solely available through Carlson’s website. Some of the content is available without a subscription and will be ad-supported, while some interviews and monologues will be available exclusively to subscribers, who will have access to that content without ads.”

Simonetti and Hagey added, “Carlson will continue to post the service’s free content on X. His media company will also launch a new podcast, ‘The Tucker Carlson Podcast,’ which will feature audio versions of that content. Carlson’s team is exploring distributing the service through streaming-TV apps independently and through X, one of the people said.”

So why now and why him? Carlson posted a video saying “something big is coming.” It doesn’t take a TV executive or political expert to know that now, a year before the 2024 presidential election, would be a good time to launch something new in the TV-political commentary sphere. Carlson said the “big media companies won’t help” — a not-so-veiled shot at places such as CNN and even his old employer, Fox News.

Carlson dramatically warned, “Suddenly everything seems at stake — control of the world, and your soul.”

Oh my.

Carlson told Megyn Kelly on her podcast/satellite show, “I want to wake up and say to myself, ‘You can say whatever you want,’”

An unfiltered Carlson, not reigned in by any bosses, sounds incredibly alarming.

Carlson added, “I'm going to tell the unadorned truth — I hope gently and in the least offensive way as I possibly can. But I'm going to tell the truth until the day I die.”

The next question is, will people watch him?

There’s no question Carlson used to have a dedicated audience. He has 11 million followers on X, but getting X followers is free. He was regularly Fox News’ most-watched prime-time show. Before he was fired this year, Carlson averaged about 3.2 million viewers. But most of those viewers were already paying for cable. Will they now be willing to pay another nine bucks a month?

If so, they will get a variety of shows. There’s “The Tucker Carlson Encounter,” which will feature long-form interviews. He already has the right’s favorite rocker, Kid Rock, and has-been golfer John Daly as guests on that show.

Then there will be “Tucker Carlson Uncensored,” a monologue-type show; “Tucker Carlson Films,” which will produce documentaries; and “Ask Tucker Carlson,” where Tucker will answer viewer questions. And there will be other productions, as well.

If Carlson was the only conservative voice out there, this would seem like a worthwhile venture. But aren’t there plenty of other right-leaning opinion shows and hosts, most notably on Fox News, that make Carlson’s network a longshot? And he has competition. Besides Kelly, there are others found on streaming services: Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly, and on and on.

Media Matters’ Matt Gertz wrote, “Fox still has the advantage of audience inertia — many fans have been watching for years and are simply used to keeping their television tuned to the network all day or turning it on for the prime-time shows.”

In the conservative world, Carlson is special. But is he nine-dollars-a-month special?

Gertz wrote, “Carlson is the newest member of what I call the ‘Fox News diaspora’ of network stars-turned-competitors. His streaming service is another entrant in an increasingly crowded field of right-wing outlets helmed by former Fox figures, all seeking the approval, money, and time of the same audience traditionally dominated by the right-wing outlet.”

Gertz notes that Carlson could be boosted by hosting his pal Donald Trump, who might even consider Carlson as a running mate.

Gertz wrote, “If Trump once again tries to subvert American democracy, and Carlson and other members of the Fox diaspora come to his aid, how will Fox respond? The question answers itself.”

A personal note

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45 and counting

On Monday, journalist, host and weather reporter Al Roker celebrated his 45th anniversary on NBC’s “Today” show.

The show did a little figuring and noted that Roker had 7,047 wake-up alarms for 3:45 in the morning, had covered 27 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parades, and contributed to the coverage of 13 Olympics.

“I really am very fortunate,” Roker said. “Nobody gets to be somewhere this long without friends and people who help you and a team behind you. Nobody does it by themselves.” He added, “It’s been a very good run.”

“Today” showed a clip of Roker’s career with the show that started in 1978 when he was at the NBC-owned WKYC in Cleveland.

SNL’s Strong controversy

Last week’s cold open on “Saturday Night Live” was a sketch mocking the Congressional hearings on antisemitism on college campuses, which included testimony from the presidents at Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the actual hearings, New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik heavily criticized the presidents for not coming out stronger in their condemnation of antisemitic remarks on their campuses. Penn president Liz Magill has since resigned.

Now comes word that longtime “SNL” cast member Cecily Strong played Stefanik in the dress rehearsal for the show. However, Strong did not appear in the live episode. Instead, new cast member Chloe Troast played Stefanik. It would have been Strong’s first appearance on the show since leaving as a cast member at the end of 2022.

So what happened?

The Wrap’s Mike Roe wrote, “With fellow ‘SNL’ alum Kate McKinnon set to return to host next week, speculation quickly turned to Strong potentially holding off her return to appear on next week’s episode. But why Strong was swapped out of the cold open wasn’t immediately clear.”

However, The New York Post’s Sara Nathan reported that Strong backed out of the sketch before the show. Nathan quotes unnamed sources who said Strong was “uncomfortable” with the sketch.

I watched the sketch live and, even through the screen, you could tell it wasn’t connecting with the audience.

Roe wrote, “The troubled sketch seemed to receive both lukewarm laughs and a largely negative response from viewers sharing their thoughts online, in addition to the names of two of the college presidents being mixed up during the sketch with the UPenn and MIT presidents’ nameplates switched (this appears to have been corrected in the version available online). Conservatives in particular seemed to take issue with the segment — replies to the sketch shared on both X and YouTube had multiple comments criticizing its approach as antisemitic. As one commenter wrote, ‘This sketch was very similar to the university president themselves: afraid of offending someone, thus pissing off everyone.’”

They’re baaaaack

Jezebel is back. The women-focused website was shut down last month by G/O Media, and all 23 of its editorial positions were eliminated.

But on Monday, the site returned under new ownership (Paste Magazine) and new editor-in-chief, Lauren Tousignant.

In a piece announcing the site’s return, Tousignant, who was hired by Jezebel in early 2022 and had been the interim editor-in-chief, talked about her feelings when the site was shut down, writing, “I’d go so far as to say that I feel raised by Jezebel and, as evidenced by the outpouring of tributes in the days after it shuttered, I’m not alone. The site’s DNA — sharp wit, searing takes, a commitment to in-depth reporting, and an overall immunity to (BS) — were formative to my identity as both a journalist and a feminist … as they were to an entire generation of women and non-binary people who’d been made to believe their anger was hysterical, their humor was unbecoming, their experiences of discrimination and assault were their own fault, and their voices only necessary for makeup recommendations or diet tips. I am not interested in a world without Jezebel. And, as we head into 2024, I am extremely not interested in a presidential election without Jezebel.”

Tousignant wrote about her goal as editor: “Keep Jezebel as weird, hilarious, and rightfully outraged as ever.”

ESPN’s Chris Evert fighting cancer again

Tennis all-time great and ESPN tennis analyst Chris Evert announced late last week that she has once again been diagnosed with cancer. As a result, she will not be a part of ESPN’s coverage of next month’s Australian Open.

In a statement, Evert said, “Since I was first diagnosed with cancer two years ago, I’ve been very open about my experience. I wanted to give all of you an update. My cancer is back.”

In early 2022, Evert, 68, was diagnosed with stage 1 ovarian cancer. Evert’s sister died from ovarian cancer in 2020 at the age of 62. Evert completed treatment for her cancer in May of 2022. Then came last week’s announcement.

Evert, 68, said, “While this is a diagnosis I never wanted to hear, I once again feel fortunate that it was caught early. Based on a PET CT scan, I underwent another robotic surgery this past week. Doctors found cancer cells in the same pelvic region. All cells were removed, and I have begun another round of chemotherapy.”

Evert said she will miss the Australian Open, but, “I’ll be ready for the rest of the Grand Slam season! I encourage everyone to know your family history and advocate for yourself. Early detection saves lives. Be thankful for your health this holiday season.”

Media tidbits

• Furturism’s Maggie Harrison with “Sports Illustrated Publisher Fires CEO After AI Scandal.” That story comes on the heels of this story last week by Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy and A.J. Perez: “‘The Amount of Useless Stuff You Guys Do Is Staggering.’ Inside a Shakeup at Sports Illustrated’s Publisher.”
• For The New York Times, Ed Yong — the former writer for The Atlantic and Pulitzer Prize winner for his coverage of COVID-19 — with “Reporting on Long Covid Taught Me to Be a Better Journalist.”
• Mediaite’s Diana Falzone with “Project Veritas CEO Quits and Slings Mud on Her Way Out, Leaving Org ‘As Good as Dead.’”
• From Semafor: “The median salary for New York Times reporters and correspondents is $161,000, the New York Times Guild tells its members. Critics and columnists have a median salary around $175,000.”
• As a part of Nieman Lab’s media predictions for 2024, Brian Moritz, an associate professor at St. Bonaventure University and the author of the Sports Media Guy newsletter, writes, “A major sports betting journalism scandal is coming.”
• Turn on many cable TV channels and you get endless reruns of shows such as “Law & Order,” “NCIS” and “Friends.” New York Times media reporter John Koblin writes about this in “Zombie TV Has Come for Cable.”
• Awful Announcing’s Ben Koo with “Volleyball fans blasted ESPN for 0-4 performance on showing Elite Eight games as intended.”

Hot type

• For The Washington Post, Sally Quinn with “I’m not Jewish but I love my mezuzah.”
• The Los Angeles Times’ Erin Osmon with “L.A. confidential: The untold stories behind some of the greatest songs of the 1970s and beyond.”

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Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected].