Wired for white, male, Republican control:
A new study by the liberal watchdog group — which looked at ABC’s This Week, NBC’s Meet the Press, CBS’s Face the Nation and Fox News Sunday from August 2011 to February 2012 — claims that the Sunday morning shows have become “extraordinarily friendly terrain for the right.” Seventy percent of one-on-one interviews on the shows featured Republicans, according to the study. That’s 166 Republican guests to 70 Democrats. For the roundtable discussions, Republicans and/or conservatives made 282 appearances to 164 by Democrats and progressives.
[…..]Partisanship aside, women made up just 29 percent of the shows’ roundtable guests. Eighty-five percent of the guests were white, 11 percent were African American and 3 percent were Latino.
Brachiator
The Village of the Damned.
Tim F.
Someone clearly needs to answer for the ridiculous partisan divide, but I would like to know whether the gender/racial breakdown does not just reflect Congress itself. I could find out in a couple of minutes on Google but I am a very lazy blogger.
Ben Cisco
Apparently, Jake Tapper has a problem riding on Air Force One. You know, the plane designated for use by the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
I’m really beginning to actively dislike the FerengiMedia™.
Mike in NC
And 100% were John McCain.
Surreal American
Ah yes, that “liberal” media!
Mickey
And one of those few women they have on is rat fucker Arianna Fluffington who doesn’t really count.
Surreal American
The discrepancy is even greater when you discount “Democrats” such as Evan Bayh and Harold Ford.
KG
how much of this is just based on the fact that a Dem is in the White House? what were the numbers for a similar stretch during the Bush Administration? I’m just wondering if it’s that the “party out of power” (hahaha) is more prone to go on these shows.
Cain
@KG – I am pretty sure that it was still more Republicans than Democrats. Republicans keep you glued to the screen. Whether they are hammering at Democrats, or hammering at someone they make for great tv.
THey are the political equivalent of Judge Judy.
deep
No surprise. I’d imaging liberals just don’t watch much TV anymore, so the shows need to adjust to the changing demographic if they want to remain profitable.
Omnes Omnibus
Great title choice.
Savage Henry
This doesn’t come as a surprise to me. This is just a matter of audience targeting. Only old white people watch the Sunday morning talking heads anymore. Probably most of them are men, too. They only want to hear what other old white men have to say.
Odie Hugh Manatee
Tell me something I didn’t already know. :)
Clime Acts
Ummm…is TPM really pretending that this is news?
I could have told them this was true 25 years ago.
Warren Terra
I think there’s a big problem with the pro-establishment, pro-wealthy bias of the MSM, especially the Sunday shows, and the idea that a washed-up RIAA hack like Hilary Rosen who’s got no connection to any important politician, to any official Democratic group, or especially to the base is somehow a suitable “Democratic Strategist”.
But on the other hand, the numbers you cite are just silly. In the eight month period described by far the preeminent political story was the Republican nominating contest – often its was the top two or three political stories, and often it was the top story overall. Under the circumstances, having more Republican guests to represent and react to the various Republican candidates is just common sense. The real problem is the quality of the “Democratic” guests, not the quantity of Republicans.
rikryah
they needed a study to tell them this?
um, ok
Sammy
@Mickey: Except that her flapping lips cause a lot of damage.
Sammy
@Mickey: Except that her flapping lips cause a lot of damage.
Sammy
@Surreal American: @KG: @Mickey: Except that her flapping lips cause a lot of damage.
Sammy
@Surreal American: @KG: @Mickey: Except that her flapping lips cause a lot of damage.
dedc79
And would people stop talking about the Tim Russert era like it was some kind of golden age on meet the press. If the guy was doing his job politicians would’ve been avoiding the show, not leaping at the opportunity.
Russert wasn’t a bad guy or anything, but his idea of tough questioning was basically limited to taking what a politician said today and finding something they once said that contradicted it. That is the first little baby step of practicing journalism, but for Russert it was the whole thing.
Alison
Makes me even more grateful for the existence of Chris Hayes’ and Melissa Harris-Perry’s shows – even though they will never be deemed by the Village to be “important” or “major” or whatthefuckever. But at least they are weekend morning shows with some fucking diversity and intelligent conversation.
mai naem
I am shocked. I tell you shocked. Also too, this is good news for John McCain.
Roger Moore
@Cain:
Ugh. Glue is bad for my skin. One more reason to vote for the Democrats.
Napoleon
@KG:
No – I have seen numbers compiled in the past. The more Dems control the closer it gets to an even break, but still weighted noticibly in favor of the Reps/Cons (like 60-65/35-40 or something like that). The more the Reps control the more heavily it do guest favor the Reps.
Alison
Makes me even more grateful for the existence of Chris Hayes’ and Melissa Harris-Perry’s shows – even though they will never be deemed by the Village to be “important” or “major” or whatthefuckever. But at least they are weekend morning shows with some fucking diversity and intelligent conversation.
eemom
I love the fact that it takes a “study” to reach a conclusion like this — similar to the one last week where some political scientist, after due “study,” somberly reported the earth-shattering revelation that the republican party is more “conservative” today than it’s ever been. Is there a doctoral degree in No Shit that I somehow missed out on signing up for?
Sammy
@KG: The excuses for media has been inviting more repugs than Demsonto the public airwaves sice Ronnie Raygun.
They do it now because the repugs speak the things about the Pres and Dems that the excuses for journalist don’t have the man-parts to do themselves.
forked tongue
Velvet Underground. That is all.
rikryah
this can’t be a shock to anyone
Alison
(Sorry for double comments – site is being janky, apparently.)
AnotherBruce
@KG: I don’t have numbers to back this up, but I remember it being worse when the Republicans controlled the Congress during the Bush years.
Contrast that with the fact that even during 2009, 2010 when the Democrats controlled the congress, the Republicans were still in the majority on the political blab shows.
jl
@Warren Terra:
” In the eight month period described by far the preeminent political story was the Republican nominating contest ”
If you follow the links to the FAIR report, they had a comparison period before 2004 election and still found a bias towards Republicans and conservatives.
I agree with you that they rely too much, almost entirely, on party operatives, hacks and over and covert partisan flunkies for their panels. And for me the result is nearly unwatchable garbage. A waste of time that is also depressing.
Schiefer expanded his talking head CW cavalcade to an hour, and did he use it to further his stated goal of giving a platform to ‘all segemnts of American life’? So far, from the few times I have been able to sit through most of it, more center right CW white male guests. And Schieffer actually, astoundingly, uses the extra time to specify that he wants to talk horse race politics (though I’ve never heard him use the word ‘horse race’), so you can see how he thinks the extra time should be used, as if he was not obsessed with with tic toc politics before.
RalfW
@deep:
Well, the shows have always reflected the demographic that skews right, white, make, and (now) old. I watched the shows regularly with my dad in the 80s and George Will was a feature, bowtie and all.
As the demo has aged, they’ve stuck. But under 40s don’t give a rat’s sac about the Sunday morning shows. So from an advertising standpoint, the guest list makes sense.
And yet, fvck the advertiser’s standpoint. This is why the right made such a fake hoo-haa about the Fairness Doctrine before Obama was elected (and of course it was all claptrap to whip up animus, the Admin hasn’t touched the doctrine). They know that once upon a time TeeVee licenses were granted “in the public interest” so stations had the benefit of showing public affairs on Sunday morning when ad revenue was dead anyway.
But now it’s not public affairs, it’s public relations with a massive GOP spin advantage. Hard to see how this advances the public interest that we grant their licenses, but there you are. It’s broke but ain’t no one wanting to fix it.
Litlebritdifrnt
@Alison:
Ditto, they are both must watch for me now.
cathyx
So the 3% Latino is Mark Rubio, right?
jl
@RalfW:
Yes, I think you are correct. I read someplace that Amanpour’s ratings on This Week tanked because supposedly not enough CW white men.
Only people in my family who watch them, or ever even pay attention to what goes on in them are oldsters. Not even all the oldsters, but the rather more slothful oldsters for whom sitting around the house and watching TV is their main activity (sorry oldster relatives, but FCS get out and take a walk at least once in awhile).
I am puzzled by the liberal ones who watch these things and get steamed. I try to persuade them to not watch the damn shows.
Edit: on other hand, influence of what goes on these shows might be greater than the Sunday AM audience demographic, since I notice that these fraudulent shows provide fodder for the five second sound bites that pollute the official news casts. I suppose it is cheaper than actually doing some research and reporting for the hourly news broadcasts.
goethean
@Mickey: Yeah, I hated her Picasso biography.
Satanicpanic
Slow news day Doug?
KCinDC
I’m amazed the African American percentage is so high. In fact it’s pretty close to what it should be based on the US population.
Culture of Truth
I get steamed like a good piece of broccoli
Alison
@Litlebritdifrnt: I’m in CA and I really wish they would reair both shows at later times – the way they do with all the nightly shows during the week. I watch them online in the afternoons/evenings, but my parents are just not going to do that – they’re way beyond the general age group for sitting at the computer and watching anything beyond a couple minutes, but they want to see the shows. I wish MSNBC would get over their weird addiction to running endless hours of prison shows and give Hayes and MHP two airings!
jl
I think the whole corporate news divisions are becoming utterly worthless at conveying information.
I got a big dose of the TV news and public affairs division products while on the road a few weeks ago. I couldn’t believe the posturing and editorializing and reality show izing of the news and the anchors, and supposedly neutral experts they had on the shows.
And I am not talking about editorial perspective gas bags like Mr. Ed or Mornin’ Joe. Problem was, sometimes it was difficult to tell the difference between what was supposed to be straight news and the lousy reality infotainment shows.
And Mr. Ed is better than most in doing some research and presenting some useful facts periodically, but he is just such a irritating attitudinal gasbag, I lump him in with the rest.
That goes for the reporters and anchors posturing on both sides of the Trayvon Martin shooting, and the trivial and stupid Hillar Rosen flap. I would listen to what was supposed to be a news or reporting segment, and got almost no new info on anything.
Just embarrassing, hideous, worthless crud, hour after hour.
jl
@Alison:
” Chris Hayes’ and Melissa Harris-Perry’s ”
thanks, I will check them out.
KG
thanks all for the insight… I haven’t watched a Sunday show in over a decade, so I honestly had no idea. Sunday mornings are for football and sleep and hangovers.
Roger Moore
@eemom:
You have to do the actual study to prove something like this. It’s never enough to say, “It seems as if there are always more Republicans on the Sunday talk shows than Democrats.” You have to have actual numbers that show how big the difference is or everyone will just put it down to your bias.
Schlemizel
@KG:
No, the old excuse used to be “Well Republicans control the White House” I heard that back in the aughts.
catclub
@Omnes Omnibus: “Watch out, the world’s behind you”
Or as a famous, white, uptight, right wing guy* once said:
“Never look back, somebody might be gaining on you.”
*Not intended as factual statements.
flukebucket
It would be interesting to know exactly how many times John McCain has shown up on a Sunday TV talk show since losing the election.
But the fact that these programs are heavily populated by those on the right is no surprise to anybody who watch the shows and I assume that audience is primarily very old and very white.
Schlemizel
@flukebucket:
for the two years the Dems had the WH, the Sen and the House John McCain averaged 28 Sunday appearances a year.
Neither Gore nor Kerry had 5 appearances after losing
jl
@Schlemizel: Yes, and any Democratic caucus in Congress, whether it had any power or no power to affect legislation was repeatedly dismissed as just posturing, or getting in the way.
Contrast to now, when the Congressional GOP is important, very important, ’cause they can get their way even if it just blocking stuff, one way or another.
I have heard one or two questions about whether they were just posturing or engaging in symbolic politics, but at least the GOPpers got on the air to answer the questions.
catclub
Is there anything to the theory that the jackasses that are always available to go on TV, are more likely to be Republicans or jackass Democrats, or is it pure invitation bias and no one who is invited ever turns it down?
I remember some discussion of women being under-represented and it was partially a case of some women reps having a life outside of political appearances.
I think I lean to really unbalanced rolodexes of the people who book guests, but I can also imagine Jon tester having no patience for going on those shows. Or nancy pelosi actually not having time – because she gets other real work done. While John Boehner does not have that problem.
JPL
@flukebucket: It’s his home away from home. He has no where else to go. It’s kinda pitiful really.
General Stuck
deleted wrong thread
catclub
@Schlemizel: This was what I was talking about. I understood that Gore gave the impression he was uninterested in going on TV for 2 or 3 years after the 2000 election.
McCain lets them know he will say something outrageous every appearance.
catclub
@JPL: “It’s his home away from home.”
…away from _HOMES_.
schrodinger's cat
@JPL: How many homes does he really need?
David Koch
Meh.
Nobody watches these shows.
Seriously, on 10 O’Clock on a sunday morning, who’s watching tee vee, much less a show by boring geriatrics ?
Comrade Mary
@Omnes Omnibus: Fucking AWESOME title choice.
Now I’ll go back and actually read the post and comments.
gene108
What are the demographics of the folks, who watch these shows?
I think figuring out what advertisers are willing to pay to air ads on these shows does require the ability to target a specific audience, in my opinion.
If conservative old white guys are the primary demographic watching these shows, the networks will target those guys.
Liberals aren’t a big radio/T.V. consuming group or else Olbermann (back in the day), Maddow, et.al. at MSNBC and Air America Radio would’ve have/had ratings numbers that rival Fox News and Rush Limbaugh.
The MSNBC shows don’t outdraw Fox News and Air America Radio failed (among other things)to pick up the listeners needed to stay viable.
Until liberals learn to spend more time watching T.V. and listening to the radio, you shouldn’t expect to get better programming.
ruemara
@Alison: seconded. MHP is interrupting my morning walk habits with her awesomeness.
Chris
Duh. I’m 47 and I think of those shows as SOMETHING MY GRANDFATHER MIGHT HAVE WATCHED. I will never understand why liberal blogs pay so much attention to them. There must be about a hundred times as many people reading about those shows on the internet than there are actually watching them. Turn it off, for crying out loud.
Nethead Jay
O/T, but Levon Helm has died. Levon Helm, Drummer and Singer of the Band, Dead at 71
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Raven
Levon died.
Raven
Patterson Hood, the leader of the Drive-By Truckers, named one of his earlier groups “Virgil Kane” after the protagonist of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”
Raven
Up on Cripple Creek was always my favorite.
Omnes Omnibus
@Chris: Those shows still set the Villager agenda, and they establish the talking points for the next week.
Southern Beale
Atrios used to bring this up all the damn time. Back when Bush The Lesser was president their excuse was, “we have a Republican administration, that’s who is crafting policy, what do you expect?” Now that it’s a Democratic White House, the excuse is, “we need to rebut the Obama Administration.” Can’t win for losing (or winning).
Ash Can
Does anyone even watch any of that old crap anymore?
Ben Cisco
Sent Tapper a tweet asking him what the deal was with POTUS and Air Force One. He actually responded: http://chirpstory.com/li/6479
MobiusKlein
No Asian folks?
Nethead Jay
@Raven: Yeah, that’s a good one too.
Hewer of Wood, Drawer of Water
@Raven: The way he sang made you feel like you on his front porch listening to him tell stories. The River Hymn and When I Paint My Masterpiece are particular favourites
schrodinger's cat
Did anyone see Christian Amanpour when she was on? Was she any better than the mostly old mostly white guys that anchor the Sunday snoozefests?
Patricia Kayden
Sounds like I’m not missing anything by skipping the Sunday morning roundtables. I love “Up With Chris Hayes” and Melissa Harris-Perry’s show (both on MSNBC).
asiangrrlMN
So in this case, I truly am the one percent! Just, not in a good way.
@MobiusKlein: As usual, we fall in the ‘other’ category.
My post on the MHP show, in which I talk about this phenomenon, albeit tangentially.
MobiusKlein
@asiangrrlMN: Other, because there is only African American / White / Latino / Other.
No such thing as Tiger Woods, or half the kids at my kids’ school.
(or African Africans e.g. Desmond Tutu)
It’s like the other study about who talks about Global Warming. Can’t be the scientists – what do they know.
ETA: Black != African American.
SiubhanDuinne
@Nethead Jay:
@Raven:
Also too, can we have a moment of RIP for Jonathan Frid, whose death was just announced earlier today?
Dark Shadows!!
The prophet Nostradumbass
@Chris:
these shows aren’t aimed at us, out in the sticks. They’re really for the beltway insiders: lobbyists, members of congress and their staffs, reporters, etc. They’re all about setting the agenda and boundaries of acceptable debate in Washington. They don’t care if you or I watch them. Companies like Lockheed don’t advertise on them to get their brand in front of our eyes.
asiangrrlMN
@MobiusKlein: You got it. I used to get shit for saying Tiger Woods was Asian American, even though he is half Thai. I understand the societal norms and such, but damn it, we do fucking exist! ::throws someone off her lawn::
Omnes Omnibus
@asiangrrlMN: So do unicorns. Find me a virgin and we can catch one.
jonas
It’s a simple issue of marketing: the main audience for these Sunday morning shows is white men over 50, who skew overwhelmingly conservative. It’s the same old coots who hang out in my local barber shop muttering about the government taking over their Medicare and the teenagers with their “hippy-hopping” or whatever music who can’t figure out how to use a belt for their saggy pants. Producers know this, so they put mostly white men over 50 on the show, who also happen to be mostly GOP’ers. If they don’t, they get these geezers sending them a bunch of annoying letters and the makers of Centrum Silver threatening to pull their advertising.
So it’s back on the phone to McCain’s agent again seeing if he’s available…