WEBVTT - An Audience of One

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<v Speaker 1>Hi, I'm Carol Masser, and one of the feature stories

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<v Speaker 1>of the magazine this week is about one America news network,

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<v Speaker 1>which started broadcasting in has spiraled into a fire NATO

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<v Speaker 1>of MAGA friendly content since President Trump took office. The network,

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<v Speaker 1>which is attempting to outflank Fox News in catering to

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<v Speaker 1>the right well, has even clawed its way into the

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<v Speaker 1>White House briefing room, where the President regularly calls on

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<v Speaker 1>its reporters. Oh A N doesn't subscribe to Nielsen, so

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<v Speaker 1>data about its audience size is something of a mystery. Kagan,

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<v Speaker 1>the media research unit of S and P Global Market Intelligence,

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<v Speaker 1>says the network reaches twenty three point one million pay

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<v Speaker 1>TV subscribers. That's far fewer than news Max TV or

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<v Speaker 1>Fox News, but O E N has nevertheless more than

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<v Speaker 1>doubled its advertising revenue over the past two years to

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<v Speaker 1>an estimated thirteen point three million dollars. As the election looms,

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<v Speaker 1>O A N faces a crucial test cann of capitalize

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<v Speaker 1>on the next act of its beloved protagonist, whether it's

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<v Speaker 1>a second term or post presidency. Some industry observers have

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<v Speaker 1>even speculated that if Trump loses, he could acquire herring

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<v Speaker 1>Networks Incorporated. That's the little known company that owns O

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<v Speaker 1>a N and turned the channel into his own TV

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<v Speaker 1>network and the person who could determine whether O a

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<v Speaker 1>N capitalizes on a Trump free agency. While it's Robert Herring, Sr.

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<v Speaker 1>A largely unknown seventy nine year old former computer hardware entrepreneur.

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<v Speaker 1>An audience of one oh a N has positioned itself

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<v Speaker 1>as the Trump e ist channel on air and an

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<v Speaker 1>eventual home for the president win or lose by Felix

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<v Speaker 1>Gillette and Jerry Smith. Dan Ball, a host for One

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<v Speaker 1>America News Network, looked disgusted. It was Tuesday, September and

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<v Speaker 1>the first debate between President Trump and Joe Biden had

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<v Speaker 1>just ended. Across social media, people were criticizing the model

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<v Speaker 1>raider veteran Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, who had struggled

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<v Speaker 1>to control the proceedings. Now Ball wanted to take a

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<v Speaker 1>whack for O a N, a slavishly pro Trump cable

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<v Speaker 1>channel that's been positioning itself as more loyal to the

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<v Speaker 1>MAGA cause than Fox News. Ball pulled out a box

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<v Speaker 1>of tissues. I brought something with me for Chris Wallace.

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<v Speaker 1>He said, Chris should use that to get the brown

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<v Speaker 1>stuff off of his nose. For the next half hour,

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<v Speaker 1>oh a N's panel of analysts piled on Wallace. They

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<v Speaker 1>agreed had been incredibly favorable to Biden, failing to fact

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<v Speaker 1>check his falsehoods, parroting Democratic talking points, and letting him

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<v Speaker 1>interrupt an insult Trump. Still, the commentator said, Trump had

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<v Speaker 1>performed admirably. He had better points to make and more

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<v Speaker 1>specific facts. He was more natural on stage and stronger

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<v Speaker 1>on the economy, voting, fraud, taxes, crime, and the coronavirus.

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<v Speaker 1>By proxy, Fox News was the night's big loser. Ball

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<v Speaker 1>noted that a lot of people think Fox lean's right.

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<v Speaker 1>Not so much anymore. He said, you have an anchor

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<v Speaker 1>right there who was obviously favoring the Democratic candidate. Since

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<v Speaker 1>taking office, President Trump has ushered into Washington a baroque

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<v Speaker 1>procession of luci political operatives and odd ball supplicants, unlike

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<v Speaker 1>anything seen in prior administrations. In the news business, oh

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<v Speaker 1>A N has been the single most jarring rave East.

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<v Speaker 1>The network, which started broadcasting, has managed to claw its

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<v Speaker 1>way out of the cable news hinterland of San Diego

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<v Speaker 1>and into the White House briefing room. Trump regularly calls

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<v Speaker 1>on its reporters and touts it on Twitter, holding it

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<v Speaker 1>up as a worthy alternative to Fox. Oh a N

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't subscribe to Nielsen, so data about its audience size

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<v Speaker 1>is something of a mystery. Kagan, the media research unit

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<v Speaker 1>of SMP Global Market Intelligence, says the network reaches twenty

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<v Speaker 1>three point one million pay TV subscribers. That's far fewer

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<v Speaker 1>than Newsmax TV at fifty eight point two million or

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<v Speaker 1>Fox News at seventy eight point six million, but O

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<v Speaker 1>a N has nevertheless more than doubled its advertising revenue

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<v Speaker 1>over the past two years to an estimated thirteen point

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<v Speaker 1>three million dollars. The channel is brimming with ads from

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<v Speaker 1>companies hoping to sell things to Trump fans. On a

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<v Speaker 1>recent afternoon, it featured commercials for Henry Repeating Arms, a

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<v Speaker 1>shotgun and riflemaker, Trump Card, a documentary by conservative polemicist

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<v Speaker 1>Denish de Suza, and my Lean pc dot com, a

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<v Speaker 1>hard drive scrubbing service. Trump's affinity for the network is

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<v Speaker 1>proving to be its own kind of currency, albeit one

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<v Speaker 1>that might seem at risk of serious devaluation. As the

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<v Speaker 1>election looms. O a N faces a crucial test. Can

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<v Speaker 1>it capitalize on the next act of its beloved protagonist,

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<v Speaker 1>whether it's a second term or a post presidency. Some

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<v Speaker 1>industry observers have speculated that if Trump loses, he could

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<v Speaker 1>acquire Herring net Works, the little known company that owns

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<v Speaker 1>O a N, and turn the channel into his own

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<v Speaker 1>TV network, siphoning off die hard MAGA heads and Q

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<v Speaker 1>and On fanatics as Fox embraces whatever comes next from

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<v Speaker 1>the establishment GOP. While it might be impossible to outflank

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<v Speaker 1>primetime hosts Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson on the right,

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<v Speaker 1>Fox's daytime hours are filled with less partisan voices, potentially

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<v Speaker 1>leaving an opening. Fox News, even under Roger Ales, had

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<v Speaker 1>a track record of being very pro establishment, says Sam Nunberg,

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<v Speaker 1>a former Trump campaign adviser, A major syndicated network for

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<v Speaker 1>conservative news media would certainly have a tangible market to

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<v Speaker 1>compete against Fox during the daytime. The person who could

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<v Speaker 1>determine whether O a N capitalizes on a Trump free

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<v Speaker 1>agency is Robert Herring, Sr. A largely unknown seventy nine

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<v Speaker 1>year old former computer hardware entrepreneur. Herring didn't respond to

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<v Speaker 1>interview requests, but conversations with more than twenty past employees

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<v Speaker 1>paint him as an industrious, adaptive, paternalistic businessman who got

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<v Speaker 1>into TV largely to chronicle the inspirational opulence of the

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<v Speaker 1>unabashedly rich, and who, after a series of misfires, stumbled

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<v Speaker 1>into Trump. Herring is a person, they say, who likes

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<v Speaker 1>to trumpet expensive looking things as cheaply and loudly as possible.

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<v Speaker 1>A Trump yacht parade come to life. In courting the President,

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<v Speaker 1>Herring may hold one advantage over his bigger rivals. He's

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<v Speaker 1>built a private family business that operates with little of

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<v Speaker 1>the tiresome interference and quality controls typical of modern corporate

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<v Speaker 1>and newsroom governance. At Herring Networks, there are no meddling

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<v Speaker 1>board members, no second guessing investors, no hot shot executives,

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<v Speaker 1>and definitely no fealty to pious journalistic ideals. The company

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<v Speaker 1>is a fifedom designed to accommodate one man. Others might

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<v Speaker 1>be able to offer Trump more dollars or a bigger audience,

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<v Speaker 1>but Herring could give him something even more enticing, a

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<v Speaker 1>company that feels like home. I don't quite have the

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<v Speaker 1>money that Rupert Murdoch has, Harring once told the San

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<v Speaker 1>Diego Business Journal, but I can do more with less

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<v Speaker 1>than anybody in the world. In two thousand three, words

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<v Speaker 1>spread through San Diego's small TV industry. Some rich guy

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<v Speaker 1>was starting a new high definition network about upper crust lifestyles.

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<v Speaker 1>Job Seekers were summoned to a cavernous building along Interstate five,

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<v Speaker 1>where they met the visionary behind Wealth TV, a short,

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<v Speaker 1>spry man with dazzling white veneers and dyed brown hair.

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<v Speaker 1>Herring was born in Louisiana, but relocated with his family

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<v Speaker 1>to California when he was young. Forced to drop out

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<v Speaker 1>of school as a teenager, he built a fortune in

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<v Speaker 1>circuit boards, selling one company Industrial Circuits for sixty million

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<v Speaker 1>dollars and another, Herko Technology, for more than one hundred

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<v Speaker 1>million dollars. In two thousand He lived in a mega

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<v Speaker 1>mansion and owned a yacht. His employees called him Mr

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<v Speaker 1>h The idea for Wealth TV, he explained, back in

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<v Speaker 1>two thousand three, had come to him late at night

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<v Speaker 1>while flipping fitfully among cable channels. He'd always enjoyed the

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<v Speaker 1>show Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, the seminal nineties

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<v Speaker 1>celebration of materialism. He'd even gotten to know it's longtime host,

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<v Speaker 1>Robin Leach. I started thinking, what's this word wealth mean,

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<v Speaker 1>Mr H said in an early promo, It's not money.

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<v Speaker 1>I looked it up. It said an abundance of good.

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<v Speaker 1>That to me sounded like a fantastic name for a

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<v Speaker 1>TV station. Wealth TV was launched in June two thousand four,

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<v Speaker 1>with a staff largely made up of recent college graduates.

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<v Speaker 1>Mr H expected hires to write, produce, and star in

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<v Speaker 1>their own shows. He involved himself in every facet of

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<v Speaker 1>the business, generating ideas, reading scripts, and reviewing expense reports.

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<v Speaker 1>Before long, Wealth TVs programming reflected his past with series

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<v Speaker 1>about anti aging remedies and wellness, Wealth on Health, Sports, Cars,

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<v Speaker 1>Wealth on Wheels, Yachts, Wealth on the Water, and other

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<v Speaker 1>dow Dish playthings, boys toys. The house style was one

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<v Speaker 1>part Late American Empire, one part Monte Carlo Bender, a

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<v Speaker 1>former employee, recalls that everything on the network looked like

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<v Speaker 1>the lobby of a Trump hotel. Another describes the aesthetic

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<v Speaker 1>as women in bikinis throwing a football on the beach.

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<v Speaker 1>The network's brand logo was a ritzy w morphed into

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<v Speaker 1>the shape of a crown. At one point, Mr H

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<v Speaker 1>ordered up a half hour program on a dating service

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<v Speaker 1>called Siet Lana incorporated the business his employees soon learned

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<v Speaker 1>through which he'd met his young third wife. Its namesake,

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<v Speaker 1>siet Lana Novikova, was an entrepreneur who arranged dating tours

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<v Speaker 1>of Russia for successful American men. The TV program included

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<v Speaker 1>footage of a pool side soire at which a line

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<v Speaker 1>of women's stood smiling, their low cut dresses numbered for

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<v Speaker 1>easy identification. Men in slacks mingled nearby, assessing. Mr H

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<v Speaker 1>got his first taste of the conservative limelight in two

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<v Speaker 1>thousand five, during the legal battle over Terry Shivo, a

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<v Speaker 1>woman in a prolonged vegetative state. He publicly offered her

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<v Speaker 1>husband Michael, one million dollars to turn over guardianship to

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<v Speaker 1>Terry's parents, who disapproved of Michael's plan to take her

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<v Speaker 1>off life support. Shivo ignored him. Fox News did not.

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<v Speaker 1>This is a very very generous offer, sir, that I

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<v Speaker 1>think could save somebody's life, Hannedy said. At the time,

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<v Speaker 1>Mr H was losing a lot of money on Wealth TV.

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<v Speaker 1>Few major satellite or cable distributors were carrying it, and

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<v Speaker 1>executives told the San Diego Union Tribune in two thousand

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<v Speaker 1>six that the network had lost as much as sixty

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<v Speaker 1>million dollars. It may break me, to be honest about it,

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<v Speaker 1>Mr H told the paper. The mood at the studios

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<v Speaker 1>grew increasingly strained. Every Tuesday morning, Mr H would gather

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<v Speaker 1>production staff in the boardroom and ask each person what

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<v Speaker 1>they were working on. When he was in a good mood,

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<v Speaker 1>former staffers say the meetings could be pleasant, but when

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<v Speaker 1>the boss was feeling on edge, as was often the case,

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<v Speaker 1>he would tear into everyone, dropping what staffers began calling

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<v Speaker 1>H bombs. A lot of the behavior felt unprofessional, says

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<v Speaker 1>Stephen Alberts, a former Wealth TV producer. It seemed like

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<v Speaker 1>there was no accountability. The attitude was always, well, we're

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<v Speaker 1>a private company, we can do what we want. The

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<v Speaker 1>building's interior was outfitted with security cameras, the better to

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<v Speaker 1>spot workplace malingerers. Turnover was high, gallows, humor abundant. Mr

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<v Speaker 1>H frequently fired employees, often in front of their colleagues.

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<v Speaker 1>Former staffers say he also kept what he called a

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<v Speaker 1>traitor's list of those who had left him for competitors.

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<v Speaker 1>The Herring family was a source of much fascination among staff.

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<v Speaker 1>The younger son, Charles, the company's president, was tight lipped

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<v Speaker 1>and aloof around the employees. The older son, Bobby, who

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<v Speaker 1>oversaw many day to day operations, was regarded as the

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<v Speaker 1>warm one. He told staffers he'd been wild growing up

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<v Speaker 1>and had struck out on his own before becoming a

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<v Speaker 1>born again Christian and returning to the fold. Bobby gave

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<v Speaker 1>the impression that he worked extra hard to win his

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<v Speaker 1>father's approval, which wasn't always easy. Mr H frequently berated

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<v Speaker 1>him in front of others. Former employees say that for

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<v Speaker 1>a brief, uncomfortable spell, he disciplined his eldest son by

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<v Speaker 1>making him perform janitorial duties. Bobby didn't respond to interview requests.

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<v Speaker 1>In an emailed response to questions, Charles wrote that Bobby

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<v Speaker 1>plays perhaps the most important role at the company, overseeing

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<v Speaker 1>daily operations, and said it was untrue that his father

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<v Speaker 1>kept a trader's list. Disgruntled former employees that don't have

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<v Speaker 1>firsthand knowledge aren't the best sources, he wrote. In two

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<v Speaker 1>thousand eight, Mr H started his first daily news show,

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<v Speaker 1>Wealth International News, filling it mostly with repackaged wire service segments.

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<v Speaker 1>It was anchored by Graham Ledger, a tanned, muscular San

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<v Speaker 1>Diego newsman who had spent years at KFMB TV, the

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<v Speaker 1>local CBS affiliate. Ledger was known behind the scenes at

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<v Speaker 1>KFMB as a vocal conservative who would scour scripts for

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<v Speaker 1>signs of liberal bias. He didn't respond to interview requests.

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<v Speaker 1>Five years after his first foray into news, in the

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<v Speaker 1>spring of Mr H announced he was starting a competitor

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<v Speaker 1>to Fox News called One America News Network. O a N.

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<v Speaker 1>Began broadcasting that July four. The network's logo was an

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<v Speaker 1>eagle with wings outstretched. Talents descending the graphics were red,

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<v Speaker 1>white and blue. News programming continued to revolve around dutiful

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<v Speaker 1>setups of wire service segments, but now Mr H had

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<v Speaker 1>an opinion side too. Ledger moved there and began hosting

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<v Speaker 1>a show called The Daily Ledger, featuring his signature opening line,

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<v Speaker 1>stand by the doors to the newsroom are locked and

0:14:04.720 --> 0:14:08.120
<v Speaker 1>the PC police are not getting in. Oh a N.

0:14:08.280 --> 0:14:13.400
<v Speaker 1>Like Wealth TV, struggled to attract major cable distributors. Stafford

0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:17.760
<v Speaker 1>started calling the network One America snooze. In its efforts

0:14:17.800 --> 0:14:20.640
<v Speaker 1>to gain notice. O a N brought in Sarah Palin

0:14:20.760 --> 0:14:24.320
<v Speaker 1>for a guest hosting stint in the summer of At

0:14:24.360 --> 0:14:27.680
<v Speaker 1>one point she did an obsequious interview with candidate Trump

0:14:28.040 --> 0:14:31.360
<v Speaker 1>in which he praised his avant garde campaign and asked

0:14:31.440 --> 0:14:33.560
<v Speaker 1>him where he got his guts when it came to

0:14:33.560 --> 0:14:38.120
<v Speaker 1>schooling certain idiots in the mainstream media. Afterward, Charles Harring

0:14:38.160 --> 0:14:41.520
<v Speaker 1>told CNN he wanted to hire Palin but couldn't yet

0:14:41.520 --> 0:14:44.920
<v Speaker 1>afford what she is worth. Trump, on the other hand,

0:14:45.440 --> 0:14:49.720
<v Speaker 1>was endlessly jab owning for free the perfect budgetarian stylistic

0:14:49.760 --> 0:14:53.000
<v Speaker 1>fit for Mr. H. Soon O a N was gaining

0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:56.880
<v Speaker 1>notice on the campaign trail by airing Trump rallies unabridged.

0:14:57.400 --> 0:15:01.000
<v Speaker 1>Any Trump fan annoyed by the reality based political interjections

0:15:01.000 --> 0:15:08.440
<v Speaker 1>of Fox reporters now had a genuine alternative. Once Trump

0:15:08.480 --> 0:15:11.840
<v Speaker 1>gained office, O a N spiraled into a fire NATO

0:15:11.960 --> 0:15:16.600
<v Speaker 1>of MAGA friendly content. According to former employees, Mr H

0:15:16.680 --> 0:15:20.400
<v Speaker 1>involved himself deeply in the process, combing through right wing

0:15:20.400 --> 0:15:24.440
<v Speaker 1>websites for ideas and assigning stories. At some point he

0:15:24.560 --> 0:15:27.920
<v Speaker 1>dutifully performed the MAGA haj traveling to stay in the

0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:31.400
<v Speaker 1>Trump International Hotel, Washington, d C, which he was a

0:15:31.400 --> 0:15:34.680
<v Speaker 1>gas to find didn't subscribe to O A N. He

0:15:34.800 --> 0:15:39.600
<v Speaker 1>duly complained on Twitter in twenty eighteen, Jonathan Harris, a

0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:43.240
<v Speaker 1>former O A N producer, filed a discrimination and harassment

0:15:43.320 --> 0:15:46.920
<v Speaker 1>lawsuit against Harring, Networks and Ledger. According to the lawsuit,

0:15:47.240 --> 0:15:51.320
<v Speaker 1>Ledger would regularly berate, demean, and verbally abuse Harris over

0:15:51.360 --> 0:15:55.360
<v Speaker 1>his liberal politics and his perspectives as an African American male.

0:15:56.160 --> 0:15:58.920
<v Speaker 1>Harris claimed that when he filed a formal complaint about

0:15:59.000 --> 0:16:03.480
<v Speaker 1>Ledgers allegedly assist behavior, Harring grew angry and fired him.

0:16:03.520 --> 0:16:06.680
<v Speaker 1>In court documents, Herring and Ledger responded that the claims

0:16:06.680 --> 0:16:10.360
<v Speaker 1>were without merit, but in early twenty a jury found

0:16:10.360 --> 0:16:13.760
<v Speaker 1>in harris favor, awarding him one point one million dollars

0:16:13.760 --> 0:16:18.560
<v Speaker 1>in compensatory and punitive damages. Several months later, Ledger left

0:16:18.560 --> 0:16:23.760
<v Speaker 1>O A N ostensibly to spend more time with his podcast. Meanwhile,

0:16:23.880 --> 0:16:26.280
<v Speaker 1>the network was playing host to various members of the

0:16:26.280 --> 0:16:30.520
<v Speaker 1>Trump Demi Monde. Herring briefly hired former Trump campaign manager

0:16:30.600 --> 0:16:34.560
<v Speaker 1>Corey Lewandowski as a political commentator, and oh A N

0:16:34.640 --> 0:16:39.920
<v Speaker 1>aired several documentaries and specials involving Trump associates, including Carter Page,

0:16:40.040 --> 0:16:44.360
<v Speaker 1>Steve Bannon, Michael Capputo, and Rudy Giuliani. The multi part

0:16:44.440 --> 0:16:48.960
<v Speaker 1>series featuring Giuliani aired during Trump's impeachment hearings, advancing the

0:16:48.960 --> 0:16:53.080
<v Speaker 1>false notion that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the U

0:16:53.200 --> 0:16:57.560
<v Speaker 1>S presidential election, and on Hillary Clinton's not Trump's behalf.

0:16:58.560 --> 0:17:01.680
<v Speaker 1>Over time, the line betwe the networks, commentators and news

0:17:01.680 --> 0:17:07.000
<v Speaker 1>reporters all but disappeared. In OIAN hired Shanelle Ryan, a

0:17:07.040 --> 0:17:12.440
<v Speaker 1>conservative illustrator, President Trump's most stalwart graphic warrior against leftism,

0:17:12.440 --> 0:17:16.760
<v Speaker 1>for her website as its White House correspondent. She since

0:17:16.800 --> 0:17:21.000
<v Speaker 1>emerged as the defiant, maskless face of the network's pandemic coverage,

0:17:21.400 --> 0:17:25.400
<v Speaker 1>tangling over COVID safety protocols with the White House Correspondents Association,

0:17:25.840 --> 0:17:28.960
<v Speaker 1>promoting the conspiracy theory that the coronavirus was created in

0:17:28.960 --> 0:17:33.399
<v Speaker 1>a North Carolina lab, and posing some memorably bizarre questions.

0:17:34.040 --> 0:17:37.240
<v Speaker 1>Is it alarming that major media players, just to oppose

0:17:37.320 --> 0:17:41.520
<v Speaker 1>you are siding with foreign state propaganda, Islamic radicals and

0:17:41.600 --> 0:17:46.040
<v Speaker 1>Latin gangs and cartels, she asked Trump in March. Ryan

0:17:46.280 --> 0:17:50.159
<v Speaker 1>didn't respond to an interview request. All the while, O

0:17:50.320 --> 0:17:54.439
<v Speaker 1>a N's reputation grew stronger among hardcore Trump fans and

0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:58.119
<v Speaker 1>the people hoping to profit from them. In January, the

0:17:58.119 --> 0:18:02.040
<v Speaker 1>Wall Street Journal reported that Hick Equity Partners, an investment

0:18:02.040 --> 0:18:04.720
<v Speaker 1>firm based in Dallas, was trying to assemble a bit

0:18:04.800 --> 0:18:07.560
<v Speaker 1>of roughly two d and fifty million dollars to acquire

0:18:07.600 --> 0:18:11.680
<v Speaker 1>Herring Networks. Even by Trump era standards, the deal had

0:18:11.720 --> 0:18:15.600
<v Speaker 1>the air of a nepotistic feeding frenzy. According to the journal,

0:18:15.920 --> 0:18:19.360
<v Speaker 1>Thomas Hicks Jr. Son of the firm's super wealthy founder,

0:18:19.720 --> 0:18:22.760
<v Speaker 1>is friends with Donald Trump Jr. Son of the President,

0:18:23.320 --> 0:18:26.800
<v Speaker 1>and was being backed by Doug Deson, son of billionaire

0:18:26.880 --> 0:18:32.119
<v Speaker 1>Darwin Deeson. With the political season in full swing, expressed

0:18:32.160 --> 0:18:35.680
<v Speaker 1>interest is on the rise, Charles Harring told the journal, Yet,

0:18:35.680 --> 0:18:38.879
<v Speaker 1>our family didn't build our operations to sell it. A

0:18:38.920 --> 0:18:43.520
<v Speaker 1>representative for Hicks Equity Partners declined to comment. Deeson didn't

0:18:43.520 --> 0:18:47.240
<v Speaker 1>respond to an interview request. If Trump wins O a

0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:50.240
<v Speaker 1>N would appear well positioned to capitalize further on its

0:18:50.280 --> 0:18:54.760
<v Speaker 1>relationship with the president. Herring Networks, Inc. Is profitable, has

0:18:54.840 --> 0:18:57.880
<v Speaker 1>no debt, and is growing, Charles Herring wrote to Bloomberg

0:18:57.960 --> 0:19:01.119
<v Speaker 1>Business Week, adding that Undy is expected to be a

0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:04.320
<v Speaker 1>strong year for the company, with record top and bottom

0:19:04.320 --> 0:19:07.800
<v Speaker 1>line results, driven by increases in ad sales and digital

0:19:07.840 --> 0:19:12.560
<v Speaker 1>deployments across numerous platforms. Even so, it faces a daunting

0:19:12.600 --> 0:19:17.120
<v Speaker 1>set of challenges. The cable industry is rapidly contracting. Many

0:19:17.200 --> 0:19:20.440
<v Speaker 1>beloved brands are losing large chunks of their audiences to

0:19:20.600 --> 0:19:25.679
<v Speaker 1>streaming competitors, and unlike say Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns

0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:29.160
<v Speaker 1>or operates nearly two hundred broadcast TV stations, it can

0:19:29.200 --> 0:19:33.520
<v Speaker 1>inject with conservative views, mr H is dependent on satellite

0:19:33.520 --> 0:19:37.600
<v Speaker 1>and cable TV providers. In recent years, those companies have

0:19:37.680 --> 0:19:41.000
<v Speaker 1>been trimming away under performing channels to keep costs down.

0:19:42.000 --> 0:19:44.760
<v Speaker 1>Oh A NDS frequent pleas to viewers to badger one

0:19:44.800 --> 0:19:47.760
<v Speaker 1>cable company or another to pick it up haven't helped

0:19:47.760 --> 0:19:51.480
<v Speaker 1>it get carriage from several of the giant pay TV providers,

0:19:51.520 --> 0:19:56.600
<v Speaker 1>notably Comcast, Charter Communications, and Dish Network, and its largest

0:19:56.600 --> 0:19:59.960
<v Speaker 1>distributor A T and T s Direct Tv is swift

0:20:00.200 --> 0:20:04.600
<v Speaker 1>losing customers. Herring Networks does own a boutique streaming service

0:20:04.640 --> 0:20:08.800
<v Speaker 1>called cloud Tv, but it currently provides subscribers with access

0:20:08.800 --> 0:20:11.840
<v Speaker 1>only to a range of lesser known outlets, including O

0:20:12.040 --> 0:20:16.040
<v Speaker 1>A N A w E A Wealth of Entertainment, the

0:20:16.080 --> 0:20:20.200
<v Speaker 1>rebranded name of Wealth TV, the Nautical Channel, INFO Wars

0:20:20.320 --> 0:20:24.960
<v Speaker 1>and horse TV. Ultimately, oh a N's best bet for

0:20:25.000 --> 0:20:29.000
<v Speaker 1>winning wider distribution may depend on positioning itself around Trump's

0:20:29.040 --> 0:20:33.479
<v Speaker 1>next act. John Klein, a former president of CNN US

0:20:33.960 --> 0:20:37.040
<v Speaker 1>and current co chairman of the streaming company tap Media,

0:20:37.560 --> 0:20:40.560
<v Speaker 1>points out that plenty of conservative consumers are still up

0:20:40.560 --> 0:20:44.600
<v Speaker 1>for grabs. Just as political constituencies can splinter and reform

0:20:44.640 --> 0:20:49.080
<v Speaker 1>around new candidates, so can TV audiences. You shouldn't assume

0:20:49.119 --> 0:20:52.960
<v Speaker 1>the conservative audience is a monolith, he says. Years ago,

0:20:53.160 --> 0:20:56.679
<v Speaker 1>Klein remembers when he was helping Palin launch a streaming channel.

0:20:56.960 --> 0:20:59.720
<v Speaker 1>He reached out to Ales, then the head of Fox News,

0:21:00.000 --> 0:21:03.600
<v Speaker 1>where Palin was a contributor. Ales was very concerned about

0:21:03.640 --> 0:21:07.480
<v Speaker 1>being outflanked on the right, Klein recalls, he said, as

0:21:07.520 --> 0:21:09.240
<v Speaker 1>long as you don't try to build a network to

0:21:09.280 --> 0:21:12.000
<v Speaker 1>the right of me, I'm fine. If you do, I'm

0:21:12.040 --> 0:21:15.399
<v Speaker 1>going to have to kill you. Ultimately, the Sarah Palin

0:21:15.480 --> 0:21:19.000
<v Speaker 1>channel came and went as fast as her national political career.

0:21:19.600 --> 0:21:22.919
<v Speaker 1>The Trump Show, by contrast, seems unlikely to fade so

0:21:23.000 --> 0:21:26.520
<v Speaker 1>quickly to static. In May, during an appearance on O

0:21:26.680 --> 0:21:29.439
<v Speaker 1>a N, Mr h said the network is preparing to

0:21:29.480 --> 0:21:33.000
<v Speaker 1>expand and hire more people. Criticism of its reporting in

0:21:33.000 --> 0:21:36.199
<v Speaker 1>the mainstream media, he averred, was a welcome sign of

0:21:36.200 --> 0:21:39.440
<v Speaker 1>its growing stature. I kind of enjoy it, he said.

0:21:40.000 --> 0:21:43.000
<v Speaker 1>What it really means is that we're making progress. They're

0:21:43.000 --> 0:21:45.760
<v Speaker 1>worried that we're coming up. There's a lot of reporters

0:21:45.760 --> 0:21:47.840
<v Speaker 1>out there that should spend more time really doing what

0:21:47.880 --> 0:21:51.199
<v Speaker 1>our kids do, doing research and everything and trying to

0:21:51.240 --> 0:21:54.159
<v Speaker 1>put out real news. And that's one of our feature

0:21:54.200 --> 0:21:56.840
<v Speaker 1>stories this week by Felix to Let, media editor at

0:21:56.840 --> 0:21:59.960
<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Business Week. It is on the Trump loving network

0:22:00.119 --> 0:22:03.080
<v Speaker 1>that has the potential to become his fallback plan. That

0:22:03.240 --> 0:22:07.200
<v Speaker 1>story and more in Bloomberg Business Week. It's on newsstands,

0:22:07.240 --> 0:22:09.919
<v Speaker 1>it's on the Bloomberg and it's also online at Bloomberg

0:22:09.960 --> 0:22:12.520
<v Speaker 1>dot com. Be sure also to check out Bloomberg Business

0:22:12.560 --> 0:22:16.119
<v Speaker 1>Week Radio on Bloomberg Radio that's Monday through Friday at

0:22:16.119 --> 0:22:18.680
<v Speaker 1>two pm Wall Street Time, also on YouTube, Just search

0:22:18.720 --> 0:22:22.439
<v Speaker 1>on Bloomberg Global News, and also follow a podcast on

0:22:22.560 --> 0:22:26.440
<v Speaker 1>Apple and at Bloomberg dot Com. I'm Carol Masser. Join

0:22:26.520 --> 0:22:30.000
<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Live on October twenty nine for the latest installment

0:22:30.040 --> 0:22:34.480
<v Speaker 1>of invest Talks featuring Henry Kravis tapping into the expertise

0:22:34.480 --> 0:22:38.160
<v Speaker 1>of the global investment firm KKRS co chairman and CEO.

0:22:38.480 --> 0:22:42.000
<v Speaker 1>This conversation will cover topics ranging from the outlook for

0:22:42.080 --> 0:22:45.720
<v Speaker 1>markets and US China policy, to diversity on Wall Street

0:22:45.840 --> 0:22:49.160
<v Speaker 1>and leading through COVID. Join us on October twenty nine

0:22:49.240 --> 0:22:52.159
<v Speaker 1>to hear what's on the horizon for the global economy.

0:22:52.280 --> 0:22:55.919
<v Speaker 1>Register now at Bloomberg Live dot com slash invest Talks