Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 04:59 pm
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have managed to completely freak out Fox News as evidenced on Fox and Friends this morning, when the network had its propaganda crew claiming that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s rally won’t outdraw Glenn Beck’s. Brian Kilmeande asked, “How can you possibly outdraw Glenn Beck?”
Here is the video courtesy of Media Matters:
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After playing a clip of Stewart on O’Reilly last night, host Steve Doocy said, “Ok and Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are going to have a big rally in our nation’s capitol, at the end of October and when asked last night on the O’Reilly’s show whether or not they have a permit or something like that, Jon Stewart said probably not.” Brian Kilmeade then delivered the Foxaganda, “I believe they do, and they are heavily on the line on this, but can you possibly outdraw Glenn Beck? They are putting themselves totally out there.” Gretchen Carlson chimed in with, “That’s what we were discussing yesterday. I don’t know if it’s a such a smart P.R. move, but you never know how many people will show up. Lots of people watch their shows.”
Here is why Fox News is so worried about the Stewart/Colbert rally. Stewart and Colbert average 2.2 million viewers a night each. which is more than what Glenn Beck averages on Fox News. Here are some other ratings numbers courtesy of Comedy Central via the Stephen Colbert fan site, No Fact Zone, “Most-watched and highest-rated summer ever among Total Viewers (P2+), Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34, Men 18-34 and Men 18-24. Most-watched late night talk shows with Adults 18-34, Men 18-34 and Men 18-24. Vs. last summer, ratings for “The Daily Show” were up +10% among Adults 18-49, +22% among Adults 18-34, up +20% among Men 18-34 and up +15% among Men 18-24. Viewership grew +9% to 2.2 million Total Viewers (P2+).”
That’s right folks, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have more viewers than Beck, and they are younger, and more willing to attend a rally, but Fox News is out there pushing the spin that it would be impossible for Colbert and Stewart to outdraw Beck. Beck’s rally only attracted 87,000-100,000+ people, and this is with the support of Fox News and people being bused in for free by Freedom Works. Combine Stewart and Colbert’s younger demographic along with the fact that this is a comedy rally, and entertainment has a much broader appeal than fringe political rallies, and it is not only possible that Stewart and Colbert outdraw Beck. It is a virtual certainty.
Fox News knows that if Stewart/Colbert outdraw Beck it is not only an embarrassment for them, but it also damages their delusional narrative about the Tea Party being some mass popular grassroots movement. If Jon Stewart manages to pull more moderates for a rally about toning it down, than Beck and Fox can pull for their Teabagger jihads, the Tea Party will look like the angry little fringe group that they are. Brian Kilmeade had it all wrong. Stewart and Colbert have nothing on the line. They are comedians, but Fox News is looking at a massive humiliation coming their way on October 30th. This is why they are preemptively trying to diminish and spin the Stewart/Colbert rally away.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
