The Evening Paper - Media, Culture and the Modern Condition

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James Brown on the Netflix show Inventing Anna as allegory for voting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maury Povich's daytime talk show will end after three decades. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another dark day for one of the largest newspaper publishers in the country.   Alden Global Capital is buying Tribune …… a publishing company whose papers include The Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, The Orlando Sentinel, The New York Daily News, among others.    The deal is valued at six hundred thirty million dollars   Why all the gloom? It's because of who the buyer is. The hedge fund's nickname is the destroyer of newspapers. And last year Vanity Fair called Alden the “hedge fund vampire that bleeds newspapers dry.” CNN recently called it a “corporate strip miner”   Alden owns about 200 newspapers and often slashes newsroom budgets typically by cutting crucial reporters and editors.   And they've been aggressively expanding. In the last two years, the hedge fund attempted —— and failed to buy America's largest newspaper chain, Gannett, and the McClatchy chain   A post on News Guild dot org… the largest newspaper labor group…. calls the sale —- “a short-sighted view of the value of the company, and an utter disregard for the value of quality news coverage.”   CNN quotes Alden's president Heath Freeman who says that's not so...   "The purchase of Tribune reaffirms our commitment to the newspaper industry, and our focus on getting publications to a place where they can operate sustainably over the long term."   And if Alden's playbook for what it calls long teen success is the same... waves of layoffs are to come. Employees and former employees of alden newspapers say those layoffs happen at twice the rate of other newspapers. And the company gains twice the profit … of course.    All this speeds up the slow death of local papers in communities across the country.   A blow that tough to calculate until it's gone and rarely replaced.   I'm James Brown and I good you bid night Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  Baseball Fans don't have a strong opinion on expanding its postseason.   26 percent of fans told the morning consult that they want to keep this year's 16 team format. the league expanded their format because the regular season was shortened by labor strife abd the covid-19 pandemic   28 percent of fans that they wanna return to its typical ten team structure. They've had it since 2012.   More than a third of fans say they have no opinion on it.    Commissioner Rob Manfred and media partner ESPN have expressed interest in keeping a larger playoff field.  But Manfred says he doesn't expect to keep 16 teams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nintendo Switch has surged during the pandemic.     The company said it expects to sell 24 million of them by March 2021, up from a forecast of 19 million. Nintendo also hiked its operating profit forecast by 50% to $4.3 billion.   A CNBC report says a new version of Animal Crossing brought new consumers to the Switch in its fourth year.    Sony and Microsoft will release next-generation consoles next week, adding to competition for the Switch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pokemon Go has some staying power, this according to the Morning Brew   So far this year, players have spent about $1 billion in the app, that's a 20% increase over the year it debuted.   Players in the US account for the biggest share of the app's lifetime revenue and downloads and they've installed on 109 million devices.   Japan and Germany are the app's second and third largest markets Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  More than a third of all YouTube views are on tvs, that up from a little over a quarter this time last year.    Collab, a network of around 300 youtube channels noticed the trend.   “What we have is a generation of consumers who have been trained to think of YouTube as a TV solution,” said Dave Rosner, a Collab executive     A Digiday article says the average view time in tv is longer too. 7 minutes versus 3 three and a half minutes for mobile and almost 6 minutes on desktops and laptops. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A recent lawsuit makes me long for the days yore—-back when i bought cassettes—- and yes i mean cassettes—and  cds—— dvds—- and more—-from record stores and yes even Amazon.com why the trip down memory lane—-  Well Amazon admitted in a response to a recent lawsuit that any digital content purchased on site can be erased at any time.  for any reason. it's in their terms of service.  a customer of amazon's prime video service claims the company—— misleads—- consumers into thinking they actually own movies and tv shows and videos they bought on it service. today—- we don't own much content that buy online in fact we rent everything from netflix and disney plus——to spotify and apple music—- to microsoft office and adobe's creative suite—— as PC magazine described Amazon's process— “the content you purchased will be available until it isn't anymore. That means it could remain attached to your account for years to come, or disappear in a few months if licensing terms change.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 jon stewart signed a deal with apple tv. stewart agrees to come back to TV in a much different world for comedy commentary—- than the one he left in 2015. back then he was a mainstream yet novel voice in the space——  grabbing good viewership numbers and outsized acclaim for his work—-  for more than a decade—- today—- his protégés— stephen colbert— john oliver—- samantha bee— and their less successful brethren have duplicated elements of his formula as has most of late night tv.  headlines are written about what these hosts think about politics.  many expect them to address hot button issues political issues daily—- often without a shred of funny the novelty is gone—  as is the appeal of a self proclaimed fake newsman—— even that phrase means something very different than it did a half decade ago—- also gone is most of the power of cable tv.  viewers have fled to streaming platforms like netflix—— disney plus—— youtube and parts unknown—- hence stewart's shrewd move—- joining apple's overpaid—- little watched— roster of shows.. stewart like fellow returning—- cable tv mainstay keith Olbermann, finds themselves rebuilding in a world that overgrew their thrones.  And I'm betting on Olbermann on YouTube more than Stewart on an obscure streaming network. the barrier for entry is too high for stewart and he'll likely get lost in the shuffle... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Universal Music is introducing a line of Music-Based Experiential' Hotels — potentially competing with music venues.  According to digital music news The establishments will reflect local culture, history, and music, “promoting positive social change, education and innovation” through their guest experiences and operations. They will open in Atlanta , Biloxi, and Orlando, with more locations “to come.” The hotels could host universal music artists like Taylor Swift, Kanye West, and Billie Eilish. The locations could lead the label profiting off of all in one concert and accommodation passes for concerts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rush Limbaugh is battling stage 4 lung cancer. The 69-year-old was diagnosed with lung cancer in February. He told his listeners that he's had a setback. Limbaugh said his doctors changed his medications in "hopes of keeping additional progression at bay for as long as possible." Prior to this week's update, he said that cancer "had been reduced, and it had become manageable." Limbaugh has been hosting "The Rush Limbaugh Show" in national syndication for more than 30 years. CNN says Limbaugh renewed his contact with the syndication company Premiere Radio Networks in January. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The XFL will be back in 2021...That's what the Rock says. The Rock and other investors bought the league from Vince McMahon after the football league went into bankruptcy earlier this year.  They paid $15 million for it. ESPN and ABC televised the league that collapsed after just five games. It was a combination of bad timing: Covid-19 stopped all sports in the spring and poor management. Many former coaches and league employees are listed as creditors in the bankruptcy proceedings most prominently Oliver Luck who ran the league. He's suing McMahon for wrongful termination. Luck is asking for nearly $24 million. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The long-running show  was canceled in the US by Paramount Network in the aftermath of George Floyd's death. But the thirty one year old show remains a hit world wide. So Cops crews started filming again in September. This time in Spokane Washington and they are expected to continue into November. Cops premiered on Fox in 1989 where it aired for 25 seasons. The show was resurrected in 2013 by Spike TV which became the paramount network.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An NBC owned station in the bay area wants residents to binge watch local investigative news. Its first series is called Derailed and its in its second season. The show focuses on Bay Area transit data, policing, and finances and how it impacts that community. The Cronkite school of journalism blog says episodes are between 4 and 15 minutes long and stream on NBCBayArea.com, YouTube, and Apple TV and more than 300 thousand people have streamed it so far. The first season also aired tv as a one hour special. The same is expected for this season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apple bought a startup that makes listening to podcasts more like listening to a radio station. Bloomberg says Scout FM creates podcast stations on various topics like Spotify and apple music create stations based on songs and is already popular among apple users. it also worked with Android devices and Amazon's Alexa. Apple  shut down the app after the purchase. The iPhone maker was one of the first technology players to popularize podcasting 15 years ago. It has since slowly added new features to its Podcast app across nearly all of its devices. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Text message based news is one of media's newest experiments. One of the most successful attempts is The New Paper which is based in Indiana. it's been around only six months and curates and summarizes the day's top stories into one daily text message. What's new in Publishing reports that the service has over 7000 paid subscribers and projects $400,000 dollars in annual revenue. The company charges five dollars a month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new poll of live music bosses says they're hopeful gigs will be back sometime next year. Concerts have been scaled back and most cases eliminated by COVID-19. Digital Music News says more than half of the execs think concerts  “will return to full capacity in 2021.” About a third of the bosses think it'll take another year. 15 percent have no idea. The largest concert ticket company, Live Nation, expects concerts and festivals to return “at scale” next summer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

iHeartMedia has added regular national, regional and local sports breaks to its 500+ radio stations, most of which are not sports focused. This is according to Sports Business Daily.  Sports personalities like Cris Collinsworth, Colin Cowherd, Dan Patrick and Joy Taylor are expected to appear on non-sports radio stations as well.  The move is part of iHeartMedia's launch of the iHeartSports Network. The company cites a study that said 83% of sports fans want daily updates and a Nielsen stat that says 89% of sports fans listen to the radio every week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  Pre-pandemic, 60% of parents said their children spent no more than three hours on devices. Now, 70% estimate their kids spend at least four hours with screens. Games are a popular source of entertainment for children, with 70% of parents overall saying their kids interact with that type of content while on their devices. YouTube was the most popular entertainment platform among children of all ages, with 62% of parents saying their children use the video platform. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Covid-19 is making people wary of going to theaters. The morning consult polled 14,000 Americans on  how they feel about going to movie theaters.  Only 18 percent of them said they were likely to go to the movies in September, while 23 percent said they were likely to go sometime this year.  Nearly a third of the people who said they were uncomfortable going to a movie in September said being able to rent a theater for personal use would make them more likely to go. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob and Michele Reiner are reviving Castle Rock Entertainment with the help of Warner Bros TV. Castle Rock is a familiar name for TV and movie fans in the 80s and 90s. They're Best known for When Harry Met Sally…, A Few Good Men,, Miss Congeniality and The Shawshank Redemption and more than 100 other films. It was also the producer of one of the most successful TV shows ever… Seinfeld.  The Reiners tell Deadline dot com that they have about a dozen projects in the hopper including half-hour comedies, dramas, political and period shows. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About a year after leaving Fox News Sheppard Smith is back on TV. He begins a nightly newscast Wednesday at 7 p.m. on CNBC. Smith will work out of a new studio that's been built for him at CNBC's New Jersey headquarters says the Associated Press. He replaces reruns of Shark Tank averaging 150,000 viewers and admits that It's not an easy thing to start from scratch”  There's really no other place to go but up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A recent survey says the gulf between Emmy nominated shows and America's favorite show is pretty big. Roughly 10% of U.S. adults named “NCIS,” “Yellowstone” or “This Is Us” as the best TV show so says the morning consult.  68 of more than 16-hundred surveys called “NCIS” the best program that aired new episodes in the past year. Just three surveys said “Watchmen,” the most nominated program of the year was their favorite. Seven of the top 10 programs named in the survey aired on broadcast television or ad-supported cable, though just two of the 10 programs that received the most Emmy nominations — “Saturday Night Live” and “Schitt's Creek” — can say the same. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Axios is doing something rare for news in 2020: making money. The Wall Street Journal says that Axios is expected to make  nearly 60 million dollars this year up 30% from last year. And they are expanding CNN says they plan to create morning newsletters for local markets including Denver, Des Moines, Minneapolis and Tampa." Why those cities? People are already reading Axios there and they say there's a good talent base in those cities. Population, demographics and economy are all said to also play a role. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Regal cinemas is closing its theaters temporarily. This after the latest James Bond Film was pushed to spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 500 locations will be impacted. Regal, the second largest movie theater chain in the US, reported a one point six billion dollar loss in the first half of 2020. And they say they need to raise more money to survive prolonged shutdowns.   The National Association of Theatre owners warns that “If the status quo continues nearly 70 percent of small and midsize movie theater companies will be forced to file for bankruptcy or to close permanently.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 Legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen is dead. He was 65. His son said his father died of a "long and arduous battle with cancer."  Eddie's group Van Halen is one of the biggest groups of all time. It's largest album 1984 propelled them to decades of stadium rock stardom. hits like Jump, Dance the Night Away, and my personal favorite Right now  He was 65 ***** Howard Stern is getting a big raise.   Stern's contract with Sirius XM expires at the end of December, and Bloomberg says the new deal is expected to reach 120 million.  Sirius XM CEO Jim Meyer told CNBC earlier this year that resigning him was a top priority  More than 34 million people pay for a subscription to Sirius, which offers more than 150 channels of live sports, music, talk and comedy. Meyer says another 65 million listeners use the company's recently acquired pandora service.  The company generated $7.8 billion in sales last year and nearly $1 billion in profit. He's been with the company since 2005. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Megyn Kelly is a podcaster. Kelly became a star on Fox News and flopped when she joined NBC three years ago. Now The Wall Street Journal says she's funding her own venture which means complete independence. “I've been controlled by other people for too long,” Ms. Kelly said. “I don't think I was meant to have a boss.” Kelly has been out of the spotlight for much of the last two years aside from a few talk show appearances  Kelly said podcasting offers the chance to tackle any issue in a way she hopes will be respectful, if at times irreverent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Digiday recently reported that Discovery Networks is launching its own. streaming service early next year. Discovery plus has been trademarked. They will offer ad free and ad supported versions and no cost has been made public yet. Discovery's core cable tv is thriving during the pandemic. In August 2020, Discovery Networks include HGTV, TLC, Food Network, the Discovery Channel and Investigation Discovery all ranked in top 14 cable networks in primetime. While most TV production studios were closed, several Discovery networks were able to produce quarantine specific, stay-at-home programs which are credited with some of its success. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Skip Bayless has resigned with Fox Sports, sources tell Front Office Sports. His contract was up at the end of September. Bayless is expected to get a slight raise on his $6 million annual salary in a new contract extension. Bayless was said to consider reuniting with his former TV partner Stephen A. Smith at ESPN's “First Take.” Both have said they miss working with each other. But that will have to wait. Smith resigned with ESPN last year and is widely reported to be the highest paid employee there. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wondery Podcasts is up for sale. A Bbloomberg report says it could fetch upwards of $200 million. The company's revenue is up 75% year to year and reaches $9 million people a month.  The network features hit podcasts Dr. Death and Dirty John. Several of its shows are said to be in development into tv series. Record labels, streaming services and TV networks are all looking for podcasts producers to invest in. Most prominently Spotify: who spent hundreds of millions of dollars on podcast companies Gimlet Media, the Ringer, Parcast and licensing the Joe Rogan Experience. SiriusXM and IHeartMedia are also in the market for podcast buyers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Variety's Penske Media Corporation will take over operations of The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard and Vibe so says an article from The Wrap.. The joint venture comes amid financial struggles for trades magazines, particularly The Hollywood Reporter.  Numerous cuts this spring are not enough to stop the need to cut “$9-$10 million dollars.” The cuts include fewer print editions. Even before the pandemic, The Wrap says the Hollywood Reporter has been losing revenue for more than a decade. The report says its worst years had losses as high as 30 million. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fox is willing to spend as much as $2 billion a year to keep the NFL. That's a big increase from it's current deal for Sunday afternoon games. It also airs games on Thursday nights. A Bloomberg report says that Fox is in for a fight with ESPN/ABC who wants to expand its coverage one way or another.  Under one scenario, Disney would buy Fox's Thursday games and air them on ABC, while keeping “Monday Night Football” on ESPN. There's also rumors of simulcasting the games on both ABC and ESPN.  The move would almost certainly get Disney back in the super bowl rotation. ABC hasn't aired a super bowl since 2006. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Roku's stock hit an all time high as result of deal with  NBCUniversal.  The deal will keep NBC News, NBC Sports, E!, Bravo and the rest of NBCUniversal's apps on Roku while adding Peacock, the new NBCU streaming service that Roku had up until now been unwilling to carry According to the Motley Fool the agreement came down to agreeing to share ad money in exchange for access to Roku's 43 million active accounts. AT&T and Amazon have had similar disagreements.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Major League Baseball and TBS are extending their tv and digital partnership. During the new agreement TBS will air more games than any other network, including a weekly Tuesday night game will air on TBS, and the digital rights for Bleacher Report and other WarnerMedia platforms will be expanded. Baseball agreed to keep the world series on Fox long term last year. Negotiations with ESPN about renewing that network's deal with baseball beyond next year are ongoing.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spotify continues to invest in moonshots. A report in the verge says Spotify wants to turn more of its original podcasts into TV shows and movies The company is partnering with Chernin Entertainment, to develop TV and movie pitches based on Spotify-exclusive IP and original podcasts.  Spotify says its library now consists of more than 250 original shows including those produced by The Ringer and Gimlet media.. Chernin Entertainment has produced the Fox sitcom  The New Girl as well as “Hidden Figures,” “Ford v Ferrari” and “The Greatest Showman” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Microsoft just bought ZeniMax for $7.5 billion dollars.  ZeniMax is responsible for games like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Quake and Doom improving and expanding the quality of Microsoft's XBOX catalog of games.  Microsoft's leaders say they will consider buying more video game companies in the future NBC News's Dylan Byers says Microsoft will use its new titles to draw subscribers to Xbox Game Pass. Game Pass now has 15 million subscribers, up from 10 million in April. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NBC Universal thinks some of its cable channels like E or SyFy won't last in a streaming world… so says the wall street journal Sources tell the journal that NBC thinks the future looks like Netflix. “Consumers will increasingly choose shows directly” with little regard for traditional schedulers or gatekeepers NBC's cable boss Jeff Shell "is centralizing decision-making and dramatically slimming down the cable unit,"  “Top executives are getting squeezed out.” says the article… “and more job cuts are expected.” The company's focus is squarely on Peacock, their new streaming platform, "which had 15 million sign-ups as of last week." On that note, I'm James Brown and I good you bid night Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In what appears to be God has started a 50-50 venture black themed podcast venture with the company. A variety report says the black effect podcast network wants to be the industry's biggest podcast publisher dedicated to Black voices and listeners. Existing shows “All The Smoke,” “Drink Champs”, and “The 85 South Show” are joining the network.  Charlemagne who is a key component of iheart media's syndicated breakfast club radio show's contract is up later this year. He says he has not yet committed to return.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amazon Music is now distributing podcasts..  A Wall Street Journal report says Amazon Music and Audible's podcasting efforts will remain separate for now.. And in a note highlighted by Nick Quah's Hot pod newsletter, the goal appears to be centered on smart speakers like Amazon's echo. Quah says Smart speaker distribution hasn't really been all that important for podcast publishers until now, but if it ever does, Amazon is currently best positioned to exert strong gatekeeping influence over that channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is leaving the NFL network but he's not leaving for a competitor. After 15 years Sanders is giving up TV for a Barstool sports podcast. Sanders is also expected to launch a new Sunday morning football show. But what to make of this move. James Brown has more. Barstool sports is a small but growing fast, best known for huge sports podcasts like Call Her Daddy or Pardon My Take. It also has a repetition for being vulgar and attracting herds of young men.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Regis Philbin has died.  Philbin literally spent more time on tv than anyone else. so says the Guinness book of world records.  The New York native launched his career in the nineteen fifties working as a page for NBC's Tonight Show He went on camera in the early sixties but it took more than twenty years to find his way to the top in mornings on live with Regis and Kathie Lee. Philbin retired from that show in 2011 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ESPN's late SportsCenter to broadcast from Washington DC  Fox gives up on broadcasting Golf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Zuckerberg stands his ground amid ad boycott Facebook gives up on its TicTok clone More Apple Stores close because of coronavirus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amazon hires staff for a live tv operation World News Tonight leads all TV shows CBS This Morning returns to the studio Apple News and the New York Times get divorced Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Podcast listening reaches an all time high in the US Reddit bans the Donald and Chapo Trap House Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conan O'Brien is expected to film his show in front of crowds this week. The Rolling Stones threaten to sue President Trump. Wal-Mart gets in the drive in theater business. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Downs is Dead. Big Brother is Back? Lift Every Voice and Sing before NFL games Find James on social at: http://www.twitter.com/jamesbrowntv https://www.facebook.com/jamesbrowntv/ http://www.alittleskeptical.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first time ever Fox News Channel was the most-watched network in prime time, counting both broadcast and cable, for three out of four weeks in June.Chris Matthews will be replaced by Joy ReidCNBC is searching for its own Prime time path Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marv Albert will not go into the bubble. Turner's lead NBA announcer, told the New York post that he was getting fired up to take part in the NBA's plan to restart its season in July but “had second thoughts” after coronavirus cases spiked in Florida.  The NBA is planning to sequester teams, reporters, announcers and related staff  on Walt Disney World's campus until a champion is crowned in the fall. Aside from increasing COVID-19 cases critics say staff who will have the ability to come and go as they please will pop the bubble before it inflates. Delegations capped at 35 people per team for the 22 clubs that have been invited to the N.B.A.'s planned restart  The idea is to limit traveling back and forth among their assigned team hotels, seven practice facilities and the three arenas used for games at the complex A 33-page player handbook sent to teams In June also details about entertainment options, recreational activities and personal services  inside the bubble. The players were facing $645 million in lost salary if the games didn't resume. all 22 teams in the bubble will play 8 games before the postseason begins. These 88 games reduce the salary loss by $300 million. If successful, the two teams that reach the finals will be there for three months. In other Basketball news LeBron James and Maverick Carter have secured $100 million to form SpringHill Co., which will combine their three existing businesses: SpringHill Entertainment, Uninterrupted and Robot, Bloomberg's Jason Kelly reports. The $100 million will allow James and Carter to vastly expand a media business centered around diverse content creators, as well as athlete empowerment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cable news isn't dead. In fact they're watched by millions daily. But the trench warfare between the three big networks:  Fox News on the right, MSNBC on the left and CNN who specializes in panic with lefty sensibilities; is opening opportunities and audiences for outlets like the Hill and its youtube hit rising.  Rising is hosted by former MSNBC host Krystal Ball, a progressive whose failed congressional race brought her prominence a decade ago and Saagar (N-jetty) a conservative reporter and pundit. The Hill says it reaches 600 thousand people a week. The appeal of rising is not new, though. The production carries all the hallmarks of cable news down to its set and theme music. And to my eye the show is a child of two legacy shows: CNN's crossfire mixed with ESPN's Pardon the Interruption. On crossfire, an earlier incarnation of Tucker Carlson and other right wing hosts from the right jousted with James Carville and other Clinton era liberals about the news of the day.  The first incarnation of that show lasted twenty years until former daily show host Jon Stewart went on the show and pointed out its cartoonish political balkanization.  Rising strips away that balkanization. On rising, being liberal doesn't mean that conservatives are your enemy or vice versa.  Saagar and Krystal slide from agreement to disagreement and back again with ease much like PTI's Mike Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser.  Saagar and Krystal also share another element with Wilbon and Kornheiser. They come off as friends with different point of views who hate hypocrisy even if it comes from their own political team.  Take this exchange between Saagar and Krystal about the inaction of congress and president trump about the financial crisis caused by the covid 19 pandemic. There's no doubt that in time cable news will attempt to duplicate Rising. But this type of nuanced, well thought  out analysis will be blunted by any cable news based ecosystem. And it'll be drowned by the soundbytes and all the shouting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.