WSJ: News Corp. Switches On Charm Offensive-Woos Democrats To Help Block Nielsen

Wall Street Journal ^ | August 9, 2005 | BRODY MULLINS

[OESY]

In becoming the nation's top-rated cable news network, Fox News Channel was helped by millions of conservative viewers who tuned in to watch the likes of Bill O'Reilly, Tony Snow and Cal Thomas. But to win a ratings war in Washington, Fox-parent News Corp. is counting on the support of some unlikely allies: Democrats.

News Corp. is quietly courting Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill to block a new local-TV ratings system that lowers ratings for many of its stations. The company contends the new ratings system, launched by Nielsen Media Research in four major television markets last year, greatly undercounts the number of African-Americans and Hispanics watching shows such as "Girlfriends" and "The Parkers" on the UPN network. Although Viacom Inc. owns UPN, News Corp. owns several big-city affiliates of the network.

To slow the rollout of the new ratings system, News Corp. has hired a who's who of Democratic operatives: Howard Wolfson... Mike Feldman...; Chris Lehane... and Minyon Moore....

The courtship of Democrats also highlights how companies aren't as politically monolithic as sometimes perceived. News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch has made no secret of his conservative political views, staunchly backing Margaret Thatcher when she was Britain's prime minister, and Fox News is headed by Roger Ailes, a former Republican political operative.

But as is the case with many companies, some News Corp. executives are big Democratic backers. Peter Chernin, the company's chief operating officer, is a major Democratic fund-raiser who along with his wife raised more than $100,000 for John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. The couple also contributed $73,000 out of their own pockets to Democratic lawmakers during the 2004 campaign.

Gary Ginsberg, News Corp.'s executive vice president for corporate affairs, is former assistant counsel to President Clinton and has close ties to several Clinton-era operatives....

[OESY]

[Puppage]

Fox News Channel was helped by millions of conservative viewers

More like millions of viewers who want to hear both sides of a story.

[NaughtiusMaximus]

FOX is somewhat to the right of most MSM but that doesn't make them conservative. FOX News occasionally enrages liberals because it doesn't roll over and die for them like the moribund networks do consistently. But that doesn't make it conservative either. My news comes mostly from Free Republic which is (and it's true) by more people than the New York Times.

[jackieaxe]

News Corp. is quietly courting Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill to block a new local-TV ratings system that lowers ratings for many of its stations.
Why does the government have anything to do with measuring ratings? Sometimes I think the halls of Congress are filled exclusively with headline seeking morons. Like the Steroids in Baseball outrage. Heh! Congress with are stuck in Iraq, illegal aliens are flooding our country and the Bush tax cuts are still not permanent. Don't worry about the Neilson ratings, Steroids in baseball, or John McCain's favorite, reforming boxing. You have more important things on your plates.

[nutmeg]

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[Alamo-Girl]

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