Newsmax Continued To Try And Take Advantage Of Carlson’s Firing

When Tucker Carlson got fired by Fox News last month, Newsmax flip-flopped on its previous attacks on him over his pro-Russia stance and fawned over him — partly to stick it to its competition but also as a ploy to try and woo Carlson to its channel. Indeed, there were reports that Newsmax was offering to give Carlson not only his own show but also control over Newsmax’s entire programming schedule.

That explains Newsmax’s coverage decisions on Carlson. In the days after his firing, Newsmax continued to suck up to him and bash Fox News:

• Guilfoyle to Newsmax: Carlson’s Exit a Loss for America
• Rep. Greene to Newsmax: Fox ‘Caved to the Woke Mob’ in Firing Carlson
• Jedediah Bila to Newsmax: Carlson’s Firing Likely Editorial Dispute
• Tucker Carlson Releases Video: Hints at Fox’s Dishonesty
• Sen. Tuberville to Newsmax: ‘Crime’ What Murdoch Family Is Doing
• Jason Miller to Newsmax: Carlson Firing ‘Bad’ for Democracy
• Giuliani to Newsmax: Fox ‘Moving to the Middle’ Before Firing Carlson
• Giuliani to Newsmax: ‘Expecting’ Tucker Firing, but ‘Still Shocked’
• Rep. Massie to Newsmax: Carlson Firing ‘Stupid Move’ by Fox
• Carlson Video Exceeds 60M Views in Less Than 24 Hours
• Rasmussen Poll: Carlson More Popular Than Fox News
• Dennis Prager to Newsmax: Carlson Will Do ‘Something Good’ for US
• Dick Morris to Newsmax: ‘Puppeteer Found His Puppet Escaped’
• Joe Rogan: Fox Should Just Pay Off Tucker
• Victor Davis Hanson: Fox News Can’t Replace Carlson

An April 26 article by Sandy Fitzgerald noted that Rupert Murdoch’s empire used “their wholly owned television news outlet in Australia” to forward the idea that Carlson was “sacked essentially for thinking that he was bigger than Fox News,” and another article cited Carlson’s “combativeness toward Fox executives and other colleagues” as a reason he was fired. But it also touted Donald Trump claiming that Carlson’s firing “is going to have a big impact and a very negative impact on Fox.”

Newsmax also tried to exploit the situation for explicitly for its own gain. Brian Truesdell touted an endorsement of sorts in an April 28 article:

Former Fox News Channel show host Megyn Kelly told her podcast audience on Thursday that FNC’s decision to fire prime time anchor Tucker Carlson is driving its viewers to Newsmax.

The statement during her Thursday program, “The Megyn Kelly Show,” came in a conversation with Melissa Francis, another a former Fox News and Fox Business anchor and host who left News Corp.

[…]

As Kelly noted, Newsmax, conversely, has seen its average audience at 8 p.m. with “Eric Bolling The Balance” soar by 261% to an average 534,000 viewers.

Nielsen data indicates that Newsmax was drawing 57% of Fox’s audience on a proportional basis Wednesday at 8 p.m.

An unbylined April 28 article (credited only to “Newsmax Wires”) served up more ratings hype, while repeating the Newsmax bump from the Megyn Kelly story:

After Tucker Carlson’s firing from Fox News this past Monday, the network has witnessed a collapse in ratings — especially in its 8 p.m. ET prime-time slot.

For years Tucker Carlson owned this prime time for Fox, drawing an average 3.2 million viewers a night.

Not anymore.

This week, Fox News Channel saw its audience during the Carlson hour plummet, with 2.6 million tuning in Monday to watch.

Things got even worse for Fox on Tuesday, with 1.7 million viewers tuning in.

But Wednesday, Fox saw a catastrophic drop to just 1.3 million viewers — a 59% drop from Carlson’s average rating.

Neither article disclosed Newsmax’s efforts in trying to woo Carlson.