Run for the hills, mainstream liberal news media: The conservatives are coming!

While much of the national press corps is preoccupied with their coverage of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., this week, an affair that is sure to be filled with dramatic internecine warfare and juicy Palinisms, the known media landscape may be shifting a bit beneath the feet of traditional news media.

That's because monied conservatives are attempting to bust out in greater magnitude with a message—and products—that they still believe will grow in popularity during a time of national stagnation and frustration.Continue reading...

Liberals and conservatives agree: the Obama Administration's recent campaign to delegitimize Fox News Channel as a news source is a huge boost to the Fox News Channel brand.

Fox's success shows the rewards for cable news networks of building engagement among a dedicated base of diehards, following the vaunted "80-20 rule" that says that 80% of a channel's ratings come from 20% of its audience. Keeping the core audience tuned in for repetitive programming that confirms their beliefs turns out to be the recipe for success. That it has transformed US politics is a mere side-effect. (The 80-20 rule probably caused Bill Clinton's impeachment in 1998, when FNC rode the Lewinsky scandal to ratings glory.)

The latest controversy began in early October, when White House media advisor Anita Dunn rounded the talk shows to argue that Fox -- which has been attacking Obama all year -- "often operates almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party."Continue reading...