Reese Shonfeld: Roger Ailes’ Ideal Guest Is A Gay, Skinny, Jewish Guy With Glasses
CNN co-founder Reese Schonfeld, the author of Me And Ted Against The World, was on The Leon Charney Report this week. Shonfeld (see above, in khakis), among other statements, said he admired Rupert Murdoch, ”He’s a genius, Murdoch … he’s the greatest newsman.” And, on Lou Dobbs and his second media incarnation, Shonfeld observed, ”(CNN) fired him and then they had to rehire him … (he’s) totally arrogant, and he’s running his show his way.” More takeaways from the interview:
– On Roger Ailes and the perfect Fox News guest, regardless of their ideological bent: ”The message is more important than the message (on cable news). Ailes understood that more than anyone else. His ideal guest is a gay, skinny, Jewish guy with glasses. Alan Colmes (once) said, ‘They got (3 out of 4) with me.”
– On the nascent Fox Business Channel: ”This is really a holding thing. They’re waiting to bring The Wall Street Journal to television … you bring the reporters on, you bring their authority, and at that point you have a real competitor to CNBC.”
– On the future of television and print journalism: ”It’s going on the internet and it’s going to be dumber.”
– Is print journalism dead? Says Shonfeld: ”I’d like to think people will always be reading, but will advertisers be advertising?”
– On cable news pundits who, arguably, owe their careers to outlets like CNN, which, ironically, Reese founded: ”I don’t like guys like Chris Matthews, Tim Russert, Scarborough … I like journalists.”
– On Pat Buchanan: ”He gave me a wonderful compliment. Ted (Turner) fired me … I created Crossfire, I put Buchanan and (Tom) Braden on … when Ted fired me for it, Buchanan made a toast of it, saying I was the guy who swallowed the football for him.”
(image via homepage.mac.com)
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