FOX/Sean Hannity: ‘Buy Chinese’
FOX/Sean Hannity: ‘Buy Chinese’
Buy Chinese…
-?-
The Keurig Koffee Kup Kerfuffle
*
Multa cadunt inter calicem supremaque labra
‘There is many a slip twixt cup and lip’
*
The FOX
The FOX News staple, Sean Hannity, rarely backpedals. What with the might of the FOX media empire in his corner, there is little likelihood that anyone can ‘lay a glove’ on the vociferous and acerbic anchor. Unless…
*
Milk Money
The milk of the information delivery world this day is money. Budget sponsorship enables the ready consumption of information and entertainment regarding everything from elite professional football contests to the most mundane local news. Such benefit is derived of the elusive, heavily contested for, advertising dollar.
Today. Without the benefit of advertising, certain things simply don’t exist. Advertising was once the lifeblood of the former mainstay of news and information, the broadsheet. Historically speaking, these budgets, when choked off, continue to cause the demise of conventional newspapers.
Those same moneys that buoyed the news mainstays of the low-tech years gone-by were eventually employed for transfusion of liquid budgetary life into what would become today’s ubiquitous, digital, corporate media behemoths. Money makes the world…and information…go round.
*
Hannity’s America
Sean Hannity is no doubt a star in the greater constellation of conservative television talk show celebrities. To fully appreciate his tone and content, a news consumer must develop a certain Republican Party palate, however.
Notwithstanding, the Hannity shows: “Hannity”, in aggregate; have their own loyal and considerable consortium of support. There are various forums other than television that host Sean Hannity including Internet and radio.
With all of that comes a particularly expressive cadre of adherents. Who are not shy about expressing a fanaticism that rivals that, which courses through most folks who are obsessed with regional athletic team loyalty. Surely, Hannity in all forms has ardent fans.
Whether, Hannity the person, possesses the ability to engender such spirit due to his personal charisma or due to his expressed political preferences, remains to be seen. No matter. The fan base for “Hannity” programs is both broad and deep.
*
Drink To Me…
*
“Drink to me only with thine eyes.”
-Ben Jonson, Song. To Celia
*
For the obsessed Hannity listeners and viewers it was anathema. For any sponsor to withdraw the means of support relied upon by the venerable FOX font of information that are the beloved “Hannity” shows was a…digital sin.
Some of the major sponsors of the political news lightening rod that is “Hannity”, threatened to withdraw their very generous advertising support dollars from FOX News and its standard bearer: Sean Hannity. The affront was sufficient to encourage those who paid for and enjoyed a line of particular products marketed by one of the advertising sponsors of the show to reject both the benefits of the machines as well as the physical items themselves.
*
Down the Hatch…
Out windows, over balconies and into alleys flew the machines. The ”machines” were coffee makers, marketed by Keurig of Vermont. Expensive, efficient devices, which were bought by customers with the objective of creating individual cups of steaming, liquid java enjoyment for their owners; only to become discarded prop devices destined to be broken apart in expressive waves of angry, digitally recorded and broadcast: protest.
Shiny things. Purchased for pleasure, were dashed into pieces as a result of Keurig delivering a single somewhat veiled threat to “Hannity”. That its sponsorship for the shows would cease.
Just the hint of such recalcitrance, even by a major American company, was enough for those who had once happily purchased its products. To throw their possession, and their money: ‘out the window’. Literally.
*
On Second Thought…
Hannity, who loudly presents himself as a man of conviction, who had made his case on-air on behalf of a variety of controversial persons and topics; this day was in the crosshairs himself. A beleaguered, Republican, public figure cum candidate, which was accused of sordid behavior, Roy Moore had been given a forum for his case: “Hannity”.
Within a Hollywood minute, the host obviously saw his means to financial success threatened. When many of his viewers proceeded to throttle their Keurigs due to a putative protest delivered by the coffee company regarding the signal, on-air opportunity delivered by the FOX organ and Hannity to the accused. Keurig insinuated that, in protest of the relatively uncritical “Hannity” interview of Moore; sponsorship of the show by the company was threatened.
This man of conviction, Hannity, quickly tempered his trademark strong-headed, opinionated tenor. In a way, Sean, the bold, retraced his steps.
Hannity beseeched his acolytes to refrain. What appeared to be a magnanimous gesture by Hannity: the high priest of hyperbole. To call off the aggression of the masses, might as well have been a desperate effort to rescue the corporate viability of a generous and favored sponsor of the marquee FOX show.
Were Keurig to fail as a company in the wake of the extreme product protests. It would have no choice but to reconsider its FOX affiliation and/or completely withdraw its advertising budget support. Politics notwithstanding.
To lose a valued FOX sponsor due to its failure at the hands of FOX viewers and listeners. Would be disaster for all involved.
Keurig was in danger of losing a large market for its product, were these Hannity fanatics to continue to boycott and worse. With loss of market share comes loss of profit. With the vagaries of a market economy, however, comes the readiness to compromise.
*
According to “the two-way BREAKING NEWS FROM NPR” Keurig CEO Bob Gamgort addressed the situation as follows: “Then Gamgort seemed to backtrack on the company’s own tweet. In an email published by The Washington Post, Gamgort told colleagues that the tweet was “outside company protocol.” He wrote that it “gave the appearance of ‘taking sides’ in an emotionally charged debate that escalated on Twitter and beyond over the weekend, which was not our intent.”
*
It’s the Economy…(Stupid)
“(It’s) the economy, stupid.”
-James Carville
*
Hannity evidently averted an economic crisis for FOX, Keurig as well as himself. Hannity called upon his hoards of supporters to refrain from destroying their coffeemakers and tacitly encouraged continued support to Keurig by all. Keurig quickly relented in its (apparent) threat and continued as a sponsor for the widely watched programs.
The benefit of undisrupted cash flow for each of FOX, Keurig and Hannity was restored. The desired economic stasis prevailed.
*
As The New York Times reports, it is unclear whether the company is reconsidering advertising on Hannity’s show…But Hannity leapt on the news, tweeting, “Hold on to your coffee machines @keurig has recognized it got caught up & misled by a bigot.”
*
‘Made in China’
In a story published by Triple Pundit for “3p Contributor”, Lise Cloutier, the meaning of the term “Made in China” was explored in some detail. The article written for the online publication was entitled: “Work Exchange Brings New Meaning to ‘Made in China’. The story, published on September 30, 2014 delved into the finer points of a U.S. company’s experience with manufacturing its products in China.
The name of the U.S. company? Keurig.
*
Kellyanne’s Lips to Sean’s Ear
The FOX News fraternity is wide-ranging. Notwithstanding. There is no reason to believe that the “company line” for the vast news media monolith isn’t consistent.
With that said. It can be accepted as ‘real news’ that “Hannity”, the programs produced by FOX, are a medium for the company’s consistent conservative conversation. Which is something that pervades each of the programs carried on each of the FOX network channels.
The message, by and large, is both conservative and Republican. Moreover, the message is more often than not, one that is in lockstep with the interests and political promotions of President Trump.
For an entire election cycle and until the present time, Kellyanne Conway is and has been both a spokesperson and apologist for, the current president. She is a frequent guest of FOX News programs. Including “Hannity”.
Within, the text of a news story published on September 06, 2017 by the online source, “FOX NEWS TRANSCRIPT”, Kellyanne Conway, current Counselor to the President of the United States, made reference to the official White House position on the subject of domestic industry usurping American jobs by means of international employment outsourcing.
In the “FOX NEWS TRANSCRIPT” story entitled “Conway: We want to bring jobs, wealth back to this country” the current Counselor to the President of the United States concluded as follows:
“Now, you raise a very important point. Many Americans, Sean, want the dignity of work. They want to be self-sufficient. They want to know that they have high-paying jobs that are stable and secure. The best way to do that really is to lower taxes, to lower taxes on our job creators, our job holders (sic) and our job seekers and also to repatriate all this wealth that is legally parked offshore. We want to bring the jobs and the wealth back to this country.
…We have to make our employers competitive so that they can attract and retain an American workforce.
The offshoring (sic) model under our current tax code does not work. Our offshoring model means that we punish American companies for doing business here, and it forces them to ship the jobs and the wealth overseas.”
*
The FOX/Keurig ‘Konundrum’
FOX and “Hannity” support Trump and his conservative-voiced efforts to repatriate American jobs. Keurig, a FOX and “Hannity” sponsor, is an American enterprise that contracts with Chinese companies and employees to manufacture its coffeemaker products in China for the purpose of distribution and sale in the United States, to American consumers.
How will FOX and “Hannity” and Sean Hannity successfully reconcile the very real disparity and equally; but more quietly, apparent, conflict of interest that exists between the expressed performance policies of the FOX network and actions of its sponsors? When there is now divulged: an opaque but nevertheless visible FOX, company abdication of a premise of its conservative philosophy as well as its oft-articulated, favorable view of the signal Presidential precept: American jobs for American workers for American manufacturers?
*
Take the Money and …
A Steaming Cup Of…
Hemlock
Neither FOX nor “Hannity” nor Sean Hannity can have both the money from the advertising largess of Keurig. As well as the fawning approval from: the likes of a vast conservative-leaning, viewing/listening constituency; a strident and vocal Counselor to the President; and an already iconic, present-day resident of the Oval Office.
*
Konclusions
1) FOX/Hannity ignore the symptoms of their hypocrisy and carry on;
2) FOX/Hannity dismiss Keurig as a sponsor, to the detriment of all parties;
3) FOX/Hannity scoop a story regarding Keurig manufacturing in America.
*
Posted 8 minutes ago by DILULIUS, King of Troy