Trump Issues Meaningless Executive Order To Try And Protect Larry Ellison’s CBS (And The Army Navy Game) From Competition
from the pointless-dipshittery dept
FCC boss Brendan Carr spends an awful lot of time pretending to be a tough guy, threatening any broadcasters that aren’t suitably deferential to our mad, idiot king. Carr’s had giant temper tantrums over comedians who make jokes, daytime and late night talk shows that refuse to kiss Republican ass, and any remaining journalists who critically cover the most corrupt administration in U.S. history.
Now Trump and Carr have something else to whine about pointlessly. Despite everything going on (including a disastrous, economy-rattling war), Trump somehow found time to write an executive order threatening any broadcasters that might pre-empt the Army Navy college football game as the college football playoffs expand:
“For over a century, the Army-Navy Game, known as “America’s Game,” has stood as a symbol of excellence and the American spirit. Now, the recent and potentially ongoing expansion of the College Football Playoffs (CFP) and other postseason college football games threatens to encroach upon the second Saturday in December — a date traditionally reserved exclusively for “America’s Game.” Such scheduling conflicts weaken the national focus on our Military Service Academies and detract from a morale-building event of vital interest to the Department of War.”
Here’s where I’ll point out that CBS Sports, now owned by right wing Trump ally David Ellison, holds the exclusive broadcast rights to this particular game. The broadcast rights of the other earlier round games encroaching on CBS’ turf (which have been doing better in the ratings) are owned by ESPN/Disney/ABC. Many of these are, I’ll point out, on cable, not broadcast.
It’s entirely possible that Larry or his nepobaby son called the president, whined about the competition, and the president immediately got to “work” addressing the problem under the pretense of patriotism. Or who knows what caused the President to suddenly care about the TV schedule of college football games. With an executive order that isn’t legal or enforceable and very likely means nothing because Trump can’t wave his hand and magically influence private scheduling organizations.
Curiously, if you read the New York Times story about this decision, the fact that it’s a top Trump donor, Ellison, who would benefit from this EO, simply isn’t mentioned. They didn’t think that was relevant. Same at the Associated Press. Same (of course) over at CBS, which talks about patriotism and “tradition,” but not the fact this EO was designed primarily to protect the interests of a Trump billionaire ally.
And none of those outlets also thought it was worth mentioning this EO likely means nothing and Trump has no serious power here. It’s another lovely example of how corporate media is building “journalism” in name only. Weird, hollow, pseudo-journalistic simulacrum designed to look like journalism that doesn’t actually inform anybody about what’s actually happening.
Anyway, Trump has tasked his personal earlobe nibbler, Carr, to once again threaten anybody who makes Republicans (and their oligarch friends) sad:
“The Chairman of the FCC shall consider reviewing the public interest obligations of broadcast licensees to determine whether those obligations would require that the Army-Navy Game remain a national service event.”
Trump and Carr are comically abusing the (fleeting and barely enforced) public interest standards affixed to broadcast television licenses in an industry that’s dramatically losing viewership (just 20% of all TV viewing was over broadcast last year, an all time low). Even if Trump did have the authority to try and stop broadcast TV competition in its tracks, this sad little pseudo-patriotic gambit still wouldn’t mean much.
Filed Under: army navy, brendan carr, broadcast, cbs sports, college, corruption, donald trump, executive order, fcc, football, larry ellison
Comments on “Trump Issues Meaningless Executive Order To Try And Protect Larry Ellison’s CBS (And The Army Navy Game) From Competition”
Honestly, I think it’s quite possible for Trump to become weirdly obsessed with possibility of the Army/Navy Game being upstaged, without the Ellison’s being involved.. the man does like his vainglorious militarism, and has been inserting himself into the Army/Navy game for years, making the coin flip himself last year… So of course he’d have conniptions at the idea of people watching something other thanHIM.
how dare anyone else have a life!
how dare your football interfere with my football!
all these TV channels need to put out what people want! NOT what king trump thinks it should be! this is nothing more then corruption and cronyism! it is the total take over of big corps. over government! we have seen many movies with this theme. and for some dumb odd reason it never works out for anyone!
I’m pretty sure there is think tank in White House prompting chatbots 24/7 to generate rich MAGA supporters oriented EO that Trump signs without reading between two naps.
And on his desk, there is a bubblehead statue of Biden that Trump fingers when he signs anything to make it nod when he says “Am I the greatest President of all Time?”.
The best way to kick Trump in the balls is to not watch anything on CBS, including Hulu, and especially including this particular football game.
More advertising for the geriatric old guy
An executive order that just has to mention the Department of Bore.
I have literally never heard it referred to as America’s game until I read this post.
I also don’t follow sports closely. So I still wouldn’t purposely try to watch this regardless of patriotism or useless EOs.
Something I would love to see though are those Trump-Epstine(tm) files.
“And none of those outlets also thought it was worth mentioning this EO likely means nothing and Trump has no serious power here”
I disagree with this part. Yes, technically, an EO would have no legal standing to enforce when networks schedule college football broadcasts.
But Trump still has serious power.
– His power is why Netflix didn’t win their bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.
– Trump’s power is why ABC agreed to pay $15 million for a frivolous defamation suit and why CBS/Paramount agreed to pay $16 million in another frivolous suit.
Re:
As an executive order it is meaningless, which was the meaning of the sentence. As in, “Trump keeps writing illegal executive orders.” We, and the author, as evidenced by the rest of the article, are aware he has both social and political power, otherwise no one would write about it outside a two-panel comic.
Huh. So everything on broadcast tv? cable? the internet? must be shut down while this sportsball event occurs? Or are we all drafted into watching it on pain of deportation?
“For over a century, the Army-Navy Game, known as “America’s Game,”
Huh, news to me.
has stood as a symbol of excellence and the American spirit.
That’s sad if true of either of those things, but i guess this is the US we’re talking about. Do go on.
Now, the recent and potentially ongoing expansion of the College Football Playoffs (CFP) and other postseason college football games threatens to encroach upon the second Saturday in December — a date traditionally reserved exclusively for “America’s Game.”
Geez, someone deport capitalism and sports, i guess. How dare they take their jobs from this apparently exclusively reserved high holy day.
Such scheduling conflicts weaken the national focus on our Military Service Academies
Scheduling “conflicts” (and this is not what anyone ever meant by “scheduling conflict”) can weaken a military? Goddamn, this is better than F-35s, hypersonic missiles, and drones, combined. Someone develop that shit!
and detract from a morale-building event of vital interest to the Department of War.”
Oh just fuck off already.