TheWiseOldFart

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Fox News began broadcasting in 1996. The story claims that billionaire newspaper magnate, Rupert Murdoch and former Republican strategist, Roger Ailes, decided to create a television news network devoted to the conservative side of politics. Some of this may be true, but I believe the inspiration began in the 1980’s. Rupert Murdoch is all about the money, and the original idea came from the most popular television broadcasts of that decade. TRASH TV In the 1980’s, daytime talk shows dominated the ratings on weekdays. The phenomenon likely began with Phil Donahue. He was the first to put a microphone in an audience member’s face. He was followed by Sally Jessy Raphael, Rikki Lake, Montel Williams, Geraldo Rivera, Maury Povich, Jerry Springer, Jenny Jones, Oprah Winfrey, and others. No longer were the men and women on stage celebrities, they were guests who fit into the “topic of the day.” Those topics ranged from overeating disorders, to more salacious situations...