It’s been nearly two weeks since the shocking departure of Tucker Carlson from Fox News. Carlson was the top-rated host on cable news and was clearly the star of the primetime lineup for the No. 1 cable news channel.
Additionally, he had his own side projects via FOX Nation that were getting plenty of investment and exposure. We don’t have both sides of this story yet, but regardless, there’s plenty that radio hosts can learn from this unceremonious ending.
Here are the top three things we can all learn, or at least get friendly reminders on, from this wild news story.
1. If there is a microphone in the room, be careful.
As you may have seen this week, leaked tapes of Carlson are being put out publicly. This angle here is clearly to try and justify Carlson’s exit by Fox. While much of what we’ve seen thus far seem fairly benign in the grand scheme of things, whether or not the leaked comments are in any way justification for Carlson’s departure can be up to the loyal Fox viewers. But it ties back to a point we all learn on our first day of broadcasting: If there is a microphone in the room, don’t say anything you wouldn’t say on air.
OK, fine.
We all hear it, digest it, and then eventually forget about it. We get comfortable with the microphone. We know when it’s not “on” or “live”. But the reality is that microphone you’re next to can be picked up by you, or others around it, whether it’s broadcasting on the air or not.
And whether it’s a mistake that gets on air, a colleague trying to sabotage you, or anything else of the ilk, the steadfast rule remains: Don’t say anything near a microphone you wouldn’t say on air.
2. You’re Never “Too Big To Fail”.
Tucker Carlson had the highest ratings in cable news. He was effectively shown the door.
Regardless of the “why” behind it, it was clear that FOX thought it could survive just fine without their top host, who, as I noted earlier, wasn’t just hosting his nightly show, but was also involved with several other projects on the network’s subscription service FOX Nation.
I’m not here to suggest a host/employee should always play it safe, never take risks, never be controversial, be a company shill, or have no backbone, but simply to remember that if Fox News thinks it can survive without Tucker Carlson’s loyal 3+ million nightly viewers, than who isn’t indispensable?
3. That Being Said… Options Exist.
Carlson has a future. That’s indisputable. A new report from The Washington Post suggests Carlson may forfeit millions of dollars Fox News owes him so he can have a voice in the 2024 election cycle.
The report notes, “Most ambitiously, Carlson wants to moderate his own GOP candidate forum, outside of the usual strictures of the Republican National Committee debate system. The idea, which he has discussed with Donald Trump, the front-runner for the party nomination, would test his vaunted sway over conservative politics.”
It would have been unfathomable, even a few years ago, for a single media person to even think about pulling something like this off. The logistics and technology alone would have been too big of a hurdle. But it’s a different world.
As I noted in last week’s column, fragmented media has its pros and cons. This is certainly a pro, as Carlson plots his next move.
To think that a former popular TV host could sidestep an entire media and political establishment and potentially host his own presidential primary debate for one of the two major American political parties shows how far we have come.
And with that even under consideration, it’s a sign that the next 10 years of media could be even more disruptive than we can even imagine today.
Pete Mundo is a weekly columnist for Barrett Media, and the Vice President of News/Talk for Cumulus Media, while also hosting “Mundo in the Morning” and programming KCMO Talk Radio in Kansas City. Previously, he was a fill-in host nationally on FOX News Radio and CBS Sports Radio, while anchoring for WFAN, WCBS News Radio 880, and Bloomberg Radio. He’s also the owner of the Big 12-focused digital media outlet Heartland College Sports. To interact, find him on X @PeteMundo.
