by Greg Byrnes at PJ Media
On Tuesday, Valuetainment Television made a public $100 million, five-year contract offer to Tucker Carlson, plus ownership shares in the company. Carlson is still under contract to News Corp., however, and his Tucker Carlson Today shows are still in the archive lineup. But his sidelining has created a media feeding frenzy. Newsmax also seems to be in the hunt. Backchannels — and in the case of Valuetainment, a publicity-grabbing front channel — have opened up as media companies hope to steal market share on the Right from the Fox News Channel.
When Tucker Carlson Tonight was canceled by the Fox News Channel, the outspoken print and broadcast journalist completed a personal career trifecta. Who else has been kicked to the curb by CNN, MSNBS, and now FNC? Television does make strange bedfellows. It also says a lot about Carlson’s independent streak as a journalist that he has such a diverse group of opponents. He seems to have afflicted the powerful and comforted the afflicted right across the political spectrum.
WABC radio’s James Golden, aka Bo Snerdley, former call screener and friend of the late Rush Limbaugh, said Rush got sick and tired of being fired. After being let go seven times, Limbaugh decided he would never be fired again. Instead, he would own his product and sell it to distributors. Golden thinks Tucker Carlson is a prime candidate to do the same thing.
$100 million may not be that much of an offer, after all. It is in the range of what Carlson is getting now. And he was about to begin new contract talks with Fox. To clean up an old phrase, Carlson already has enough “buzz off” money to live out the rest of his days nicely. Like Jack Parr of early Tonight Show fame, Tucker could leave at the top of his game and let others scramble to the top.
While many conflicting reasons are given for taking Tucker off the air,…
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