Sarah Palin is back on Fox! Why is she reappearing now?
While Sarah Palin and Fox parted company earlier this year, Fox announced Thursday that she's back. Among the likely reasons: Washington has plenty for a conservative to comment on.
While Sarah Palin and Fox parted company earlier this year, Fox announced Thursday that she's back. Among the likely reasons: Washington has plenty for a conservative to comment on.
Sarah Palin鈥檚 back! Back on national TV as a regular, that is. Fox News announced Thursday that they鈥檝e rehired Ms. Palin as a paid contributor. Her (undoubtedly triumphant) reappearance is set for June 17 on the network鈥檚 morning show 鈥淔ox and Friends.鈥�
鈥淚 have great confidence in her and am pleased that she will once again add her commentary to our programming. I hope she continues to speak her mind,鈥� Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes said in a news release.
The former GOP VP candidate and ex-Alaska governor added that the 鈥減ower of Fox News is unparalleled鈥� and that she鈥檚 鈥減leased and proud鈥� to be rejoining her old team.
If you recall, Fox and Palin publicly parted ways earlier this year. Fox chose not to renew a contract that had reportedly paid Palin $1 million annually for three years.
She鈥檚 probably getting paid a lot less than that now, although terms of the contract weren鈥檛 released. Still, there had been some grumbling from Fox about the quality, or perceived lack thereof, of Palin鈥檚 on-camera work. So what鈥檚 changed? Why have Fox and Miss Wasilla of 1984 chosen to rejoin forces?
Here are our initial theories:
A target-rich environment
When Palin and Mr. Ailes parted ways, President Obama had been comfortably reelected and the GOP was in turmoil. The Republicans are still engaged in reassessment, but for Obama the good feelings of November are but a memory.
GOP members of Congress are continuing to raise questions about the fatal attacks on US buildings in Benghazi, Libya, while IRS targeting of conservative groups is big news. Plus, there鈥檚 the new NSA spying-on-Americans scandal on top of the AP subpoena controversy and 鈥� so forth and so on.
You get the picture. There are just so many juicy topics for Palin to talk about, it behooves Fox to have her back on. She was a huge hit at the Conservative Political Action Conference this year, proving she鈥檚 still got the audience appeal Fox producers crave.
The rise of the competition
Is it a coincidence that Palin鈥檚 first reappearance will come on the morning CNN launches its new morning show 鈥淣ew Day鈥�? We think not. Flaunt a celebrity guest 鈥� that鈥檚 a time-honored TV way of driving down an opponent鈥檚 ratings.
And what about the competition that Palin faces herself? Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R) of Minnesota has announced she won鈥檛 run for reelection and already appears to be edging in as a new tea party favorite commentator. She was on Glenn Beck鈥檚 鈥淭heBlaze TV鈥� show yesterday warning conservatives about the perceived peril of immigration reform.
鈥淲e鈥檙e losing badly 鈥� we need your viewers to melt the phone lines,鈥� Rep. Bachmann told Beck.
Can鈥檛 you imagine Palin watching that? 鈥淢elting phone lines. 鈥� We鈥檒l see who can melt phone lines,鈥� she might say to herself.
Promo platform
In the past, Palin has done well with the written word. Her 2008 鈥淕oing Rogue鈥� memoir has sold more than two million copies, and her 鈥淎merica by Heart鈥� was a big bestseller in 2010.
Now she鈥檚 got another book on the horizon: 鈥淎 Happy Holiday IS a Merry Christmas,鈥� scheduled for November release. A platform on Fox would be an invaluable aid in promoting this latest Palin volume, so much so that she鈥檇 probably take a lot less money from Fox upfront for her appearances.
Plus, Fox benefits from all the Palin-is-back stories that the scurrilous lame-stream media will indulge in. As the network鈥檚 Greta Van Susteren noted yesterday, 鈥渋t is a free promo for Fox since it will drive her TV critics crazy! They are obsessed with her!