Turner Compares Fox's Popularity to Hitler

[kuozzman]

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/CA499014.html

Ted Turner called Fox a propaganda tool of the Bush administration and indirectly compared Fox News Channel's popularity to Adolf Hitler's popular election to run Germany before World War II.

Turner made those fiery comments in his first address at the National Association for Television Programming Executives' conference since he was ousted from Time Warner Inc. five years ago.

The 66-year-old billionaire, who leveraged a television station in Atlanta into a media empire, made the comment before a standing-room-only crowd at NATPE's opening session Tuesday.

His no-nonsense, sometimes humorous, approach during the one-hour Q&A generated frequent loud applause and laughter.

Fox wasn't laughing, however. "Ted is understandably bitter having lost his ratings, his network, and now his mind," said a Fox News spokesperson. "We wish him well."

[Hugin]

1. Yay! He's crazy like me! :)

:crazy:

[Systematic Chaos]

2. I'd say what I wish for 99% of the f**ks at Fox,

but something that crude and barbaric simply doesn't have a place on a forum such as this. :grr:

[Disturbed]

5. Turner and Gore TV Network?

Is that possible?

[KurtNYC]

3. Turner compares everyone to Hitler

Turner once compared himself to the jews in 1942 (that didn't fly so well).

[Hugin]

6. Your check is waiting...

Down at Rupert's...

Pick up a NY Post for me too. Would ya?

[KurtNYC]

18. I cite 2 somewhat neutral facts

and you call me out :eyes:

In a conversation, according to Brill, Turner said that Time Warner would not sell Court TV back to him because "Jack Welch is Hitler." Brill responded, "I thought Murdoch was Hitler." Turner then said, "Welch is Hitler, and they're building nuclear bombs over there." GE declined to comment on Brill's account in Vanity Fair except to say that it does not build nuclear weapons.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0109359/news

edit: And btw, I have direct deposit. ;-)

[Hugin]

27. Hey...

He got that one right too. ;)

Sorry to call you out.

Did you get me a paper?

[quiet.american]

4. Wow, that merited a triple-dipped Kool-Aid drinker response --

Ted Turner must be right on the mark, as he was immediately hit with three of the standard Kool-Aid drinker "retorts," --

He's disgruntled
He's an opportunist
He's crazy

GO TED!

[illflem]

7. Turner's a loon

My nephew works for him on his Montana ranch trying to train wolves not to attack cattle by using shock collars. Three years and no luck.

[Hugin]

9. Wow!

Turner is a triple crazy!

Crazy man! :crazy:

BTW... Why don't they use dogs? Like with sheep?

[LiberalFighter]

15. If the point was to guard the cattle then you would be right...

but your not


I would venture to guess that Ted was experimenting to see if wolves could be kept at bay away from cattle and other livestock through the use of shock. If it worked then the next step might be to capture all the wolves and collared each of them with the device.

[Hugin]

28. LOL...

It's not the wolves fault we've turned our forests into
giant feedlots for lumbering meat machines. ;)

[Robbien]

10. Turner calls Fox News propaganda, and you call him a loon?

What does what Turner does on his ranch have anything to do with Turner's evaluation of Fox News?

[illflem]

12. I agree him on Fux News as propaganda

but he's still a loon

[Robbien]

20. Call him a loon when he is acting loony, not when he makes a stand

for our public airwaves. Calling him a loon now gives people the impression you feel Turner's propaganda statement is wrong, like I just did.

[LiberalFighter]

17. At least he tried...

I wouldn't go calling Ted a loon if your nephew was involved in the project.

And he provided employment to your nephew and others involved in the project.

Any research derived from a project is worth the effort.

[mevans426]

8. Use your money, Ted!

Even if Ted Turner lives another 40 years, he'd be hard pressed to spend all his money. He could do an awful lot of good counteracting the impact of Fox by using some of that dough to create an alternative and support independent media.

[newyawker99]

25. mevans426!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[complain jane]

11. Well. Good morning Ted.

[LiberalFighter]

13. If they truly wished Ted well they would not had made that statement...

especially using the words bitter and lost his mind.

[SemperEadem]

16. and I'm sure that the name of person who said that

isn't "A Fox news spokesman"... I want to know who said that. Surely, they're big and bad enough to say it, but too much of a punk to have their name attributed to it.

Hmmm... which is worse? a crazy loon or a punk-ass biatch?

[Eric J in MN]

22. "Broadcasting and Cable" should not print anonymours smears.

If a slimy person makes a slimy remark, give the slimy person a choice of going on the record or not being quoted.

[OneTwentyoNine]

14. About time to get back into broadcasting isn't it Ted??

Lets get a News Station up and running to counter FOX and their propaganda.

[KharmaTrain]

19. This Could Start A Ripple...

I find Ted's timing interesting.

First, I doubt Turner, at 66, would be interested in getting back into the meatgrinder that was running a media empire like he had. It cost him a couple marriages and then when the AOL/TW stock tanked, he took a major hit.

That doesn't mean what he said today doesn't mean something. First, it was at the major News Director's meeting...a place where one would espect an Administration mouthpiece or a Limbaugh (he was invited to speak last year). The fact Ted was invited and took up the chance shows a bit of restlessness somewhere in the News establishment. He didn't invite himself, someone did.

I'm sure Turner is as pained at what he sees in the decrease of quality and integrity of his former network. CNNservative's actual news coverage is far less today replace with personality/opinion shows (Zahn, King, Blitzer). Gone are the Bernie Shaws and Peter Arnett's...replaced by embeds fed what they're told by the Pentagon and reporters more worried about their access and resumes than questioning this regime.

Someone in another post aptly described Faux's popularity as the fact they're so "out there" and partisan, they attract not just Conservatives but also liberals who want to see how over they top they go. Say what you will about Faux, but they are always pushing the edge and more interesting to watch than Miles Mindbender play with space toys.

The time is rapidly apporaching for either CNNservative, MSGOP or even ABC News Now to make a move. Progressive radio ratings...which are still less than a year old and incomplete for any real solid tracking, but they show very positive trends, have to be on the radar at these networks. So, must the popularity of Jon Stewart...and the appeal he and his approach to news is having on the coveted 18-49s CNN long since lost (a great post in the media area on this).

Turner's remarks might be the opening salvo on a schism in the "mainstream" media where a "liberal" network could evolve out of one of the existing cable networks. Just a gut feeling. Either way, Turner's speech is well worth a close read. And remember, the ears he was going after were some of the most influential broadcast editors and newspeople in the country. He hit them where many of us wish we could. Let's hope he keeps talking and others join him.

[Eric J in MN]

21. It's bad journalism to print an anynonyrous smear on a person.

The Wash. Post printed anonymous smears on John Kerry by unnamed Republicans, and now the "Broadcasting and Cable" is practicing bad journalism with a smear on Ted Turner by an unnamed Fox spokesperson.

If a slimy person makes a slimy remark and doesn't want to go on the record, then DON'T PRINT THE QUOTE.

[mbee]

23. Why does anyone care what Fox thinks? Isn't their viewership

extremely tiny when you compare it to the overall US population?

[Robbien]

24. Not when Fox news items are picked up by right wing hate talk radio

and the issues Fox pushes are picked up by all the pundits. Without Fox News, the Swift Boat Smears wouldn't have even gotten traction. Fox and right wing hate talk radio pushed them for two weeks, then MSM picked it up.

[Just Me]

26. I say: GOOOOOO TED!!!

Cracked me up when I read that earlier today. :bounce:

But, hell,...he's only stating the facts!

Faux news IS a propaganda machine and they freakin' know it!!! AND Faux news popularity could definitely be compared to that which followed Hitler.

GOOOOOOOO TED!!!!!!!!!!! :bounce:

[dryan]

29. I saw part....

of the interview this morning on the Imus show. With all due respect to Ted, I think he had too many Wild Turkeys.