You have to give FOX credit for a game well played.

[ZombieNixon]

On one hand you have the FOX network. On Sundays, during primetime, they show irreverent, left-leaning cartoon sitcoms, (The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad), which you and I watch (you know you do). On the other hand, you have FOX News, on which the talking heads and their sycophants bitch about the material on the FOX network and the people who watch it.

Does this strike anyone else as ironic?

[The Jacobin]

1. Money.

Money.
Money.
Money.
Money.
Money.

That's all it's about.

[jedr]

7. it's all about selling soap;

when the pendulum swings, Fox will follow.

[The Gunslinger]

2. "which you and I watch (you know you do)"

Actually no, I refuse to watch Fox at all. Not even football games, not even the Steelers. It's hard sometimes, but It's the best way for me to protest.

[ZombieNixon]

3. OK, well I do.

It would take a lot to pull me away from Family Guy.

[etherealtruth]

4. Me too ...

... although I haven't made up my mind about "American Dad."

I understand this isn't the point of your OP; your point is valid, the network does cater to the political spectrum. My question is does one "type" of show actually fund the other "type?"

Edit: mad/made

[ZombieNixon]

10. Probably not directly,

but funds generated from Hannity and Colmes certainly are involved in keeping Homer Simpson on the air, and vice versa.

American Dad is funny, but not as much as Family Guy. I chalk this up to two factors.
1. Cutaways. In Family Guy, the use of the cutaway is pure genius, because they flash to totally random points in reality (or fantasy), and let the characters engage is just pure crazy shit, which is pure hilarious.
2. American Dad is Seth MacFarlane's attempt to mix humor with politics (he even flat out said it was his dissatisfaction w/ the Bush Administration that prompted him to conceptualize the show), and when writing comedy, the gag MUST come first. If you start out trying to make a political point, you are going to end up with mediocre comedy, and thus, the political point suffers as well.

[Pepperbelly]

6. Give up the Simpsoms for political reasons not even related to the show?

No way.

They enrich Murdoch but they also rub his nose in it.

[niallmac]

5. Killed our TV

Kids read books, play together, create games and laugh a lot. My blood pressure is better, wife and I enjoy not having that drone in our ears for no reason and learning to be comfortable without that other entity in the house. Admittedly we are on the web a lot for news and tidbits but we just like it that way. The MSM sounds like Pravda to me anymore.:+

[jedr]

13. Am thinking of doing the same...$90 a month for BS stinks.

My problem is football , both college and pro...tell me a way around that.

[fishnfla]

8. There are other cartoon families now?

and the talking heads said something meaningless?

Try this: turn the damned thing off

[KnightoftheRepublic]

9. It is ironic.

What's more ironic is that it's their left leaning shows that do so well.

[ZombieNixon]

15. That's because right-wingers have no sense of humor.

Ever seen a conservative comedian who was any good?

[stepnw1f]

11. The Entertainment is Used to Attract You Enough to Watch Commercials

Lure you into watching the commercial which is the propaganda. Maybe not ironic, but instead suspiciously effective.

How much you wanna bet it was a marketing strategy all along?

[ZombieNixon]

14. I use commercial breaks to use the porcelain throne and go get snacks.

I also utilize the MUTE button.

[stepnw1f]

17. I don't watch them either

But that's not the point either.

[Glorfindel]

12. Turn it off!

In more than 20 years, I've watched two TV programs, both of them Oscar broadcasts, and I haven't missed a damn thing. ANYTHING you find on TV can be found better somewhere else.
O8)

[newyawker99]

20. Hi Glorfindel!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Glorfindel]

21. Thanks a lot!

I love "New Yawk," by the way. It's my favorite vacation spot; more to see, more to do, better food, and friendlier people than anywhere I've ever visited. I was there for a few days a couple of weeks ago, visiting family, celebrating my god-daughter's birthday. Had a blast.
:dem:

[eaprez]

16. Not too many people watch Fox news according to the ratings....

...more people watch the simpsons!

[Arbustosux]

18. Not ironic, more like designed that way

I have always felt that most of Fox programming is designed to attract or appeal to the lesser intellects - The Simple Life (need I say more?). Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Cops, AMW and The Simpsons too. I have always thought it was part of a master plan to run that kind of programming, attract the kind of people that would enjoy it and are too lazy to change the channel! They then get a healthy dose of propaganda called Fox News.

I absolutely beleive their programming is linked to their news (for lack of a better word) department.

Just my humble opinion.....

[Mythsaje]

19. Ah, yet another

thread for people to bitch about TV.

<sigh>

I happen to love the Simpsons, though I don't watch it much anymore. Catch it occasionally. Its humor is like a shotgun, tearing across the spectrum from right to left. I enjoy the hell out of it.

As far as commercials go--that's what books are for. Now, I've got a DVR and pay even less attention to commercials anyway. The ONLY commercials I've ever been really affected by were food commercials, and even that's pretty limited.

As far as exposing people to Fox News--I have to laugh at that. I have NEVER watched Fox News. About the only thing I've ever watched on Fox in several years is the Simpsons.

I get kinda tired of listening to people bitch about the television. It's not that bad. If it's your only source of information and entertainment, it isn't good, but if it's just ONE source of both or either, it's not really a problem.