In his Monday night newsletter, former conservative media Benedict Arnold and Status founder Oliver Darcy expressed horror that the great people at NewsNation would hire “MAGA Media type personality” Katie Pavlich away from the Fox News Channel (and Townhall) to host a weekday primetime show and argued it “makes little sense”…unless it was to explicitly curry favor with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for approval of a local TV merger?
That was the conspiracy theory Darcy spun to explain the machinations behind Pavlich being offered her own show and more money than FNC was offering to re-up as a contributor and fill-in host. In essence, Darcy argued Pavlich didn’t necessarily earn this position on merit but rather use her as a piece in “governmental chess.”
Darcy started with allegations of how the deal came to together and laid out the pros and cons for Pavlich to leave a place she had been with for over a dozen years to a newer and smaller (but growing) channel.
But he then took shots at Pavlich by using mocking a statement from the boss of NewsNation’s parent company Nexstar Networks hailing the hire of such “a seasoned journalist and commentator” who “will be a tremendous asset” at a network “committed to delivering straightforward, fact-based journalism” and “diverse viewpoints” “for all Americans.”
Darcy seethed Compton referred to Pavlich as “a seasoned journalist” and ignored Pavlich’s 16 years at Townhall and 2012 book on the Obama administration’s Fast & Furious scandal:
While ridiculous to pretend Pavlich is a “seasoned journalist,” the first half of Compton’s statement was at least aligned with how NewsNation has marketed itself to the public: as a nonpartisan, down-the-middle network that aims to be a refuge for those seeking information in a polarized media landscape. Which is precisely why the appointment of a MAGA Media type personality makes little sense[.]
Sadly filled with such virulent hate for anyone not on the far-left or supportive of free speech, Darcy asked why would NewsNation hire such “a partisan opinion host in a prime time slot if the network is genuinely trying to position itself as a neutral destination for news.”
What Darcy said here was it’s an outrage a conservative like Pavlich should be allowed to exist in any prominent position at any respectable network. Remember, Darcy has repeatedly pitched childish fits over Scott Jennings being allowed to utter a word on CNN.
But Darcy then morphed into the famous GIF of Charlie Day’s chara cter on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia by suggesting “a deeper look into the political context” of Pavlich’s hire would suggest this was a purely cynical play by Nexstar to show the Trump administration they’re on their side.
In turn, Darcy argued, Nexstar could then receive the green light from the FCC to complete their “$6.2 billion deal to acquire rival TEGNA, which owns more than 60 stations” even though they themselves already own “more than 200.”
“That is no small hurdle and getting any media deal done in 2025 can be tough, given that the FCC is now chaired by Trump appointee Brendan Carr, who has made clear he will wield the power of his office to reward the president’s allies and punish his critics. Nexstar, of course…is doing what it believes it must,” Darcy surmised.
He continued to imply he’s right because “installing a right-wing commentator in a prime time slot makes considerably more sense, even if it runs counter to NewsNation’s stated mission of neutrality” and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr had tweeted congratulations Monday to Pavlich.
Dun dun dun!
“Whether Pavlich’s hiring is intended to curry favor…is, of course, something Nexstar would never openly acknowledge…But in a regulatory environment where media companies are well aware of who holds the levers of power…such decisions aren’t made in a vacuum. Nexstar is playing governmental chess and Pavlich’s appointment is just the latest move on the board,” he concluded.
