I would love to see a spirited and challenging debate here. I won’t hold my breath though :-)<p>There are many merits to more news outlets hitting the public dialog.<p>I think we need more investment not just in news but in search and social platforms.<p>I would go so far as to argue that bifurcation is more beneficial than a unification.<p>Because unification seems to lead to monopoly, and that’s not good for anyone except the monopolist.
> Some Trump advisers think Fox News made a mistake with an early call (seconded by AP) of President-elect Biden's win in Arizona. That enraged Trump, and gave him something tangible to use in his attacks on the network.<p>Their call for Arizona did seem premature, but it wasn’t wrong. “Correct but a bit early, and didn’t change anything” doesn’t seem like a strong avenue for attack.
There's already a steady rise in unhinged right-wing media (newsmax, OAN) who have shed any fig leaf of journalism and are taking a bite out of Fox. Trump could really set off an arms race in misinformation and pandering.
It seems to me if Trump is going to launch an online media property he’s more likely to cannibalize Brietbart and OAN views than Fox News. Fox News has the benefit of being readily available via every major cable TV carrier in the US, Trump TV may pull a few members of the MAGA crowd further into their echo chamber, but I doubt that it has any real chance of doing much to the crown jewel of the Murdoch news empire. Maybe if he siphons off one of the more popular talking heads, but even then, how many people will really follow Hannity or Carlson if it’s not as simple to access their content?<p>What will be interesting is how Fox News would react - what’re the chances the commentary shifts harder against Trump to combat competition, but dividing conservatives along the way versus continuing to toe the line and kowtowing to a perceived Trump stranglehold on the right?