A California professor researching a book on the history
of TV news watched and analyzed for six weeks Megyn Kelly’s program on Fox News
and essentially concluded that Kelly is Bill O’Reilly in a short skirt.
of TV news watched and analyzed for six weeks Megyn Kelly’s program on Fox News
and essentially concluded that Kelly is Bill O’Reilly in a short skirt.
Charles
L. Ponce de Leon, an associate professor of history and American Studies at
California State University Long Beach, said he set out to determine if Fox’s
rising star was really different than the rest of the Fox team, as some in the
media have argued, or if “The Kelly Files” is an attempt by Fox creator Roger
Ailes to reach out to a wider audience.
The professor’s
conclusions will not please Fox fans or Fox haters.
conclusions will not please Fox fans or Fox haters.
Ponce
de Leon determined that Kelly, from her prime time 9 p.m. perch, is actually
aiming for the same viewers as O’Reilly and the others – “a core audience (that)
is more than just a particular slice of the larger consumer marketplace.
It’s a group of people with firm convictions and a coherent ideological
worldview.”
de Leon determined that Kelly, from her prime time 9 p.m. perch, is actually
aiming for the same viewers as O’Reilly and the others – “a core audience (that)
is more than just a particular slice of the larger consumer marketplace.
It’s a group of people with firm convictions and a coherent ideological
worldview.”
Here’s
a slice of his guest column for Salon:
“It’s true that she is less doctrinaire than
Hannity. And she can occasionally ask good questions — though, mostly,
it’s her prosecutorial style, rather than the question itself, that it is
noteworthy. Watching her regularly, however, made me realize that she’s
merely a slightly different version of O’Reilly — she’s a smart, engaging
television personality whose ‘reports’ reaffirm the conservative ideology of
most of her viewers.
Hannity. And she can occasionally ask good questions — though, mostly,
it’s her prosecutorial style, rather than the question itself, that it is
noteworthy. Watching her regularly, however, made me realize that she’s
merely a slightly different version of O’Reilly — she’s a smart, engaging
television personality whose ‘reports’ reaffirm the conservative ideology of
most of her viewers.
“Kelly’s biggest attribute is her personality.
She’s intelligent, down-to-earth and can poke fun at herself as well as at her
guests. And, no doubt much to Ailes’s delight, she has developed a very
effective broadcasting style. Her husky voice, quick wit and experience
as a lawyer give her an admirable air of authority. In the peculiar style
favored by (Fox) producers, she evokes a still glamorous ex-cheerleader.
She is also a superb performer, never losing her cool or command of her
program. She’s well-suited for television journalism, and in another era,
would likely have been a big star for the networks.”
She’s intelligent, down-to-earth and can poke fun at herself as well as at her
guests. And, no doubt much to Ailes’s delight, she has developed a very
effective broadcasting style. Her husky voice, quick wit and experience
as a lawyer give her an admirable air of authority. In the peculiar style
favored by (Fox) producers, she evokes a still glamorous ex-cheerleader.
She is also a superb performer, never losing her cool or command of her
program. She’s well-suited for television journalism, and in another era,
would likely have been a big star for the networks.”
