If you’re in New York tomorrow, March 13, 2019, do consider joining Media Matters’ demonstration in front of Fox News headquarters, at 11 AM. It’s timed to coincide with the network’s emergency meeting with its advertisers.

As Variety noted, the meeting is intended to soothe advertisers’ concerns about the inflammatory opinion hosts and draw the focus to the news division.

“The opinion programming is incredibly popular, and steals the bigger part of the headlines,” says Jason Klarman, a consultant who has been working with Fox News and who is supervising the marketing effort. but “literally more than two-thirds of the millions of people who come in and check out the channel every day are coming for the news programming.

Unfortunately for Fox, the meeting couldn’t be coming at a worse time. Not only are Tucker Carlson and Jeanine Pirro currently under fire for bigoted and (in Carlson’s case) homophobic comments, but a New Yorker bombshell last week reported that the network spiked a reporter's Stormy Daniels hush money scoop in service to Donald Trump’s election prospects. (We’ve long reported that although there is some independence, ultimately the news division is part and parcel of the Fox propaganda machine.)

Even worse for Fox, the need for advertising dollars is growing more important even as advertisers have been shying away from the opinion shows. More from Variety:

Keeping the ad dollars flowing at Fox News is critical – not only for the network, but for its parent company, 21st Century Fox. At some point in the next few months, Fox is slated to sell the bulk of its cable and studio assets to Walt Disney Co. The remaining company, known as Fox Corporation will rely on not only Fox News and Fox Business Network, but Fox Sports and Fox Broadcasting. The Fox News unit has contributed around 20% of the overall company’s operating profit. In a pared-down structure, it might be more. And while many analysts focus on the revenue Fox News derives from affiliates, its ad dollars will also be important after the sale.

That is why Media Matters has scheduled its demonstration in front of Fox News  tomorrow.

• WHERE: 1211 6th Avenue, New York City
• WHEN: Wednesday, March 13 at 11 a.m.
• RSVP here.

Regular readers know that I do not advocate for advertiser boycotts. I do advocate (civil, peaceful) confrontation with Fox News. Also, I see no reason not to remind advertisers and anyone else just how poisonous Fox is to many decent people. 

Unfortunately, I can’t be there tomorrow nor do I think any of our contributors will be able to attend.

However, I urge any and all readers in the vicinity to go there with signs, tee shirts and anything else that broadcasts a message.

If anyone is willing to provide video, I would love to post some.

(protester image from The All-Nite Images from NY, NY, USA [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons)