Over the years a pattern has developed on Fox “News,” and more specifically Fox and Friends, that’s worth examining in detail.  News Hounds has often noted that F&F is the morning agit-prop table-setter for the entire Fox “News” day.  However, within that pattern lies another pattern worth deep exploration.  The First Ten™ minutes of Fox and Friends is the most important part of the channel’s entire day.  A number of stories are covered on The First Ten, but the underlying thread is usually that they all make President Obama or the government look bad.  Under the guise of bubbly happy talk, this heavily scripted segment—with just enough tomfoolery to make it sound ad libbed—is NEVER posted on Fox’s web site.  That’s a shame because The First Ten™ is where Fox “News” launch a lot of its trial balloons.  Some manage to float airily throughout the Fox schedule, trailing Right Wing memes.  Others sink without a trace after one airing.  This very subtle attack on President Obama using B.B. King and chyrons is a perfect example of the latter.   Video after the jump.

Most people will remember this story from yesterday because President Obama took his vocal chords out for a spin again, singing “Sweet Home Chicago” with a hot backing band, which included B.B. King.  How’s this for subtle?  As the Foxy Friends played part of King’s performance, the chyron floated these trial balloons:

BB King’s Musical Message; Sings “The Thrill Is Gone” to President Obama

“The Thrill Is Gone”; BB King tells President he is praying for him

Wait!  What?  Did they expect him to play “My Boy Lollipop” instead?  Of course B.B. King would perform “The Thrill Is Gone.”  It’s the biggest hit he’s ever had and he’s sung it literally thousands of times since recording it in 1969.  I bet there’s not a single performance in which he doesn’t rock out on “The Thrill Is Gone.”  However, had you only read the chyrons you might get the impression that B.B. King chose the song specifically and was lecturing the president.

While Fox News ran the B.B. King footage several times throughout the day, I never saw the same silly chyrons again.  An example of a lead balloon in The First Ten™ that sunk without trace.  I hope it was my tweet that said “NO BLOW TOO LOW” that did it.