CABLE NETWORKS JOIN FORCES FOR POLITICAL ANALYST CHARITY
November 12 2008
New York, NY – Cable network giants CNN, FOX News, and MSNBC have put aside their differences and ratings battles to give aid to those who have given so much to their networks during the recent election campaigns. The three channels have Networks for Political Pundits, NPP, to help those analysts that have been put out of work by the recent election.
“We are banding together, putting aside partisanship, and doing what is right for our analysts,” said Fox News head Roger Ailes. “We can’t allow a left wing agenda to hinder our efforts to help the people who have contributed so much to our networks during this season.”
Fox came in second place for ratings for the duration of the Presidential run. CNN ranked first, and MSNBC a distant third. While the top two continue to compete for audience, those battles have been put aside to aid those hurt by the recent political downturn.
“It’s a vicious loop that happens every presidential campaign. One minute you can’t get any sleep because the phone is constantly ringing, the next you’re calling people looking for work,” said Paul Begala, a veteran of many political analyst cycles. “The important thing for any pundits is to have something to fall back on. It’s a tough thing to balance because your life is completely consumed and there’s no time to do anything else, and then you have a ton of free time. I’ve learned how to integrate those highs and lows into my life, but it’s hard for young people to really understand. They tend to think that the highs are just going to continue, but they don’t.”
The charity is aimed at providing assistance and training to pundits who are having trouble making ends meet, not only through the down political cycle but also through the economic crisis. The organization will be holding a charity dinner November 25th to aid the pundits.
“For the big names it’s not as much of an issue. Generally the stars have something to go back to or have a lot of doors opened to them after a big news cycle, but the lesser names tend to suffer,” said Scrape TV Media analyst Sarah Piper. “It’s a shame, but the truth is we’ve all heard stories about people offering political analysis on the streets. It’s great that the networks are putting aside their difference to help these people because the last thing we need is partisanship amongst the homeless.”
Big name analysts such as Begala, Roland Martin, Gloria Borger, Alex Castellanos, David Gergen, William Kristol, Jeffrey Toobin, Michael Barone, and Dick Morris will also be attending the dinner to help support their fellow analysts.
“It’s important that the analyst pool stays vital,” said Toobin. “We need to nurture the up and comers for the good of the industry. Barack Obama and Sarah Palin are perfect examples of keeping youth in the game and not just relying on traditional stars. This organization will be a tremendous help to political punditry for years to come.”
There are rumours that the organization has spoken to the federal government for possible bailout dollars for the displaced pundits, though no one would go on record as having done so. Some suspect that the organization may be waiting for President-elect Obama to take office. 
“It’s in the best interest of all politicians and news organizations to keep the field vital and healthy,” continued Toobin. “People shouldn’t look at this as charity but rather as an investment in the future of talking heads. We need to do what we can to keep the quality of chatter high for the next election cycle.”
William Ashford, Business Correspondent
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