A Murdochian Vice?

August 17, 2013 5:14 PM

Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox, formerly part of News Corp., has bought a 5% stake in Vice Media for $70m. The move is said to give Vice access to Fox's satellite broadcasting networks, whilst preserving the founders' editorial control.
posted by acb (32 comments total)

Hmm. I wonder if anyone there has actually done more than look at the pictures?
posted by Artw at 5:17 PM on August 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

FXNews?
posted by kittens for breakfast at 5:29 PM on August 17, 2013 [2 favorites]

I was wondering whether this is about purely business, or Murdoch looking for a way to sell the political Right (or at least cynicism about progressive ideas) to the young-and-hip demographic. After all, while FoxNews and his other properties have been flying high on a tide of scared older white people, soon enough, those will die out, and the younger people aren't sufficiently scared of gays, feminism or brown people to replenish their numbers.
posted by acb at 5:35 PM on August 17, 2013 [4 favorites]

Coming soon, " Trickle down economics is the new kinky watersport for your economy."
posted by The Whelk at 5:36 PM on August 17, 2013 [3 favorites]

Some more thoughts about whether Murdoch/VICE could sell the Right to hipsters.
posted by acb at 5:38 PM on August 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

Pretty sure this is a plot to generate Fusion energy via massive amounts of self-loathing
posted by hellojed at 5:45 PM on August 17, 2013 [2 favorites]

TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH IS THE NEW COCAINE
posted by mcmile at 5:47 PM on August 17, 2013 [2 favorites]

acb: I was wondering whether this is about purely business, or Murdoch looking for a way to sell the political Right (or at least cynicism about progressive ideas) to the young-and-hip demographic. After all, while FoxNews and his other properties have been flying high on a tide of scared older white people, soon enough, those will die out, and the younger people aren't sufficiently scared of gays, feminism or brown people to replenish their numbers.

I don't wonder one bit.

Occam's Razor, combined with past performance, damn near guarantees it.
posted by IAmBroom at 5:54 PM on August 17, 2013

Leaving all the obvious jokes and stuff aside, I'm surprised by the political and philosophical credit people give to big media companies like Fox. Do people honestly think that they really care all that much about any of the politics and culturewar they sell? I don't know if it makes me more cynical or naive, but I tend to think they are just a business making money and scheming to make more. Sure, it may be a plot to sell the Artisan Right to Disaffected Hipsters, but isn't the point just to sell something, not to further any particular end? So wouldn't they be just as happy if it were a way to sell ..whatever you want to call the VICE demographic...to the Right?

If they could make a ton more money pivoting and selling left wing tie-dye outrage, or faux-cynical recent grad miseryporn, don't you think they will?
posted by freebird at 5:56 PM on August 17, 2013 [8 favorites]

Yuck.
posted by R. Mutt at 5:56 PM on August 17, 2013

Is this a Do or a Don't
posted by four panels at 6:00 PM on August 17, 2013 [10 favorites]

I don't mind Vice, but it's definitely grounded in a kind of South Park right wing sensibilty. It's been a lot better since Gavin McInnes left, but still...
posted by Greener Backyards at 6:01 PM on August 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

First off, It's not like Vice was some liberal magazine to start with. The owner is a self admitted capitalist republican.
Secondly, No.... Fox isn't going to sell right wing politics to hipsters. They just want to own something that's profitable.
posted by Liquidwolf at 6:03 PM on August 17, 2013 [2 favorites]

First off, It's not like Vice was some liberal magazine to start with. The owner is a self admitted capitalist republican.

That would have been McInnes; apparently Suroosh Alvi has described himself as a socialist.
posted by acb at 6:05 PM on August 17, 2013 [2 favorites]

First off, It's not like Vice was some liberal magazine to start with. The owner is a self admitted capitalist republican.

That would have been McInnes; apparently Suroosh Alvi has described himself as a socialist.

It was definitely McInnes who was the capitalist pig. I didn't know Suroosh fancied himself a Socialist. Maybe he was joking.
posted by Liquidwolf at 6:11 PM on August 17, 2013

So that means someone thinks Vice is or will be worth 1.4 billion? Huh.
posted by gingerest at 6:24 PM on August 17, 2013

I'm surprised by the political and philosophical credit people give to big media companies like Fox. Do people honestly think that they really care all that much about any of the politics and culturewar they sell?

Do I think your average camera operator or low level flunky gives a shit? Not really. But evidence is Roger Ailes is true believer as hell dating back to at least the Nixon administration.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 6:37 PM on August 17, 2013 [4 favorites]

So how long until we see Geraldo Rivera smoking opium in Waziristan?
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 6:43 PM on August 17, 2013 [2 favorites]

Media companies owned by capitalists? Pearls clutched.
posted by Ideefixe at 6:44 PM on August 17, 2013

whilst preserving the founders' editorial control

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA
posted by slater at 6:56 PM on August 17, 2013 [8 favorites]

After all, while FoxNews and his other properties have been flying high on a tide of scared older white people, soon enough, those will die out, and the younger people aren't sufficiently scared of gays, feminism or brown people to replenish their numbers.

No need to worry- there's always going to be a new generation scared of poor people and socialism.
posted by happyroach at 6:58 PM on August 17, 2013

Will this raise the ethical reputation of either?
posted by cjorgensen at 7:16 PM on August 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

So that means someone thinks Vice is or will be worth 1.4 billion? Huh.

Or roughly the same as the NYT. Or 5 Washington Posts.

Huh, indeed, but it looks like they were predicting ~$200 million in revenue and ~20+% margins for 2012, which would justify that valuation with the growth rate they are seeing.
posted by roquetuen at 8:05 PM on August 17, 2013

This is great news for Vice, especially when Rupert gets the broadcast rights for live executions. The cross-promotional potentialities are enormous.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:33 PM on August 17, 2013 [2 favorites]

So does this mean Vice is the next MySpace?
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 9:47 PM on August 17, 2013

Sometimes I think Vice is the journalistic equivalent of a rural state-college frat party fueled by rage, ego, and Natty Lite.

So probably a Don't
posted by Doleful Creature at 11:40 PM on August 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

Coming soon, " Trickle down economics is the new kinky watersport for your economy." --The Whelk

How could you insult something as innocent and pure as watersports by comparing it to economics, you monster. I mean, one is just dirty, perverted sex that gives a lot of people the squirms, the other is economics. Bleh.
posted by Canageek at 1:06 AM on August 18, 2013

faux-cynical recent grad miseryporn
Oh you! <3
posted by Raunchy 60s Humour at 1:33 AM on August 18, 2013

But evidence is Roger Ailes is true believer as hell

This is true, but keep in mind that Ailes runs Fox News Channel, which is two subsidiaries below 21st Century Fox.

Which is just to say that it's possible to discern a potential agenda, but then you have to balance it against, say, the potential of an agenda in films such as The Heat. It's not an ironclad case.
posted by dhartung at 2:50 AM on August 18, 2013

Apparently, they make money by having advertisers actually produce the content in a lot of cases, so it's some kind of hybrid advertorial in a lot of what they do— at least according to that NY'er piece. What I don't understand is how they are managing to make money doing this while so many other people lose tons of it.

I can see why Murdoch would be interested in that for sure, but I wonder if there's some pets.com-like thing going on. It just seems weird to me— they don't seem that different. Maybe advertisers are just willing to pay them a ton of money for something nebulous (like the 10,000 page views on that Intel thing)— but how long will they be willing to do that when they won't do so for traditional media?
posted by Maias at 7:18 AM on August 18, 2013

Belief in the absolute virtue of money and power is the right-wing ideology.
posted by saulgoodman at 8:49 AM on August 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

I'm sick of Vice. My guess is there are some kids in an (affordable?) industrial space somewhere doing something like what Vice did 10 or so years ago only much better. If I knew who they were I would pay attention to them instead.

Also, you know what sells? Cool does. So when you're shelling out for that drink/shirt/show I think it makes sense to ask yourself what you're really buying, and if it's worth it.
posted by nowhere man at 9:52 AM on August 18, 2013