American cable news channel
Television channel
Newsmax TV
is an American
conservative
television channel
owned by
Newsmax
. The network primarily focuses on political opinion-based talk shows. It carries a news/talk format throughout the day and night, with documentaries and films on weekends. During and after the
2020 United States presidential election
, it grew rapidly by broadcasting conspiracy theories and allegations of voter fraud.
[1]
[2]
[3]
The channel was created by American journalist and Newsmax CEO
Christopher Ruddy
. It launched on June 16, 2014, to 35 million satellite subscribers through
DirecTV
and
Dish Network
.
[4]
As of May 2019, the network reaches about 75 million cable homes and has wide
streaming
and
digital media player
/mobile device availability.
[5]
The channel primarily broadcasts from Newsmax's studio on
Manhattan's East Side
in
New York City
, with headquarters in
Boca Raton, Florida
and
Washington, D.C.
[6]
[7]
[
better source needed
]
Newsmax TV holds a
conservative
political stance, broadcasting many programs hosted by conservative media personalities. CEO
Christopher Ruddy
has compared the network to
Fox News
. The company has hired many former
Fox News Channel
program hosts, including
Greg Kelly
,
Rob Schmitt
,
Bob Sellers
, and
Heather Childers
.
[8]
[9]
In August 2020,
The Washington Post
described Newsmax as "a landing spot for cable news personalities in need of a new home", citing the network's airing of
Mark Halperin
and
Bill O'Reilly
following their resignations from other networks due to allegations of
sexual harassment
.
[10]
History
[
edit
]
Network launch
[
edit
]
In May 2014, U.S. news organization
Newsmax
announced that it had signed a distribution deal with DirecTV and would launch a national television news channel to compete directly with CNN, Fox News, and other American news networks. It was launched to provide independent news; its founder, Chris Ruddy described it as intended to be a "kinder, gentler Fox News," saying that "Our goal is to be a little more
boomer
-oriented, more information-based rather than being vituperative and polarizing."
[9]
Around the time of the channel launch, Businessweek Bloomberg profiled Ruddy and Newsmax in a feature story entitled "The Next
Ailes
: Newsmax's Chris Ruddy Preps TV Rival to Fox News.
[11]
Businessweek Bloomberg reported that Newsmax planned to build off its success as a digital media player to challenge Fox News in the traditional cable arena while developing a stake in the emerging streaming OTT business.
A Fast Company report in December 2020 suggested Newsmax was on a course to "dethrone" Fox with its streaming digital strategy by offering the channel for free to platforms like Roku, YouTube, Pluto TV, Xumo, Samsung TV Plus and others. "You wouldn't know it by looking at cable TV ratings, but Fox News has a problem on its hands," Fast Company wrote, noting that "When you factor in Newsmax's streaming audience, the race between the two right-wing news networks is closer than you might think."
[12]
On January 16, 2016,
Dennis Michael Lynch
: Unfiltered
debuted on the channel.
[
citation needed
]
The program ended after the first segment of the August 10, 2016, episode after Lynch announced that he would resign from the network and made comments defending
Fox News Channel
and criticizing his network for its reporting of the
Trump campaign
and suggesting they were restricting his editorial control; he was escorted out from the network's
New York
studio during what would have been the first commercial break.
[13]
[14]
It was replaced the next Monday with an hour-long video simulcast of radio's
The Howie Carr Show
from
WRKO
in
Boston
.
[15]
Beginning in 2020, the network significantly ramped up programming, adding evening shows with Greg Kelly, a former Fox News and local affiliate host, and Grant Stinchfield, a former NBC local correspondent and ex-NRA TV host.
[16]
The network launched
Spicer & Co.
on March 3, 2020, featuring former Trump
White House Press Secretary
Sean Spicer
and co-host
Lyndsay Keith
,
[17]
[18]
Historically, the network started out with a documentary-heavy lineup, but as of 2022, replays of daily and weekend shows make up the bulk of the network's late night programming, like most news channels.
2020 election
[
edit
]
During the
2020 United States presidential election
, then-President Trump began to promote Newsmax over rival competitor
Fox News
.
[6]
[19]
[20]
Trump's preference for Newsmax over Fox News became clearer after the latter became the first news outlet to call
Arizona
for Democratic challenger
Joe Biden
.
[21]
Newsmax has made their more conservative leanings a selling point to disaffected Fox News viewers, as well as employing Fox News alumni to join their lineup on Newsmax TV, such as
Rob Schmitt
and
Greg Kelly
.
[21]
[22]
[23]
After the election was won by Democrat
Joe Biden
, Newsmax struck a defiant tone, focusing on
conspiracy theories and allegations of voter fraud
as a way to attract
Fox News
viewers angered by what they saw as insufficient loyalty to Trump.
[1]
[2]
[3]
Emily VanDerWerff of
Vox
reported that the outlet did not "go full arch-conservative" and "doesn't give airtime to QAnon paranoiacs", but that it "spent lots of time arguing that other media outlets jumped the gun in calling the election for Biden and that Trump still has a path to win this thing."
[24]
Newsmax was thus positioned further to the right of Fox but less so than
One America News Network
, another conservative news channel that embraced a
far-right
editorial stance during and after the Trump administration.
[25]
CNN's
Brian Stelter
, in an on-air interview, asked Newsmax CEO
Christopher Ruddy
why the network chose to air "election denialism" and "bogus voter fraud stuff," to which Ruddy replied that the network featured all points of view and argued that all of the other major news outlets who had reported Biden's election win were "rushing."
[26]
2021?present
[
edit
]
Since the election, Newsmax has seen increasing viewership; according to Nielsen, Newsmax averaged 182,000 viewers in the week leading up to the election. In the week that followed, the average increased further with daily averages around 400,000 viewers, with
Greg Kelly Reports
and
Spicer & Co.
having attracted numbers in the 700,000?800,000 range.
[27]
On December 7, 2020,
Greg Kelly Reports
beat its timeslot competitor on Fox News,
The Story with Martha MacCallum
, in average
key demographic
viewership for the first time (229,000 to 203,000), while Stelter observed that overall the program "has nearly a million viewers on a good night".
[28]
A small number of cable providers, including
Breezeline
(formerly Atlantic Broadband), dropped the channel in January 2022. The company stated that the decision was not based on the network's content, but because of Newsmax wanting to move to more traditional
retransmission consent
arrangements where providers pay to carry the network (rather than Newsmax paying providers to carry the channel), while simultaneously being available at no charge via
YouTube
and
free ad-supported streaming television
(FAST) platforms.
[25]
Newsmax plans to discontinue its free online streams by the end of 2023.
[29]
As of October 2022, Newsmax was in a distant fourth place among the cable news channels, behind Fox News, CNN and MSNBC but ahead of
NewsNation
.
[30]
On January 25, 2023, Newsmax TV was removed from the satellite and streaming versions of DirecTV and U-verse after their carriage agreement expired; the network sought to convert from paying DirecTV for carriage to a retransmission consent arrangement.
[31]
DirecTV subsequently replaced Newsmax TV with the competing conservative network
The First TV
.
[32]
While DirecTV isn't required by law to carry cable news channels with differing political agendas, this particular carriage dispute invoked stroke rebukes from conservative lawmakers like Florida governor
Ron DeSantis
, who characterised the dispute as "censorship."
[33]
DirecTV and Newsmax settled their dispute on March 22, 2023.
[34]
Newsmax's retransmission consent agreement with DirecTV and others required it to wind down the free streaming simulcast of its cable news channel, which it did on November 1, 2023. In its place on
advertising video on demand
providers, Newsmax launched "Newsmax2," which includes headline rundowns and shorter 'best-of' clips of Newsmax programming. Newsmax+ was then launched as a paid monthly subscription service, carrying the traditional feed now exclusive to paid television providers.
[35]
Notable personalities
[
edit
]
Program hosts
[
edit
]
Weekdays
[36]
Weekends
Correspondents and substitute anchors
[
edit
]
Previous
[
edit
]
Over-the-air affiliations
[
edit
]
Newsmax TV mainly depends on its carriage on cable services for viewership, along with streaming on their website and open
digital media player
platforms such as
Roku
and in the UK via online video subscription service
NewsPlayer+
. It has historically made its feed available to free-to-air terrestrial television affiliates, but those affiliations as of 2021 have mostly been discontinued, except for a county-owned translator network in
Millard County, Utah
, along with
Alexandria, Minnesota
, which carries the Newsmax feed as part of
Selective TV's
slate of cable and terrestrial stations to the Alexandria area.
The new terms for DirecTV's carriage deal for Newsmax TV required the network's remaining over-the-air affiliations outside Alexandria, and free online availability (outside several exceptions for the latter) to be withdrawn as of November 1, 2023, when that access ended and was replaced by a monthly subscription platform, Newsmax+. Some online providers began to carry the secondary channel Newsmax2 instead, which features taped news rundowns and 'best-of' content. Its over-the-air stations thus began to carry Newsmax2.
Current affiliates of Newsmax networks
[
edit
]
City
|
Callsign
|
Virtual channel
|
Notes
|
Los Angeles, California
|
KFLA-LD
|
8.1
|
Carries Newsmax2
|
Cherry Valley, California
|
KILA-LD
|
8.1
|
Arlington Heights
/
Chicago, Illinois
|
WRJK-LD
|
22.7
|
Wilmington, Delaware
/
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
|
WDPN-TV
|
2.9
|
Houston, Texas
|
KVQT-LD
|
21.1
|
San Francisco, California
|
KOFY-TV
|
20.6
|
KPJC-LD
|
24.8
|
Santa Cruz, California
|
KAAP-LD
|
24.8
|
Tampa, Florida
|
WTBT-LD
|
45.4
|
Daytona Beach, Florida
|
WOTF-TV
|
26.6
|
Orlando, Florida
|
WSWF-LD
|
10.8
|
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
|
WOSC-CD
|
61.7
|
Las Vegas, Nevada
|
KPVM-LD
|
25.5
|
Fresno, California
|
KAIL
|
7.5
|
Buffalo, New York
|
WNYB
|
26.6
|
WBNF-CD
|
26.6
|
Little Rock, Arkansas
|
KLRA-CD
|
20.8
|
Des Moines, Iowa
|
KDMI
|
19.7
|
Iowa City
/
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
|
KWKB
|
20.8
|
Wichita, Kansas
|
KAGW-CD
|
26.9
|
Selma
/
Montgomery, Alabama
|
WAKA
|
8.8
|
Bellingham, Washington
|
KBCB
|
24.3
|
Fort Smith, Arkansas
|
KFDF-CD
|
44.4
|
Alexandria, Minnesota
|
K20AC-D
|
20.2
|
Rural
translator networks
carrying regular Newsmax TV feed
|
Delta, Utah
|
K24NA-D
|
24.1
|
Fillmore, Utah
|
K34GO-D
|
24.1
|
Leamington, Utah
|
K09YW-D
|
24.1
|
Scipio, Utah
|
K19LY-D
|
24.1
|
Former affiliates
[
edit
]
Market
|
Station
|
Channel
|
Notes
|
Atlanta, Georgia
|
WTBS-LD
|
26.5
|
Replaced with
Estrella TV
|
Atlanta, Georgia
|
WEQT-LD
|
9.1
|
|
Augusta, Georgia
|
WAAU-LD
|
23.2
|
Replaced with
paid programming
|
Cincinnati, Ohio
|
WOTH-CD
|
20.5
|
Station sold spectrum in 2016 FCC auction and permanently signed off
|
Detroit, Michigan
|
WUDL-LD
|
19.4
|
Replaced with paid programming
|
Detroit, Michigan
|
WADL (TV)
|
38.1
|
Carried the network's 9 p.m. newshour from 2012 to 2016
|
Fayetteville, North Carolina
|
WNCB-LD
|
16.4
|
Replaced by paid programming
|
Fort Smith, Arkansas
|
KFLU-LD
|
20.6
|
Replaced with
Heroes & Icons
|
Fresno, California
|
KVBC-LP
|
13.10
|
Replaced with Real America's Voice
|
Gila River IC
/
Phoenix, Arizona
|
KGRX-LD
|
19.1
|
Replaced with
First Nations Experience
|
Kansas City, Kansas
|
KCKS-LD
|
25.5
|
Replaced with Real America's Voice
|
Las Vegas, Nevada
|
KNBX-CD
|
31.2
|
Replaced with
Christian Television Network
under new ownership
|
Los Angeles, California
|
KHIZ-LD
|
39.1
|
Replaced with
Court TV Mystery
|
Louisburg, Kansas
|
KMJC-LD
|
25.5
|
Replaced with
America's Voice
|
Lubbock, Texas
|
KNKC-LD
|
29.7
|
|
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
|
W51DJ-D
|
51.1
|
Replaced with
Azteca America
|
Montgomery, Alabama
|
WDSF-LD
|
19.5
|
|
Nashville, Tennessee
|
WKUW-LD
|
40.4
|
Replaced with
The Country Network
, then
Quest
|
Orlando, Florida
|
WSWF-LD
|
20.6
|
|
Phoenix, Arizona
|
KFPB-LD
|
50.6
|
Replaced with
Stadium
|
Ponce, Puerto Rico
|
W31DL-D
|
36.1
|
License cancelled October 4, 2018 in post-
Hurricane Maria
fallout
|
Sacramento, California
|
KFMS-LD
|
47.6
|
Channel went
dark
|
San Juan, Puerto Rico
|
W26DK-D
|
25.2
|
Replaced with OnTV4U
|
Topeka, Kansas
|
WROB-LD
|
25.5
|
Replaced with Real America's Voice
|
Washington, DC
|
WMDE
|
36.1
|
Replaced with
ShopHQ
under new ownership
|
West Palm Beach, Florida
|
WHDT
|
9.1
|
Replaced with
Court TV
under new ownership
|
Wichita, Kansas
|
KGPT-CD
|
26.7
|
|
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Roose, Kevin (November 12, 2020).
"Newsmax courts Fox News viewers with election denialism"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
November 29,
2020
– via NYTimes.com.
- ^
a
b
Lahut, Jake.
"Newsmax CEO says Trump's baseless voter fraud claims are 'great for news' in off the rails interview"
.
Business Insider
. Retrieved
November 29,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"Trump-friendly Newsmax a sudden competitor to Fox News"
.
Tampa Bay Times
. Retrieved
December 2,
2020
.
- ^
"Newsmax network debuts Monday on Dish, DirecTV"
.
USA TODAY
. Retrieved
February 18,
2016
.
- ^
"Newsmax Grabs Fox Distribution Executive"
. May 14, 2019.
- ^
a
b
Man, Anthony (November 13, 2020).
"South Florida's Newsmax rides wave of interest as Donald Trump urges supporters to turn off Fox News"
.
sun-sentinel.com
.
Archived
from the original on November 13, 2020
. Retrieved
November 13,
2020
.
- ^
Polsky, Sara (November 20, 2012).
"10 Buildings Possibly Endangered by a Midtown East Rezoning"
.
Curbed NY
. Retrieved
May 24,
2020
.
- ^
Barr, Jeremy.
"Newsmax hopes conservative anger at Fox News and a few Trump tweets can boost the much smaller network"
.
The Washington Post
.
- ^
a
b
"The Next Ailes: Newsmax's Chris Ruddy Preps TV Rival to Fox News"
.
Bloomberg
. March 6, 2014
. Retrieved
March 6,
2014
.
- ^
Barr, Jeremy.
"Newsmax has emerged as a landing spot for cable news personalities in need of a new home"
.
The Washington Post
.
ISSN
0190-8286
. Retrieved
November 15,
2020
.
- ^
Greenfeld, Karl Taro (March 6, 2014).
"Newsmax's Chris Ruddy Preps TV Network to Rival Fox News"
.
Bloomberg
. Retrieved
July 13,
2021
.
- ^
Newman, Jared (December 7, 2020).
"Newsmax's plan to dethrone Fox News: Build a streaming empire"
.
Fast Company
. Retrieved
July 14,
2021
.
- ^
"Newsmax Host Taken Off the Air After Calling Out His Network During Live Broadcast"
.
www.mediaite.com
. August 11, 2016
. Retrieved
August 16,
2016
.
- ^
Emery, Debbie (August 11, 2016).
"Newsmax Host Dennis Michael Lynch Is Pulled Off the Air for Defending Fox News"
. Retrieved
November 29,
2020
.
- ^
NewsmaxTV (August 15, 2016),
Newsmax Prime | Howie Carr talks about Newsmax TV broadcasting an hour of his popular radio show
, retrieved
August 16,
2016
- ^
Short, Aaron.
"The reinvention of Greg Kelly from charismatic New York insider to firebrand Trump booster"
.
Insider
. Retrieved
July 23,
2021
.
- ^
"Sean Spicer Joins Newsmax TV Lineup"
.
Broadcasting+Cable
. February 13, 2020
. Retrieved
February 13,
2020
.
- ^
"Greg Kelly now anchoring nightly opinion-based show on Newsmax TV"
.
Newsday
. Retrieved
March 9,
2020
.
- ^
Analysis by Brian Stelter (November 12, 2020).
"Trump voters are flocking to a TV channel that claims Biden is not president-elect"
.
CNN
.
Archived
from the original on November 12, 2020
. Retrieved
November 13,
2020
.
- ^
"Donald Trump attacks Fox News: 'They forgot the golden goose'
"
.
the Guardian
. November 13, 2020.
Archived
from the original on November 13, 2020
. Retrieved
November 13,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
Barr, Jeremy (November 10, 2020).
"Newsmax hopes conservative anger at Fox News and a few Trump tweets can boost the much smaller network"
.
The Washington Post
.
Archived
from the original on November 13, 2020
. Retrieved
November 10,
2020
.
- ^
Zara, Christopher (November 10, 2020).
"Newsmax could end up being the Fox News of the post-Trump era"
.
Fast Company
.
Archived
from the original on November 10, 2020
. Retrieved
November 11,
2020
.
- ^
"Trump voters are flocking to a TV channel that claims Biden is not president-elect"
. November 12, 2020.
Archived
from the original on November 13, 2020
. Retrieved
November 13,
2020
.
- ^
VanDerWerff, Emily (November 12, 2020).
"My two days watching Newsmax, the network waging war on Fox News from the right"
.
Vox
. Retrieved
November 14,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
Battaglio, Stephen (January 22, 2022).
"Why pay TV operators are dropping Trump-loving cable networks"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
January 25,
2022
.
- ^
Beckett, Lois
; Wong, Julia Carrie (November 10, 2020).
"The misinformation media machine amplifying Trump's election lies"
.
The Guardian
.
ISSN
0261-3077
. Retrieved
November 14,
2020
.
- ^
Stelter, Brian (November 12, 2020).
"Trump voters are flocking to a TV channel that claims Biden is not president-elect"
. CNN
. Retrieved
November 15,
2020
.
- ^
Stelter, Brian (December 8, 2020).
"Newsmax TV scores a ratings win over Fox News for the first time ever"
. CNN Business
. Retrieved
December 9,
2020
.
- ^
Hayes, Dade (March 22, 2023).
"DirecTV Resolves Carriage Fight With Newsmax, Ending Two Months Of Media Industry Acrimony That Spilled Into Washington"
.
Deadline Hollywood
. Retrieved
March 22,
2023
.
- ^
Keys, Matthew (October 4, 2022).
"Chris Cuomo's NewsNation show starts with low ratings"
.
The Desk
. Solano Media, LLC
. Retrieved
October 5,
2022
.
- ^
Keys, Matthew (January 26, 2023).
"Newsmax says free online stream will end after DirecTV dispute"
.
The Desk
. Retrieved
November 5,
2023
.
- ^
Insider, DirecTV (January 26, 2023).
"DIRECTV to Add Conservative-Appeal Commentary Channel The First"
.
DIRECTV Insider
. Retrieved
November 5,
2023
.
- ^
Mastrangelo, Dominick (January 31, 2023).
"DeSantis: House GOP should probe DirecTV's ditching of Newsmax"
.
The Hill
. Retrieved
November 5,
2023
.
- ^
Rizzo, Lillian (March 22, 2023).
"DirecTV reaches deal to distribute right wing network Newsmax after long dispute"
.
CNBC
. Retrieved
November 5,
2023
.
- ^
Keys, Matthew (November 5, 2023).
"Newsmax puts streaming channel behind a paywall, launches free headlines channel "Newsmax 2"
"
.
The Desk
. Retrieved
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2023
.
- ^
- Schedule - Newsmax TV.com
- ^
Pedersen, Erik (May 24, 2022).
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.
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. Retrieved
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2022
.
- ^
Calabrese, Dan (July 30, 2020).
"We're heartbroken, and the world is poorer: Herman Cain has gone to be with the Lord"
.
The Cain Gang
.
External links
[
edit
]