So, Is Jim Acosta Going to MSNBC?
Jim Acosta announced on Tuesday that he would exit CNN. It was either that or move to the graveyard shift from midnight to 2 am ET, head-to-head with the infomercials.
"You may have seen some reports about me and this show and after giving all of this some careful consideration, and weighing an alternative timeslot CNN offered me, I have decided to move on," Acosta told viewers.
For old time's sake, Acosta likened Donald Trump to a truthless doctor on his way out the door. "As the son of a Cuban refugee, I took home this lesson. It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant," he said with his infamous grind.
According to reports, new CNN CEO Mark Thompson won't seek to fill Acosta's role as lead anti-Trump propagandist. Hence, CNN offered him a role so insulting that he'd willingly choose to clean out his office.
As for Acosta, he will almost certainly look to land somewhere that values his skillset of antagonizing Trump and fabricating the news. Thus, viewers speculated on Tuesday that a few hundred thousand viewers would soon see Acosta's face pop up on MSNBC.
Perhaps.
Like CNN, MSNBC has lost well over half of its audience since the November election. The channel needs new faces. Acosta fits the loose-with-facts editorial direction that MSNBC upholds. He'd also align with the "Trump is Hitler" cronies all across the network.
Here's Joy Reid honoring the Holocaust victims by comparing Trump to a Nazi leader:
Jim Acosta Moves On From CNN
Acosta also has enough leftist diversity to adapt to whatever division of MSNBC needed -- be it the elite wing (Morning Joe), woke wing (Rachel Maddow), or racist wing (Joy Reid) of the channel.
MSNBC should also be able to sign Acosta on the cheap.
For star television hosts, the independent scene is more prosperous. The top podcasters now make more money than the top television hosts. Even Maddow's $25 million salary falls well short of what Joe Rogan, Alex Cooper, Ben Shapiro, Dave Portnoy, and Pat McAfee make per year.
Not to mention, the freedom of independence is difficult to quantify.
However, to launch a successful media venture, one has to have amassed an audience large and passionate enough to monetize. The most successful podcasters are, above all else, unique.
Acosta is not unique.
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 16: CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta returns to the White House after Federal judge Timothy J. Kelly ordered the White House to reinstate his press pass November 16, 2018 in Washington, DC. CNN has filed a lawsuit against the White House after Acosta's press pass was revoked after a dispute involving a news conference last week. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Acosta Would Seem To Align Best With MSNBC
There's a reason left-wing opinionists have rarely succeeded outside the constraints of corporate media, save for maybe "Pod Save America. The genre is oversaturated.
Acosta, though more bombastic, doesn't offer a different perspective than what's already plastered across CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS, and NPR.
As of publication, here are the top five independent podcasters on Apple under the "News" category, in order: Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, Candace Owens, and Dan Bongino.
Not exactly Acosta's crowd.
And as long as MSNBC doesn't put him on after Nick at Nite's 11:30 pm rerun of "Full House," Acsota will take the offer. It's either that or fade into oblivion over in Bluesky Heaven, next to Taylor Lorenz and Keith Olbermann.
We are getting Acosta and Joy Reid back to back, aren't we?
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Update: Acosta says he will launch a venture on Substack live "for now," presumably until his contract with CNN is complete and allows him to sign elsewhere.