So, first and foremost, I want to be clear that the firing of Matt Lauer may just be pointing to a new level of commendable ferocity in the campaign to end sexual violence/misconduct and if it is just that, that would be heartwarming. That said, I'm noticing a trend recently in the ending of careers of prominent figures on shows on cable television especially, specifically in relation to things that it is known that Millennials won't tolerate. Knowing that the trend toward online TV such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime is almost the norm and is definitely the norm for the modern generation, I do have a few questions, though.
- Are firings like these motivated purely by the abhorrent behavior of these individuals?
- If so, why did it take so long? Has it really just been a ripple effect of people gaining the courage to bring these events to light? Has there been a political shift in upper management? I'm curious about why it took so long for many of these people to be fired? I can't imagine that there were NEVER accusations prior (unless it really has been an unprecedented ripple effect, as mentioned above).
This kind of thing is an obvious ratings booster, whether or not it is always coming from pure motives being beside the point. Because it is an obvious ratings booster, because these things are happening more frequently, because it is already obvious that cable is on its way out, and because of the fact that prior to the last few years these kinds of people have been untouchable, I wonder if the increased zero-tolerance policy of millennials regarding sexual misconduct is leading to previously untouchable people being fair game for firings if they break these rules that are finally emblazoned in the newmajoriy. Again, I'm 100% on board with the firing of those engaging sexual misconduct, immediately and unflinchingly, regardless of the person's status as a media personality, but with the increasing trend, I can't help but wonder if this is pointing toward the death of cable television.
My reasoning is that if it does turn out that is public sentiment driving this newly overturned concept of untouchable personalities (which was clearly the case in the past), then it could be the final stand of Cable Television attempting to retain and potentially regain viewership before they draw their last breath. I can't imagine there has been a political stance shift in EVERY cable television organization, AS WELL as online TV, which is seemingly also adopting this zero-tolerance rule, shown by the dropping of Kevin Spacey in regards to projects on Netflix, etc., a move that would be exactly what was necessary for them to do to match the moves being done by cable TV networks (a proverbial counterstrike to an intended last stand).
The reason I don't think that an unprecedented political shift is happening across all types of TV is because of the voting numbers between different political systems in elections. If you take a large sample size, you find that there is a pretty even divide among political viewpoints in most cases, so unless one of the political viewpoints is more likely to ensure executive status in a TV organization, I can't imagine such as regime switch has occurred. So, that leads me to conclude that Cable TV is dying and so has been cornered into finally adopting this righteous zero-tolerance policy.