Trump Issues Meaningless Executive Order To Try And Protect Larry Ellison’s CBS (And The Army Navy Game) From Competition

FCC boss Brendan Carr spends an awful lot of time pretending to be a tough guy, threatening any broadcasters that aren’t suitably deferential to our mad, idiot king. Carr’s had giant temper tantrums over comedians who make jokes, daytime and late night talk shows that refuse to kiss Republican ass, and any remaining journalists who critically cover the most corrupt administration in U.S. history.

Now Trump and Carr have something else to whine about pointlessly. Despite everything going on (including a disastrous, economy-rattling war), Trump somehow found time to write an executive order threatening any broadcasters that might pre-empt the Army Navy college football game as the college football playoffs expand:

“For over a century, the Army-Navy Game, known as “America’s Game,” has stood as a symbol of excellence and the American spirit.  Now, the recent and potentially ongoing expansion of the College Football Playoffs (CFP) and other postseason college football games threatens to encroach upon the second Saturday in December — a date traditionally reserved exclusively for “America’s Game.”  Such scheduling conflicts weaken the national focus on our Military Service Academies and detract from a morale-building event of vital interest to the Department of War.”

Here’s where I’ll point out that CBS Sports, now owned by right wing Trump ally David Ellison, holds the exclusive broadcast rights to this particular game. The broadcast rights of the other earlier round games encroaching on CBS’ turf (which have been doing better in the ratings) are owned by ESPN/Disney/ABC. Many of these are, I’ll point out, on cable, not broadcast.

It’s entirely possible that Larry or his nepobaby son called the president, whined about the competition, and the president immediately got to “work” addressing the problem under the pretense of patriotism. Or who knows what caused the President to suddenly care about the TV schedule of college football games. With an executive order that isn’t legal or enforceable and very likely means nothing because Trump can’t wave his hand and magically influence private scheduling organizations.

Curiously, if you read the New York Times story about this decision, the fact that it’s a top Trump donor, Ellison, who would benefit from this EO, simply isn’t mentioned. They didn’t think that was relevant. Same at the Associated Press. Same (of course) over at CBS, which talks about patriotism and “tradition,” but not the fact this EO was designed primarily to protect the interests of a Trump billionaire ally.

And none of those outlets also thought it was worth mentioning this EO likely means nothing and Trump has no serious power here. It’s another lovely example of how corporate media is building “journalism” in name only. Weird, hollow, pseudo-journalistic simulacrum designed to look like journalism that doesn’t actually inform anybody about what’s actually happening.

Anyway, Trump has tasked his personal earlobe nibbler, Carr, to once again threaten anybody who makes Republicans (and their oligarch friends) sad:

“The Chairman of the FCC shall consider reviewing the public interest obligations of broadcast licensees to determine whether those obligations would require that the Army-Navy Game remain a national service event.”

Trump and Carr are comically abusing the (fleeting and barely enforced) public interest standards affixed to broadcast television licenses in an industry that’s dramatically losing viewership (just 20% of all TV viewing was over broadcast last year, an all time low). Even if Trump did have the authority to try and stop broadcast TV competition in its tracks, this sad little pseudo-patriotic gambit still wouldn’t mean much.