Cal Thomas: Other media "trying to copy" Fox's use of "big-lipped blondes" and "trailer trash"

Summary: On Fox News Watch, syndicated columnist Cal Thomas stated that other media outlets are "trying to copy" Fox News by "doing more tabloid, more big-lipped blondes," but "[t]here's only so much of that trailer-trash pie to go around."

On the June 17 edition of Fox News' Fox News Watch, syndicated columnist Cal Thomas stated that other media outlets are "trying to copy Fox" by "doing more tabloid, more big-lipped blondes," but "[t]here's only so much of that trailer-trash pie to go around." Amid laughter from the panel, Thomas concluded: "And you got to get out there and do the serious stuff once in a while."

Thomas's remarks about Fox, which were first noted by the weblog Crooks and Liars, occurred during a panel discussion with host Eric Burns and media writer Neal Gabler about a management shake-up at rival news channel MSNBC.

From the June 17 edition of Fox News Watch:

BURNS: "Quick Take" headline number two: "New Assignment for Abrams." M -- MSNBC -- I can't say it either -- show host and NBC legal correspondent Dan Abrams is getting a new job. He gives up his MSNBC talk show and becomes an MSNBC executive, second in command at the network. OK, it sounds like an inside story, Neal. But -- but usually show hosts, low-rated show hosts, aren't promoted to management.

GABLER: Yes, that's right.

BURNS: And maybe it's another indication of -- of the way MSNBC has struggled to find an identity.

GABLER: Well, they certainly have struggled. But here's what I found interesting: Abrams said, "I'm going to bring more exciting treatment of the news. It's going to be less sober." And just once --

BURNS: Just what we need.

GABLER: -- just once, I would like to hear some guy who takes over a network say, "You want to know something? I am going to make the news more exhaustive. I am going to make it more nuanced. I am going to make it better." Will anyone ever say that in the history of news?

THOMAS: You touched on the important thing: the loss of identity. All of them are trying to copy Fox now, to be honest. They wanted -- many of them are doing more tabloid, more big-lipped blondes, and all this kind of stuff. There's only so much of that trailer-trash pie to go around.

[laughter]

THOMAS: And you got to -- you've got to get out there and do the serious stuff once in a while.

—K.D.