Newsmax TV

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]

Newsmax TV

Logo as of 2021
Country	United States
Broadcast area	Nationwide
Programming
Language(s)	English
Picture format	1080i HDTV (downscaled to widescreen 480i for SDTVs)
Ownership
Owner	Newsmax
Key people	Christopher Ruddy (CEO and Founder)
History
Launched	June 16, 2014; 10 years ago (2014-06-16)
Links
Website	www.newsmaxtv.com (live stream available to U.S. pay-TV and Newsmax+ subscribers)
Availability
Streaming media
Service(s)	FuboTV, Pluto TV, Sling TV, Xumo, YouTube, Vidgo

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. 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 hiring of Mark Halperin and Bill O'Reilly following their resignations from other networks due to allegations of sexual harassment.^[8] Similarly, Newsmax has hired many former Fox News program hosts, including Greg Kelly, Rob Schmitt, Bob Sellers, and Heather Childers.^[9][10]

History

Network launch

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."^[10]

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

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

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 planned 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]

On-air personalities

Program hosts

Weekdays^[36]

• Bianca de la Garza: host of Newsline
• Rob Finnerty: host of Finnerty
• Carl Higbie: host of Carl Higbie Frontline
• Greg Kelly: host of Greg Kelly Reports
• Sharla McBride: co-host of Wake Up America
• Chris Plante: host of The Right Squad
• Rob Schmitt: host of Rob Schmitt Tonight
• Greta Van Susteren: host of The Record^[37]

Weekends

• Rob Astorino: host of Saturday Agenda
• Tom Basile: host of America Right Now and fill-in host, former co-host of Wake Up America Weekend
• Wendy Bell, host of Wendy Bell Common Sense
• Nancy Brinker: host of Conversations with Nancy Brinker
• Rita Cosby: host of Saturday Report
• Lidia Curanaj: host of Sunday Agenda
• Sebastian Gorka: host of The Gorka Reality Check and fill-in host
• Michael Grimm: co-host of Wake Up America Weekend
• Mike Huckabee: host of Huckabee (shared with TBN)
• Mark Kaye: host of The Mark Kaye Show
• Dick Morris: host of Dick Morris Democracy

Correspondents and substitute anchors

• Chuck Holton – foreign correspondent
• Betsy McCaughey – fill-in host
• James Rosen – Chief White House correspondent
• Bob Sellers: also former host of American Agenda

Previous hosts

• Steve Bannon – host of War Room (moved to Real America's Voice)
• Herman Cain – was slated to host a show for Newsmax TV but died of coronavirus disease before making it to series^[38]
• Howie Carr – host of The Howie Carr Show (later radio-only)
• Heather Childers – former co-host of American Agenda
• Callista Gingrich – former host of Let Freedom Ring
• J. D. Hayworth – former host of Newsmax Prime and America's Forum
• Lyndsay Keith: former co-host of Spicer & Co.
• Dennis Michael Lynch – former host of Dennis Michael Lynch: Unfiltered
• Michelle Malkin – former host of Michelle Malkin Sovereign Nation
• Steve Malzberg – former host of America Talks Live and The Steve Malzberg Show
• Bill O'Reilly – host of No Spin News with Bill O'Reilly (since moved to The F1rst)
• Joe Pags – host of The Joe Pags Show (later radio-only)
• Joe Pinion – former host of Saturday Agenda and fill-in host
• Wayne Allyn Root – host of The Wayne Allyn Root Show (later radio-only)
• Jesse Lee Peterson – host of The Jesse Lee Peterson Show (later radio-only)
• Emerald Robinson – former chief White House correspondent (later moved to FrankSpeech/LindellTV)
• Todd Schnitt – former host of The Schnitt Show
• Sean Spicer: former co-host of Spicer & Co.
• Grant Stinchfield: former host of Stinchfield (later moved to Real America's Voice)
• Eric Bolling: host of Eric Bolling The Balance

Newsmax2 personalities

• John Bachman, host of John Bachman Now
• David Harris Jr., host of The Pulse
• Ed Henry, host of Ed Henry the Briefing
• Rick Leventhal, host of The Leventhal Report
• Todd Starnes, host of The Todd Starnes Show

Over-the-air affiliations

Newsmax TV depends on carriage over 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 historically made its feed available to free-to-air terrestrial television affiliates, but those affiliations as of 2021 have 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 terms for DirecTV's new carriage deal for Newsmax TV required the network's remaining over-the-air affiliations outside Alexandria, and free online availability (outside some exceptions) to be withdrawn as of November 1, 2023, when that access ended and was replaced by a monthly subscription platform, Newsmax+, or TV Everywhere authentication with a paid television provider. Some online providers began to carry the secondary channel Newsmax2 instead, which features taped news rundowns and 'best-of' content with occasional live simulcasting with Newsmax TV. Its over-the-air stations thus began to carry Newsmax2.

Affiliates of Newsmax networks

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
Redding, California	KDRC-LD	26.2
Buffalo, New York	WNYB	26.6
	WBNF-CD	26.6
Little Rock, Arkansas	KLRA-CD	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

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 América
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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. "Trump-friendly Newsmax a sudden competitor to Fox News". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
4. "Newsmax network debuts Monday on Dish, DirecTV". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
5. "Newsmax Grabs Fox Distribution Executive". May 14, 2019.
6. 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.
7. Polsky, Sara (November 20, 2012). "10 Buildings Possibly Endangered by a Midtown East Rezoning". Curbed NY. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
8. 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.
9. Barr, Jeremy. "Newsmax hopes conservative anger at Fox News and a few Trump tweets can boost the much smaller network". The Washington Post.
10. "The Next Ailes: Newsmax's Chris Ruddy Preps TV Rival to Fox News". Bloomberg. March 6, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
11. Greenfeld, Karl Taro (March 6, 2014). "Newsmax's Chris Ruddy Preps TV Network to Rival Fox News". Bloomberg. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
12. Newman, Jared (December 7, 2020). "Newsmax's plan to dethrone Fox News: Build a streaming empire". Fast Company. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
13. "Newsmax Host Taken Off the Air After Calling Out His Network During Live Broadcast". www.mediaite.com. August 11, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
14. Emery, Debbie (August 11, 2016). "Newsmax Host Dennis Michael Lynch Is Pulled Off the Air for Defending Fox News". Retrieved November 29, 2020.
15. NewsmaxTV (August 15, 2016), Newsmax Prime | Howie Carr talks about Newsmax TV broadcasting an hour of his popular radio show, retrieved August 16, 2016
16. Short, Aaron. "The reinvention of Greg Kelly from charismatic New York insider to firebrand Trump booster". Insider. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
17. "Sean Spicer Joins Newsmax TV Lineup". Broadcasting+Cable. February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
18. "Greg Kelly now anchoring nightly opinion-based show on Newsmax TV". Newsday. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
19. 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.
20. "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.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. "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.
24. 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.
25. Battaglio, Stephen (January 22, 2022). "Why pay TV operators are dropping Trump-loving cable networks". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
26. 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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. Keys, Matthew (October 4, 2022). "Chris Cuomo's NewsNation show starts with low ratings". The Desk. Solano Media, LLC. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
31. Keys, Matthew (January 26, 2023). "Newsmax says free online stream will end after DirecTV dispute". The Desk. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
32. Insider, DirecTV (January 26, 2023). "DIRECTV to Add Conservative-Appeal Commentary Channel The First". DIRECTV Insider. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
33. Mastrangelo, Dominick (January 31, 2023). "DeSantis: House GOP should probe DirecTV's ditching of Newsmax". The Hill. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
34. Rizzo, Lillian (March 22, 2023). "DirecTV reaches deal to distribute right wing network Newsmax after long dispute". CNBC. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
35. Keys, Matthew (November 5, 2023). "Newsmax puts streaming channel behind a paywall, launches free headlines channel "Newsmax 2"". The Desk. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
36. - Schedule - Newsmax TV.com
37. Pedersen, Erik (May 24, 2022). "Greta Van Susteren Joins Newsmax; Hourlong Nightly Program Bows Next Month". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
38. 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

• Official website