“Fox News has rejected a national advertising buy for a 30-second spot that warns viewers about the potential dangers of American fascism after an ad sales representative said network leadership deemed it inappropriate, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The spot was to double as a promotion of this year's Oscar-nominated documentary short A Night at the Garden, which recounts a 1939 Nazi rally in New York City, and a warning — “It Can Happen Here” — to Sean Hannity's largely conservative viewers about the potential dangers of President Donald Trump's brand of populism.
An ad was bought to air locally during Monday night's edition of Hannity's primetime show through a regional advertising buy on Charter Communications’ Spectrum service in Los Angeles, but was precluded by breaking news — coverage of President Trump's rally in Texas.
The film's distributor, Field of Vision, then decided to purchase a national spot on Hannity's show, but was rebuffed by the network, which controls national advertising.
A Fox News national ad sales representative told the distributor's media-buying agency on Wednesday that CEO Suzanne Scott (“our CEO”) said the ad was “not appropriate for our air,” according to email correspondence viewed by THR.”
Here’s the spot:
Full short film:
Yeah, Fox News can’t promote an Oscar nominated documentary that might cut into the ad time for Hannity’s regular rotation of carnival barker yelps about the magic of boner pills, wrinkle creams and sleep inducing pillows.
Because – if Fox viewers ever get their minds right they might be able to look at themselves in the mirror and sleep at night, cutting into Fox’s advertising revenue.
Can’t have that.
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