Internet Killed The Televised Bore

One interesting element of the blogspheric, YouTube age is the reordering of incentives for television appearances. Say you were going on Fox News (or whatever) a decade ago. And say you delivered a whipping to the host. The host, the show, and likely the network would be loathe to invite you back while, simultaneously, just about no one would ever know the beating you delivered. So you'd lose your channel into the media without any commensurate reward for your performance.

Conversely, for liberals going on television now, a smackdown of a conservative host can be distributed and replayed virtually endlessly, rapidly raising your profile among progressives and, in fact, enhancing your reputation as a combative, entertaining TV presence able to attract eyeballs. That's why you see not only Bill Clinton, but Barney Frank, taking on Chris Wallace (video here). Cliff Schecter is courting a sort of fame for his vicious demolition jobs on various rightwing hacks, while David Sirota had a moment in the sun for spanking John Stossel. Suddenly, picking the fight has become a surer way to notoriety and name recognition than playing nice in hopes of an invitation back. And that's been a decidedly healthy shift.