Gaetz, who has appeared numerous times on Fox News and other conservative outlets as a congressman, has agreed to host a primetime show for the little-watched right-wing conspiracy channel One America News (OAN). The network confirmed the news on Tuesday with a press release and promotional video.
Gaetz's transition to a conservative television host is not entirely unexpected. His frequent appearances on right-wing outlets and his own podcast, coupled with his history of guest-hosting weeknight Newsmax programming, had led to speculation that he might join the pro-Trump channel after his bid for attorney general fell through. This speculation was fueled by reports that Newsmax executives were interested in making Gaetz a permanent fixture on the network.
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However, Gaetz chose to join OAN, headquartered in San Diego. The question now is whether his show, set to debut next month, will attract viewers. Unlike Newsmax, which saw a post-election surge in viewership following Trump's victory, OAN has struggled in recent years. The far-right channel, which was supported by AT&T for nearly a decade, was dropped by DirecTV in early 2022, significantly limiting its reach and depriving it of a significant revenue source. Verizon also removed the channel from its lineup, leaving OAN without any major pay-TV providers.
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OAN has since attempted to survive on small cable carriers, streaming services, and its own subscriber app. Its broadcast coverage in the United States is limited to roughly 10 million homes, a fraction compared to Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and even Newsmax. The network has sought to expand its viewership by getting on local channels that can be watched via antenna. Without this over-the-air local antenna service, OAN's U.S. coverage would be limited to a few hundred thousand homes.
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OAN's viewership is difficult to measure accurately as the network does not subscribe to Nielsen Media Research's metrics, which track broadcast and cable television ratings. During a trial with Nielsen in 2019, the channel averaged only 14,000 viewers, despite OAN owner Robert Herring's claim that it was available in 35 million homes.
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Despite the trend of Americans cutting the cord and turning to streaming, it seems unlikely that OAN is attracting a large audience through other means, such as their website or online video sites like YouTube and Rumble. According to SimilarWeb, OAN's web traffic ranks #4,526 in the United States and #267 among U.S. news and media publishers. In comparison, Newsmax, which ranks #33 among U.S. news sites, averages 37.3 million visitors compared to OAN's 3.7 million.
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On YouTube, OAN has 1.36 million followers, but many of its videos have barely registered. Even Gaetz's promotional video for his upcoming show has barely cracked a thousand views. On Rumble, a conservative-friendly alternative to YouTube, the network has fared slightly better, with recent clips from its programs averaging upwards of 20,000 views.
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Given Newsmax's larger audience and seemingly more secure footing, why would Gaetz choose OAN, which has been grappling with an "existential" crisis for over two years? While Newsmax management may have hoped for Gaetz to join their network, the decision could have come down to which owner Gaetz trusted more. Gaetz had expressed interest in leaving politics for a television hosting job to both OAN and Newsmax in 2021.
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Robert Herring, who runs OAN with his son Charles, is reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars through his tech businesses and has long sought to attract a big "star" to revamp the struggling channel. Herring had previously offered substantial deals to Bill O'Reilly and Tucker Carlson after their departures from Fox News, although neither materialized.
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Regardless of the reasons behind Gaetz's decision to join OAN, he appears enthusiastic about his new role. "OAN is blazing a trail in media, embracing not just traditional news but the platforms where Americans are going—streaming, apps, podcasts, and social media," he said in a press release announcing his show. "I couldn't be more thrilled to join OAN's forward-thinking team and be part of this revolutionary expansion."
