When Donald Trump pulled off a surprise victory against Hillary Clinton in 2016, the news media was a major beneficiary, as viewers stayed glued to cable news and readers signed up for newspaper subscriptions in droves.
Eight years later, Trump’s definitive White House victory could lead to another spike of audience interest in the news – at least in the short term – numerous experts said.
Cable news ratingssubscriptions to digital news organisations and philanthropic giving will probably increase, as audiences sort through a news-intensive post-election period.
“Trump 2.0 will likely be a very different administration than we saw before,” said Frank Sesno, a professor at George Washington University and the former Washington bureau chief of CNN. “That will carry immense consequences and news value. It will energise right-wing media, and it will panic the left.”
The New York Times, The Washington Post and other newspapers saw a sudden influx of subscriptions in 2016 as readers puzzled through the consequences of Trump’s initial victory. Those news organisations capitalised on that surge with ad campaigns embracing new readers and, in the case of The Washington Post, adopting a slogan that underscored a commitment to aggressive reporting: “Democracy Dies In Darkness.”
David Clinch, a revenue consultant for Media Growth Partners, a media advisory firm, said he thought news organisations would see another uptick in customers, but that it would be more muted than in the first Trump administrationbecause some readers have become fed up with or exhausted by mainstream news coverage.
Clinch said he expected news organisations to begin fine-tuning marketing campaigns to reach specific readers.
That may already be beginning. Vox.com’s editor-in-chief and publisher, Swati Sharma, emailed readers to ask for donations, emphasizing the site’s “fearless journalism” and “cleareyed reporting.” Trump’s victory will also probably result in an increase in philanthropic giving to news organisations, especially those that act as watchdogs of powerful political and corporate interests, said Richard Tofel, the former president of ProPublica, an investigative reporting nonprofit.
Another possible beneficiary of the high-intensity news cycle following Trump’s victory are podcasters and other online creators, who were courted by both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris during the run-up to the election, said Chris Balfe, the chief executive of Red Seat Ventures, a media company that produces podcasts. Balfe said that Trump’s appearances on podcasts including “The Joe Rogan Experience” and “This Past Weekend With Theo Von,” as well as Harris’ appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, are a sign that the rising power of influential voices outside the mainstream media will only continue growing in the wake of the election.
Even as viewers tune in for the aftermath of the election, TV ratings are in terminal decline, and Trump’s win is unlikely to alter that, said Sesno.