Conservative video platform The First was the beneficiary of Newsmax demanding a carriage fee from DirecTV, as the video network was added to the satellite provider in Newsmax’s place. Dana Loesch — whose radio show is simulcast on The First network — says it’s disingenuous to say Newsmax or conservatives were censored, banned, or canceled.
While discussing her show now being seen on DirecTV Friday, Loesch made her feelings known that just because one cable outlet was swapped out for another doesn’t mean anything malicious had taken place.
“I’m gonna say a couple of things, and I’m not going to get into anyone’s business decisions,” Loesch said. “I’m not going to feed a media desire to create a frenzy where it’s not helpful. I can’t stand that stuff. I kinda go by the golden rule where it relates to conservatives or people on my ideological side that I know, but I will say this: no one was censored and no one was banned. That is such an inaccurate talking point. No one was censored and nobody was banned.
“There are just certain decisions that are made that have to do with business and fees or licensing and it doesn’t work out — and that was my understanding, I don’t run the business so I don’t know what…is publicly available. (DirecTV) was being asked to provide a carriage fee when one had not been provided before and that changed the nature of the professional relationship because they didn’t want to have to pass that cost on.
“So, it’s basically business decisions. It’s not because anybody was censored, it’s not because conservatives were canceled, and it’s not because anybody was banned. Do not be led…and do not be manipulated, because I do think it’s a way of being manipulated to make that claim because it’s false.”
Loesch’s comments come after many conservative commentators have blasted DirecTV’s decision to remove Newsmax — the fourth most-watched cable news channel — from its lineup. Congressional Republicans have gone as far as to claim public hearings on the decision are warranted. Many of those comments, however, came before the announcement that DirecTV had replaced one cable outlet — Newmax — with another in The First.
