• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50

3

Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50

3

Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers

Trump TV Gets Closer to Reality With Nightly News Show on Facebook

By
Mathew Ingram
Mathew Ingram
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Mathew Ingram
Mathew Ingram
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 25, 2016, 11:29 AM ET
Final Presidential Debate Between Hillary Clinton And Donald Trump Held In Las Vegas
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump listens to Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speak during the third U.S. presidential debate at the Thomas & Mack Center on October 19, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Win McNamee—Getty Images

Although Donald Trump’s campaign continues to deny that it is launching any kind of “Trump TV” media venture after the election, it’s getting harder and harder to believe those claims—especially now that the campaign has launched a nightly TV-style news show on Facebook.

The live-streaming broadcast that premiered on the campaign’s Facebook (FB) page on Monday night had all the trappings of a conventional television news show: two hosts sitting behind a desk, a “chyron” (or headline crawl) running along the bottom of the stream, and so on.

The first show was rough with poor lighting and a boom microphone that dropped into the shot at one point, and it went live while the anchors were still adjusting their microphones, clearly unprepared. But it was definitely an attempt to broadcast a cable-TV style program.

Boris Epshteyn, one of the hosts, told Wired that the show has nothing to do with the launch of anything like a Trump TV media entity.

“We all know how strong the left wing media bias is. This is us delivering our message to voters,” said Epshteyn. “It has nothing to do with Trump TV. It’s about using 21st century technology and communication in a way that’s effective.”

Despite these protests, it seems fairly obvious that Trump is testing the waters to see what kind of audience he might be able to put together after the election—assuming he loses. The first iteration appeared on the night of the last debate, and it got more than nine million views.

It should be noted that Facebook considers anything longer than three seconds to be a view, so it’s difficult to meaningfully compare Trump’s stream to a conventional TV broadcast.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The Monday night broadcast had between 40,000 and 60,000 concurrent viewers in the first half hour it was live, according to CNN’s Brian Stelter. Many of the traditional nightly news broadcasts have several million average viewers at any given time.

Just as he used social media platforms like Twitter (TWTR) to generate huge amounts of media coverage without having to spend a dime, Trump seems to be trying to do an end-run around conventional television by launching his venture solely via Facebook Live.

It's not news. But it has all the visual cues of broadcast news, and it's turning up in peoples' FB feeds. Will people know the difference? https://t.co/cULzp8gn8z

— Ben Mullin (@BenMullin) October 24, 2016

While building a traditional cable channel or network like Oprah’s OWN or Al Gore’s Current TV would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and likely fail, there is a chance that Trump could turn his right-wing following into the base for a digital-only service similar to what Glenn Beck has built with Blaze Media.

Beck, who started as a right-wing radio show host, launched his subscription service in 2010 and reportedly has about 400,000 subscribers paying $9.95 per month.

Donald Trump responds to sexual assault allegations. Watch:

It wouldn’t exactly dethrone Fox News, which Trump advisor Roger Ailes helped create two decades ago and generates an estimated $1 billion or so in profit every year for parent 21st Century Fox (FOX). But it might be enough for Trump to claim success as a media mogul.

There’s no guarantee of success even if he does go the digital-only route, however. Former right-wing media star and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin started her own online service charging users $9.95 a month in 2014, but eventually had to shut it down.

The big question is whether any of the audience that Trump has been able to generate by running for president will stick around after the election is over.

There is an existing right-wing nexus of independent media that Trump could quite easily plug into, including The Drudge Report (still a driver of major traffic to news sites), radio and TV personality Alex Jones, Breitbart News (whose co-founder Steve Bannon is Trump’s campaign manager), and more. But would that be enough for Trump?

About the Author
By Mathew Ingram
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Secret Service shoot and kill suspect who fired at White House checkpoint; bystander was also struck but Trump was not affected
Europegun violence
Secret Service shoot and kill suspect who fired at White House checkpoint; bystander was also struck but Trump was not affected
By Darlene Superville, Alanna Durkin Richer and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
6 hours ago
Ukrainian drone attack causes fire at Russian oil terminal used for exports as Kyiv expands long-range strike capabilities
PoliticsRussia
Ukrainian drone attack causes fire at Russian oil terminal used for exports as Kyiv expands long-range strike capabilities
By The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
7 hours ago
U.S. reaches limit of sanctions power in targeting Iran’s economy
PoliticsIran
U.S. reaches limit of sanctions power in targeting Iran’s economy
By Magdalena Del Valle and BloombergMay 23, 2026
8 hours ago
Trump’s 3,711 trades point to multiple stock-market strategies
InvestingDonald Trump
Trump’s 3,711 trades point to multiple stock-market strategies
By Justina Lee, Vivien Ngo, Elena Popina, Matthew Griffin and BloombergMay 23, 2026
8 hours ago
As U.S.-Iran deal nears, Trump ally warns against creating perception Tehran controls Hormuz — ‘it makes one wonder why the war started to begin with’
PoliticsIran
As U.S.-Iran deal nears, Trump ally warns against creating perception Tehran controls Hormuz — ‘it makes one wonder why the war started to begin with’
By Jason MaMay 23, 2026
8 hours ago
Trump says a deal with Iran that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz has been ‘largely negotiated’
PoliticsIran
Trump says a deal with Iran that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz has been ‘largely negotiated’
By Munir Ahmed, Samy Magdy, Matthew Lee and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
10 hours ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
3 days ago
Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
Success
Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
By Preston ForeMay 22, 2026
2 days ago
Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
Success
Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
By Emma BurleighMay 22, 2026
2 days ago
Microsoft reports are exposing AI's real cost problem: Using the tech is more expensive than paying human employees
AI
Microsoft reports are exposing AI's real cost problem: Using the tech is more expensive than paying human employees
By Jake AngeloMay 22, 2026
2 days ago
Elon Musk's SpaceX IPO filing just told us what business he's betting on for the future—and it's not rockets
Investing
Elon Musk's SpaceX IPO filing just told us what business he's betting on for the future—and it's not rockets
By Shawn TullyMay 23, 2026
23 hours ago
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
Future of Work
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
By Mike Householder and The Associated PressMay 17, 2026
7 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.