Good morning. Conservative media has changed dramatically in the past decade. Cable news and traditional print media have faced historic collapse. Now, podcasts and independent media dominate.

Every Sunday, we’ll bring you the latest scoops from around the conservative media world, what your favorite media personalities are saying, and who is gaining influence or losing ground.

Welcome to the first edition of Redshift.

Mentioned in this edition: Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk, Tulsi Gabbard, Matt Peterson, Ben Domenech, Sebastian Gorka, Chris Wallace, X, Blaze Media, The Federalist, and more.

🔎 WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

• ✅ The incoming administration is expected to favor supportive media. Speculation suggests that Trump’s administration will grant press room credentials to non-traditional yet favorable outlets, including podcasts and commentators.

  • This could mean access to platforms like The Daily Wire and prominent independents like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly if they expand into reporting. During Trump’s first term, a similar trend emerged, with outlets like The Gateway Pundit receiving White House press credentials.

  • The transparent style of media featured in the recent election will likely make it into the administration. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will have weekly livestream updates of their progress with the the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

• 📺 Fewer journalists and commentators see a future in traditional media. At 77, Chris Wallace is leaving CNN and a seven-figure salary to pursue an independent, podcast-style show. Many reporters I’ve spoken with feel similarly, as X now dominates the news landscape while traditional sites struggle to keep past levels of traffic.

• 💪 Elon Musk’s X grows stronger. Thriving under Musk’s leadership with new monetization strategies, peak user growth, and his push for a censorship-free environment during the 2024 election, advertisers who initially flocked to the platform — like Comcast, Disney, and IBM—are now returning. Why? Musk’s influence is greater than ever, now as a de facto member of Trump’s governing circle.

• 🔵 Liberal media faces a major shake-up. The LA Times will replace its entire Editorial Board. Trump’s popular vote victory has fueled insecurity among liberal outlets, suggesting they may be out of touch with the majority of Americans. Even ABC’s The View is looking to bring in pro-Trump voices back to the show.

Alex Jones is on the verge of losing Infowars

The satirical left-leaning outlet The Onion has officially tried to acquire Alex Jones’ media company, Infowars. Now, one of the internet’s most infamous conspiracy theory hubs may soon be relaunching as a parody site…

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With his cabinet picks, Trump has a superpower

Donald Trump has been America's leading political figure for nearly a decade.

During this time, his decisions — from his rhetoric to his policy initiatives — have attracted a large number of dedicated "MAGA Patriot" supporters as well as intense "Trump Derangement Syndrome" critics…

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🔴 WHO WE’RE WATCHING

• Tulsi Gabbard and President Kennedy. President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. Gabbard has expressed admiration for James W. Douglass's book, JFK and the Unspeakable, which examines the intelligence community's role in President Kennedy's assassination. This suggests she might advocate for declassifying JFK-related files. Additionally, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s involvement in the new administration could further support such efforts.

• Donald Trump Jr. joins 1789 Capital. Multiple sources confirm that Donald Trump Jr. is joining 1789 Capital, a venture capital firm focused on investing in conservative-leaning companies within the "parallel economy." Founded by Chris Buskirk and Omeed Malik, with Blake Masters on the advisory board, 1789 Capital is involved with companies like PublicSq, The Washington Reporter, and Tucker Carlson's media venture.

• Tucker Carlson is reaching heights of influence. After Fox News fired its top host, Tucker Carlson lost his television audience but quickly regained it through a chart-topping podcast and show — and even more so through a renewed, close relationship with President-elect Trump. Not only did he stream election night from Mar-a-Lago, but he has also been actively advising the president-elect on cabinet picks, even vetoing former CIA chief Mike Pompeo.

• Carlson’s fast-growing network is also having a moment. They were the first to host Justin Wells’ The Art of Surge, likely the most up-close and personal documentary ever filmed about Trump during his political life, capturing historic moments of the 2024 campaign. The network has also launched its own nicotine pouch brand after discovering that Zyn, Carlson’s former favorite, supports liberal politicians. This new venture was launched with John Catsimatidis Jr.

📱 WHAT WE’RE HEARING

• Blaze Media Expands. Under Matt Peterson, Blaze Media has sharpened its focus and pushed the boundaries of conservative media. They are launching a quarterly magazine named Frontier, celebrating innovators and leaders shaping the next American century.

• Peterson told me, “Blaze Media is in a position to become — and will become — the media network of the new political and cultural movement that is now bursting forth throughout America … We will continue to expand into tech and lifestyle spaces. This extends into entertainment as well: we will release at least one scripted comedy series next year.”

• The media-reported chaos surrounding Trump’s cabinet picks has been partly inaccurate. In Trump's election victory speech, nearly all of the incoming administration's choices were present. Some, like Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Gov. Sarah Huckabee (R-AR) Sanders, and Sebastian Gorka, attended but had not yet been tapped for administration roles.

• Ben Domenech declares war on Matt Gaetz. The Federalist co-founder and Spectator World editor-at-large, as well as Meghan McCain’s husband, wrote an article titled “Matt Gaetz is a Vile Sex Pest and Any Senator Who Votes For Him Owns That.” Despite his strong words, Domenech has never been influential in MAGA circles and has long been associated with the Never Trump crowd.