Why is Fox News not interested in electing a person who is capable of running the country it seems Fox is only interested in keeping the primary season continuing?

Answer 1

This question was asked early in 2012, during the Republican primary season, but it's worth revisiting since 2014 is a mid-term election year. First, it is well-known that Fox News is the media arm of the Republican party. As such, the Fox News mission is to promote the Republican message, and give Republican candidates and their ideas plenty of exposure. (It should be noted that this does not generally refer to Fox's news anchors, like Shep Smith or Bret Baier, who tend to be more neutral, though still conservative; it is the station's talk show commentators who are more identifiably partisan and openly pro-Republican.)

But partisan or not, Fox News wants to get good ratings (as do competitors like MSNBC or CNN). To keep ratings high, these networks need to keep putting on an interesting and compelling show for the audience. In the case of Fox News, they do not choose or elect any candidates-- the Republican party and the voters do that. But Fox's role is to give the primary candidates a chance to be seen and heard, and if one breaks out of the pack, that candidate will get more exposure. Therefore, the debate process is actually good for ratings, and there is no incentive for Fox to shorten it. In the end, of course Fox executives and commentators want the best Republican to win. But debates and controversies draw in viewers; so do not expect Fox to advocate for shortening the process unless the audience becomes bored and wants to see some changes.