Former White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon and Kane, who runs CitizenFreePress.com, have both beaten out stiff competition from corporate media networks and personalities in the Mediaite Most Influential List 2024.
The list underscores significant changes in media dynamics, spotlighting new figures gaining traction due to the transformative political scene.
Kane, a keen reader and supporter of The National Pulse, came in at 21 out of 75 on the list, with Mediaite stating: “It’s a testament to the power of the Drudge Report that it took two decades for a viable competitor to emerge. Now it’s here in the Citizen Free Press, a buzzy and fast-paced compendium of links that flanks Drudge from the right.
“CFP has surged in recent years, building a large audience for those who want to read conservative friendly news from a wide range of sources – including legacy outlets like The New York Times and CNN. If the site does anywhere in the ballpark of the 350 million pageviews in traffic per month it says it does, CFP is driving the intra-conservative conversation in a way few can even fathom (and Mediaite can attest to the fact that a CFP link is a huge traffic driver).
“Kane, the mysterious proprietor of the site, is open about the fact that he sought to mimic the success of the Drudge Report. In an interview this year, Kane revealed Steve Bannon and other stars of Trumpworld helped grow CFP from a page read by a few thousand people to a behemoth being eyed by venture capitalists looking for the next fledgling media giant. Kane continues to run the site by himself, working 18-hour days to keep links fresh. That means it’s not just the site’s influence, but Kane’s choices for what to include that are often driving the national conversation.”
Of Bannon’s War Room, placed 34th, Mediaite states: “The greatest media checks on Trump 2.0 will likely not come from the president-elect’s left, but rather his right. And the man who helped build Trump 1.0 has established himself as one of the few with the ability and willingness to take Trump on for not being conservative enough.
“Already, Steve Bannon has made clear that the defeat of Matt Gaetz’s attorney general bid was a shot to the solar plexus — and warned Trump that he should not have waved the white flag. Should his frequent guest Kash Patel find himself in deep water during his confirmation fight to become FBI director, Bannon’s sure to raise hell. (Pity the moderate Republican who finds himself on the business end of a Bannon rant.) And no foe is too powerful for Bannon to not only challenge, but to rattle.
“You can be sure the folks at 1211 Avenue of the Americas pay heed to Bannon’s frequent attacks on Rupert Murdoch. Bannon’s War Room is a daily must-listen for MAGA diehards and those who want to understand them. What you hear on War Room today you’re very likely to read in a Truth Social post tomorrow. And the guests you see on War Room — like Patel, former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn, and incoming White House trade advisor Peter Navarro — are far more likely to influence public policy than the type of backbench Democrat you often see on MSNBC. The greatest testament to how big of a year Steve Bannon had? The fact that he made such an impact while spending a third of it behind bars. Just imagine how much influence he will have with a full 12 months of freedom and unfettered access to his audience.”
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