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NRA Abruptly Shuts Down NRATV

Gun lobby to cut ties with ad firm, shutter live production on NRATV: 'NYT' report
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 26, 2019 9:05 AM CDT
NRA Abruptly Shuts Down NRATV
In this Feb. 22, 2018, photo, Dana Loesch, spokesperson for the National Rifle Association, speaks at CPAC at National Harbor, Md.   (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

It appears that the NRA's news outlet has aired its last live show. Based on interviews and internal documents, the New York Times reports the gun rights group is shuttering production on NRATV, operated by the Ackerman McQueen ad agency it's been battling with. "Many members expressed concern about the messaging on NRATV becoming too far removed from our core mission: defending the Second Amendment," NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre said in a letter to members that the Times says will soon go out. "So ... starting today, we are undergoing a significant change in our communications strategy. We are no longer airing 'live TV' programming." Past content may still appear, but live broadcasts featuring such well-known reps as Dana Loesch (an Ackerman McQueen employee) will cease. The NRA is also said to be officially cutting itself off from the ad firm itself.

What may have spurred the decision to nix the outlet: poor return on investment, as well as NRATV's penchant for inflammatory stances on topics like immigration and floating conspiracy theories, per HuffPost. In a statement to the Daily Beast, an Ackerman McQueen rep says the agency, which worked with the NRA for nearly 40 years, "is not surprised" by the NRA's reported move. "When given the opportunity to do the right thing, the NRA once again has taken action that we believe is intended to harm our company even at the expense of the NRA itself," the statement reads. Also not surprised that the tensions have come to this conclusion are those most involved with the NRA's inner workings. "This is just an affirmation of what we've known is going to happen," one board member tells the Times. (Some NRA board members have seen quite an influx of cash.)

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