It's really tricky to understand the marketplace and incentives, I think.

For example, I've heard that shows like Morning Joe (MSNBC) don't get much viewership by regular people, but they are so influential and get paid big bucks because TPTB (i.e. the deep state types) do listen to them.

Thus, big money pours in from lobbyists and other interested parties.

Thinking that the media is responding to the demands of regular people may be actually a mistake. What matters more is what are the demands of the big money groups.