It is being reported that Fox News is considering a massive change to its primetime lineup that includes moving Sean Hannity, getting rid of Laura Ingraham, and promoting two hosts.
Fox has said that nothing has been decided yet, but Variety built on a Drudge Report post that big changes are coming to Fox News:
Fox News issued the comment in the wake of The Drudge Report posting the notion that Hannity would move to 8, while Jesse Watters, who has fared well at 7 p.m., would move into the primetime schedule, along with Greg Gutfeld, who hosts a late-night-styled 11 p.m. program.
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There would also be a question about Laura Ingraham, who has led Fox’s 10 p.m. hour since launching her program, “The Ingraham Angle,” in the fall of 2017.
Fox News’s primetime ratings have fallen roughly 50% since they fired Tucker Carlson.
Fox has tried a variety of guest hosts in Carlson’s old 8 PM ET timeslot, but nothing has worked.
The problem for Fox News is that its talent bench is not deep. The Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly scandals weakened the network’s depth, and they don’t have any ready-made new stars to slide into the lineup.
If Fox moves Watters and Gutfeld, it will create other holes in the schedule that will have to be filled.
It is starting to feel like Fox News is rearranging deck chairs as the ship is taking on water.
For now, Fox still has the primetime conservative cable news market cornered, but they have never looked more vulnerable.
Laura Ingraham has been Fox’s lowest-rated primetime show for years. She was also a pusher of Trump’s election lies.
Moving Sean Hannity to 8 PM is one of the last cards that Fox News has left to play to try to maintain its ratings lead. Time is running out on Fox, as years worth of scandals and lawsuits are catching up with them.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
