The big Fox News primetime lineup change involved taking four current hosts and changing their timeslots in a move that was more deck chairs on the Titanic than radical restructuring.
Fox News announced its new lineup:
“The Ingraham Angle” with Laura Ingraham will kick things off at 7 p.m. ET, followed by “Jesse Waters Primetime” shifting to 8 p.m. ET, “Hannity” will remain at 9 p.m. ET and “Gutfeld!” will begin at 10 p.m. ET.
“FOX News Channel has been America’s destination for news and analysis for more than 21 years and we are thrilled to debut a new lineup. The unique perspectives of Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity, and Greg Gutfeld will ensure our viewers have access to unrivaled coverage from our best-in-class team for years to come,” (Suzanne) Scott announced.
The most interesting thing about the changes is that Fox has chosen to break up the 9-11 PM ET Trump apologist block. Jesse Watters moving to 8 PM is the network’s effort to save the ratings in that hour that have fallen like rock since Tucker Carlson was fired.
The lineup change suggests that Fox News’s talent bench is very thin. The network didn’t have a fresh face in the wings to promote to a new starring role, so they settled for reshuffling their current lineup by demoting Laura Ingraham, and promoting Watters and Gutfeld, who are two of the hosts who have seen viewership growth on Fox.
Fox News is hoping that Watters can be the new Tucker Carlson and Gutfeld can do better than Ingraham at 10 PM. If it works the network will keep rolling as the cable news ratings leader, If it doesn’t, Fox News will be facing an identity crisis as Newsmax continues to nip at its heels.
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
