Since popular host Tucker Carlson was booted from the network, Sean Hannity’s primetime program on Fox News is feeling the pressure.
“Fox fired Carlson, its most-watched on-air presence, last month following a steady string of controversies and dwindling participation in his primetime show by premium advertisers. Fox News’ rating performance declined around 50% in the key adults 25-54 audience demo in the immediate aftermath of Carlson’s final April 21 show,” Yahoo News reported.
Wednesday morning at MoffettNathanson’s Inaugural Technology Conference, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch expressed confidence in the company’s future.
“We’ve done it before, right? You know, Bill O’Reilly was a superstar. Megyn Kelly was a superstar. Glenn Beck was a superstar, and we’re able to move forward with programming decisions that ultimately result in long-term growth and profitability of the business,” Murdoch said.
Hannity stated earlier this month that he was “stunned” to discover the network had parted ways with Carlson.
Hannity, whose 9 PM ET program on Fox News promptly follows Carlson’s now-former time slot, admitted on his radio program “The Sean Hannity Show” that he was unaware of Carlson’s departure.
“It’s very hard,” Hannity said. “My phone has been blowing up. The hard part for me is I don’t have a clue … I have no idea. Was it Tucker’s decision? Was it Fox’s? Was it a mutual agreement that they had? I don’t know. I guess people think that because I’ve been there the longest I’d have some knowledge or understanding of what’s going on, but… I just don’t.”
Fox News denied on Wednesday, outside of Carlson and Hannity, that Laura Ingraham has been dismissed from the network.
Fox News issued a statement on Wednesday night condemning “left-wing activists” who alleged on Twitter that the network was planning to fire Ingraham, a longtime Fox News host.
“Reports based on various tweets by left-wing activists are wildly inaccurate – Laura Ingraham, the top-rated woman in cable news, is now and will continue to be a prominent host and integral part of the Fox News lineup,” Fox News said in a statement, via Mediaite.
Following Tucker Carlson’s departure from the network, news aggregator Matt Drudge revealed that Fox News will undergo a major shakeup, which sparked speculations about Laura Ingraham.
Drudge reports that the network will move longtime presenter Sean Hannity to the 8 p.m. time slot.
“WORLD EXCLUSIVE: FOXNEWS SETS NEW SCHEDULE” read the headline from Drudge, who noted Hannity’s new time slot as well as reports that both Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld would be heading to prime time.
“Watters currently hosts one of Fox’s top-rated shows at 7 p.m. while Gutfeld hosts a highly-rated late-night show at 11 p.m. — both co-host Fox’s top-rated program The Five at 5 p.m. Hannity, meanwhile, broke the record for longest-running cable news prime time host in April of 2022, eclipsing Larry King at 25 years, six months, and 15 days,” Mediaite reported.
“FOXNEWS is preparing to announce an ambitious new schedule, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned, a schedule where ever hour of primetime will change!” Drudge reported. “TOP SOURCE TELLS DRUDGE: ‘IT’S OUR BOLDEST AND MOST FEARLESS LINE-UP EVER’…”
Fox News issues a statement to Mediaite in response to Drudge’s claim, stating, “No decision has been made on a new primetime lineup, and multiple scenarios are being considered.”
More on this story via Conservative Brief:
A new report appears to shed more light on why Fox News decided to take its biggest star off the air late last month. CONTINUE READING…
