Charles Watson has been named an Atlanta-based correspondent for Fox News Channel. 

He has been a multimedia reporter, based in Jackson, Miss. The Multimedia Reporter program is a program that mentors reporters and gives them technical instruction to work on a variety of media platforms. 

Nine other alumni of the program have gotten full-time posts at the network. 

Watson is formerly a reporter at WRNN-TV's FiOS1 in New York, according to Fox. He began his career as a reporter, morning anchor and producer at WRDE-TV Rehoboth, Del.

Fox News Channel has named Patricia Peart VP of weekend booking. 

She manages the network's weekend breaking news coverage as well as booking guests for all weekend programming. 

Peart was most recently director of weekend booking. 

FNC said Peart has most recently been instrumental in steering the network through coverage of impeachment hearings, the global pandemic, the upcoming election and the current racial justice protests. 

Peart joined FNC from MSNBC in 2005, where she had been a primetime producer. She was named director of weekend booking for FNC in 2016. 

President Trump's love/hate relationship with Fox News was on Twitter display overnight and into Tuesday morning (May 19). 

Following Neil Cavuto's on-air warning about people with underlying conditions potentially dying from the unproven drug the President was taking to try and prevent COVID-19, the President seemed to signal he was washing his hands of Fox News, re-tweeting/tweeting the following late Monday evening: 

[embed]https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1262563582086184970[/embed]

Cavuto had said that people could die of the drug, hydroxychloroquine, that the President was using to self-medicate, with his doctor's knowledge, and was promoting. Trump said lots of doctors, front-line workers, and others were taking it as a preventative. The President said people "would not get sick or die" from using it as a prevantative. 

But then on Monday morning, some 12 hours later, the President was giving a shout out to one of his favorite FNC shows, Fox & Friends, tweeting: 

[embed]https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1262737181937938432[/embed]

In past tweets critical of Fox News, the President has suggested that he might move his allegiance to conservative cable outlet, One America News Network. 

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association, whose members include the owners of CNN, MSNBC, ABC News, and CBS News, has joined the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to support Fox News in its defense of a lawsuit filed by a group, WashLITE, critical of Fox News/Fox Business Network commentary on the coronavirus. 

WashLITE said that commentary is deceptive commercial speech in violation of consumer protection laws. 

Related: Fox Corp. Seeks Dismissal of COVID-19 Complaint 

Fox News, backed by Fox Corp., says WashLITE is distorting that speech and misreading the First Amendment--WashLITE suggests cable outlets lack speech protections accorded print--and has called for the suit to be dismissed.  

"The transcripts, and the true facts, show that Fox highlighted the dangers of the Coronavirus even as Fox commentators criticized its exploitation for political purposes," Fox Corp. has told the court.

NCTA and the committee have submitted an amicus brief in support of Fox News, according to a copy obtained by Multichannel News, and have asked the Washington State Superior Court to make the brief part of the record and allow NCTA and the committee to participate as amici. 

They are specifically concerned about what they called the "dangerous implications of Plaintiff’s contention that news providers that distribute content over cable systems are somehow excluded from the First Amendment’s purview."

The brief suggests that the problem with plaintiff's argument is straightforward. 

"The Plaintiff in this case has asserted that news providers do not enjoy First Amendment protection when they distribute their programming over a cable television system," it said. "That radical proposition is plainly wrong: The First Amendment unquestionably protects “[c]able programmers," including Fox News.

Fox News Media has asked a Washington State court to dismiss a complaint filed by a group critical of Fox News commentary on the coronavirus, saying the complaint distorted its speech and misread the First Amendment. 

In a reply in support of Fox News’s motion to dismiss the first amended complaint, Fox Corp. said speech about the virus did not constitute deceptive commercial speech under the Consumer Protection Act because the act does not apply to news reporting or political commentary.

"They cannot hide that their assault on the First Amendment rests on a false portrayal of what Fox’s commentary actually said," Fox Corp. told the King County state superior courtin a filing Monday (May 18). "Fortunately, in all events, the Constitution protects Fox’s speech even accepting the Complaint’s distortions." 

The complaint against the Fox News coverage was filed by the Washington League for Increased Transparency and Ethics (WashLITE) against Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network. 

Fox said the plaintiffs claim that cable programmers don't have First Amendment rights is astoundingly wrong. "Plaintiffs’ position would allow the government to censor not just Fox News but also CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, Bloomberg, ESPN, and every other cable network," it told the court. "That is as dangerous as it is frivolous." 

It said that the WashLITE complaint rested on a distortion of its actual speech. "The transcripts, and the true facts, show that Fox highlighted the dangers of the Coronavirus even as Fox commentators criticized its exploitation for political purposes."

But it also told the court that "even if the complaint did not rest on a distortion of what its commentators said, the speech would be protected." 

Maria Bartiromo will host a documentary special airing on Fox Business Channel that will re-air on Fox News Channel. 

The special, America vs. China, will air May 9 at 7 p.m. on FBN and repeat Sunday, May 10, at 10 p.m. on FNC. A director's cut (extended) version of the doc will also be available on FNC's streaming service, Fox Nation, May 10 starting at 10 p.m. 

Bartiromo, global markets editor, looks at China's handling of the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as its broader strategic goals as an economic and military force. 

Bartiromo got access to a number of top Trump Administration officials--Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro, as well as tech investor Peter Thiel, Revolution Chairman Steve Case and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), the last something of a one-stop Hill expert with experience on numerous relevant committees. Cotton is a member of the Intelligence Committee chairs and the Banking Committee's Economic Policy Subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee's Air Land Power Subcommittee. 

The President has recently been highly critical of China's handling of the pandemic outbreak and, longer term, has imposed tariffs on the country to attempt to level the trading playing field.

Fox News has lined up a Town Hall with Democratic presidential candidate. That announcement comes the day after Fox hosted a town hall with the man Sanders hopes to unseat, President Trump. 

The Sanders town hall will be Monday, March 9, in Michigan in advance of the state's primary March 10. 

The town hall will be hosted by Bret Baier (Special Report) and Martha MacCallum (The Story), who moderated the Trump town hall and previously moderated town halls with former candidates Mike Bloomberg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar. 

It will be the eleventh town hall Fox has hosted with Democratic presidential candidates and the second with Sanders, whose April 2019 appearance was the most-watched Fox News town hall of this election cycle with about 2.6 million viewers, according to the network. 

Ashley Strohmier, an anchor and reporter with ABC affiliate KMIZ-TV Columbia, Mo., has joined Fox News Channel as an overnight anchor and correspondent effective March 2. 

Strohmier will be based in New York. 

It will be a homecoming of sorts for Strohmeier, who was formerly with the Fox affiliate in Columbia before joining KMIZ-TV. 

She won the Missouri Broadcasters Association 2019 best news anchor award for her work on KMIZ-TV's evening news, according to Fox. 

Ed Henry has been named co-anchor of America's Newsroom, Fox News Channel's 9 a.m.-12 p.m. weekday news block, starting Jan. 20, joining Sandra Smith atop that program. 

Henry succeeds Bill Hemmer, who is moving into the 3 p.m. weekday slot vacated by Shep Smith, who left in October.  

Henry has been FNC's chief national correspondent and has been anchoring the weekend America's News HQ at 12-1 p.m. 

Henry's resume includes Senate correspondent and senior editor at Roll Call and political analysis for C-SPAN and WUSA-TV.  

Fox News Channel is expanding its morning program America’s Newsroom to three hours starting June 11.

Bill Hemmer and Sandra Smith anchor the show, which currently airs 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The extra hour will replace Happening Now at 11 a.m., with that show's host, Jon Scott, starting as anchor on Fox Report Weekend, which airs Saturdays and Sundays, June 16.

“Bill and Sandra’s ability to cut through the headlines and provide hard-hitting interviews with the nation’s leaders have made it must-see television,” said Jay Wallace, president and executive editor of Fox News, “and we’re excited to add an extra hour of this informative program to the weekday lineup.”

Related | broadcastingcable.com: ABC to Expand ‘Good Morning America’ to Three Hours

America’s Newsroom has averaged 1.6 million total viewers. Hemmer has anchored the program since its premiere in 2009. Smith, who got her start at Fox Business Network in 2007, joined him as co-anchor last fall. 

Smith also has been co-host of Outnumbered since it launched in 2014. She will depart that program, which airs at noon, when America’s Newsroom expands.

Scott, who joined Fox News Channel prior to its launch,will also help out with breaking news. “Adding Jon Scott’s extensive experience in breaking news will help ensure our weekend coverage remains unparalleled in the industry,” Wallace said.

The ad boycott against Fox News Channel’s Ingraham Angle has cost the program about half of its commercial minutes and five of its top 20 advertisers, according to Kantar Media.

Kantar found that ad time on the Ingraham Angle was down 40% during the show’s March 30 telecast and down 52% on March 31. The show had been averaging 14 minutes and 33 second of ads during the first quarter.

Host Laura Ingraham announced that she will be on vacation this week. She apologized for remarks she made about David Hogg, one of the students who is advocating for tighter controls on guns after surviving the shooting at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Despite the apology, Hogg and others have continued the boycott.

On Monday (April 3), Fox News co-president Jack Abernethy said he expected Ingraham to be back next week. “We cannot and will not allow voices to be censored by agenda-driven intimidation efforts,” he said.

Kantar said that five of the advertisers that have said they will no longer advertise on the Ingraham Angle — Bayer AG Group, Hulu, Johnson & Johnson, Liberty Mutual Insurance and Wayfair — were among the top 20 spenders on the show during the first quarter.

Other advertisers that have pulled out of the show — Entertainment Studios, Honda, Jenny Craig, Jos A Bank, Nestle, Nutrish, Office Depot, Principal Finance, Progressive Insurance, Ruby Tuesday, Stitch Fix and TripAdvisor — accounted for 13% of the show’s commercial time.

Fox News has won February’s monthly cable ratings race in both primetime and on a total day basis, according to Nielsen. 

In primetime Fox News averaged 2.7 million viewers during the period of Jan. 29 to Feb. 25 to best all cable networks, according to Nielsen. MSNBC was second with 1.8 million viewers, followed by USA Network, TNT and HGTV, which tied with 1.3 million viewers each. Fox News dethroned ESPN, which was the most watched cable network last month in primetime.

On a 24-hour basis, Fox News averaged 1.5 million viewers for the month, topping MSNBC, Nickelodeon, HGTV, Investigation Discovery and NBC Sports Network, according to Nielsen. The network has now won cable's total day race for 20 consecutive months, according to Nielsen.  

Fox News was also the dominant player in the cable news network ratings arena, topping MSNBC and CNN among total viewers and the key adult 25-54 demo both in primetime and on a total day basis, according to Nielsen.

February Cable News Network Ratings

Primetime

(Total Viewers)

Network                     Ratings           % Year To Year Change

FNC                             2.7 million      -5%

MSNBC                       1.8 million      +21%

CNN                            979,000         -18%

(Adults 25-54)

Network                     Ratings           %Year To Year Change

FNC                             576,000         -3%

MSNBC                       397,000         +15%

CNN                            357,000         -16%

Source: Nielsen

A federal appeals court has agreed with Fox News Channel that TVEyes' service of copying and providing, for a price, searchable access to vast quantities of the cable news network's programming is not fair use.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Tuesday (Feb. 27) overturned a district court decision and upheld an injunction against the practice. TVEyes is a business-to-business service provider with clients including journalists, government and political organizations, and marketers; it is not offered for consumer use.

TVEyes records more than 1,400 TV and radio channels, and provides a database that allows clients, for $500 per month, to search the programming and view up to 10-minute clips, as well as archive those clips.

The court agreed with Fox News that TVEyes' redistribution of the network's content was a transformative use, as fair uses must be, but because it potentially made virtually all of FNC's copyrighted content available, and because the network doesn't get any of the monthly subscriber fees, the service "deprives Fox of revenue that properly belongs to the copyright holder."

The court said TVEyes had failed to show that its product was a fair use and asked the district court to fix its injunction against some parts of TVEyes, which had excluded the clip-searching/viewing function.

The district court had found some functions of the service not to be fair use, including allowing subs to download clips to their own computers, email videos to others and to watch videos after searching for them by date, time or channel rather than keyword, but deemed that enabling clients to search for videos by term, then watch them, and archive them on TVEyes' server was fair use.

The Ninth Circuit disagreed.

TVEyes had argued, for one thing, that since facts are not copyrightable, the factual nature of Fox News's content militated in favor of a fair use finding, said the court, which rejected that argument. "Those who report the news undoubtedly create factual works," the court said. "It cannot seriously be argued that, for that reason, others may freely copy and re-disseminate news reports."

The court also found that the 10-minute clip limit, given the length of news stories, probably gives TVEyes subscribers access to all the Fox News programming they need.

As to the impact on Fox's business, TVEyes said that it posed little risk of supplanting Fox News's own offering of its programming, but Fox argued it undercut its ability to profit from licensing its own searchable access to the content to third parties. "Fox has much the stronger point," the court concluded.

In fact, TVEyes' success, the court said, demonstrated that there was a clip-searching market worth millions, and TVEyes could plausibly displace potential Fox revenue from that market by providing access to that copyrighted content without Fox's permission.

"At bottom," said the court, "TVEyes is unlawfully profiting off the work of others."

“This is a significant win in the field of fair use law because to the extent that transformativeness has become the litmus test of fair use for some courts, the court in this case, similar to the Harry Potter Lexicon case, held that even where a use may be modestly transformative, it is critical for a court to evaluate all of the fair use factors," said Dale Cendali of Kirkland & Ellis, Fox's outside lead counsel. "[T]he Second Circuit was very clear that TVEyes cannot offer any of Fox’s audio visual content whether by viewing, downloading, sharing, or archiving,"  "We cannot emphasize enough the practical effect this win should have for content holders of all stripes in not being deprived of the benefit of monetizing content by those standing on fair use grounds."

 J. Michael Keyes, partner in the law firm of Dorsey & Whitney, who has been folloing the case, said: "There is a clear hierarchy emerging in the fair use calculus. The 'market harm' factor is the most important consideration when it comes to fair use. And, if the defendant’s use is generating a substantial amount of revenue to defendant, then the court will likely find that the plaintiff has suffered a 'market' harm—even if plaintiff doesn’t necessarily use its copyrighted content in the same manner as the defendant [the court's finding that the use was transformative, just not fair]. This is an important (if not the most important) consideration in the context of fair use."

Fox News Channel is expected to announce the planned launch of a new subscription streaming service, Fox Nation, that won't require a pay TV subscription and will feature new original programming separate from Fox News Channel, The New York Times reported on Monday (Feb. 19).

The report, quoting John Finley, who oversees program development and production at Fox News, said the price of the service was still being discussed.

The new service is expected to be announced on Tuesday (Feb. 20), the story said.

"Fox Nation is designed to appeal to the Fox superfan," Finley said in the Times piece.

Fox News Channel was the top choice for cable viewers in primetime last week, according to Nielsen.

Fox News drew 2.6 million viewers during the week of Feb. 5-11, besting MSNBC’s 1.7 million viewers, said Nielsen. ESPN, HGTV and History rounded out the top five most watched cable networks in primetime.

Fox News also topped cable’s ratings charts on a 24-hour basis, followed by Nickelodeon, MSNBC, HGTV and Investigation Discovery.

Fox News was bolstered by the performances of its primetime shows Hannity and Tucker Carlson Tonight, which combined generated eight of the top 10 most watched shows for the week. NBCSN’s Feb. 10 Winter Olympics coverage topped all shows for the week, averaging 4.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

Fox News Channel dominated the weekly cable ratings primetime and total day charts, paced by its coverage of President Trump’s Jan. 30 State of the Union address, according to Nielsen. 

Fox News averaged 3.8 million viewers during the period of Jan. 29 to Feb. 4 to top all cable networks, according to Nielsen. The cable news network’s performance was bolstered by the 11.7 million viewers Fox News averaged for SOTU coverage. 

MSNBC was second in primetime during the week with 1.9 million viewers, followed by HGTV and USA Network’s 1.4 million viewers each, and History’s 1.2 million watchers. 

Fox News also beat out MSNBC on a total day basis, followed by Nickelodeon, Investigation Discovery and HGTV, said Nielsen.

Fox News Channel captured its first weekly cable primetime ratings win of the year while extending its total-day ratings streak to two weeks, according to Nielsen.

The network, which finished 2017 as the most watched cable network in primetime among total viewers, averaged 2.7 million total viewers during the week of Jan. 15-21, Nielsen said. College football-infused ESPN was the most watched cable network in primetime for the first two weeks of 2018. 

MSNBC finished second with 2 million viewers, followed by HGTV and USA, which tied with 1.4 million viewers, and TNT, which averaged 1.3 million watchers, according to Nielsen. MSNBC was also second to FNC on a total-day basis, with Nickelodeon, HGTV and Investigation Discovery following close behind, Nielsen said.

FNC topped all cable news networks within the key adult 25-54 demo in both primetime and total day, Nielsen said.

Marianne Gambelli is expecting 2018 to be a huge year for Fox News Channel.

Gambelli, named president of advertising sales last May, came in and made several changes in the top-rated cable network’s ad sales organization, which had racked up record sales in the election year of 2016.

Gambelli would not confirm that 2017 was another record year, but according to research company Standard Media Index, Fox News Channel’s 2017 ad revenue for January through November was $726 million, up 10% from $657 million the previous year.

While calls for advertiser boycotts occasionally make news (in one such case, loyal Fox News viewers responded by tossing their coffeemakers after Keurig pulled spots), the network has been adding advertisers, Gambelli said. “We’re seeing a lot of new business from clients that have never been in news before, so my guess is they’re looking at this as entertainment.”

As ratings have dropped for entertainment networks, more advertisers are looking to spend ad dollars on the news networks, said Dave Campanelli, executive vice president and managing partner, video investment at Horizon Media. “All three news networks become a go-to for rerouting some of that money. It adds up over time,” he said.

Despite Cord-Cutting, Time-Shifting, TV Ads Still Yield Best ROI: Horizon Media

Campanelli said some clients might want to spend — or not spend — money based on a news network’s political slant. But to the agency, “reaching the entire news audience means buying multiple networks … you’re covering yourself, reaching different people without any perceived bias.”

While the polarizing, unpredictable and pugnacious Trump administration helped make 2017 Fox News’s most watched year, there was also plenty going on behind the scenes at the network.

Fox News chair Roger Ailes resigned in July 2016, and top-rated primetime host Bill O’Reilly and network president Bill Shine were dismissed last spring amid multiple accusations of sexual harrassment.

Two female hosts, Megyn Kelly and Greta Van Susteren, also left the network, which had to create a new primetime lineup.

Gambelli, who was president of broadcast sales when she left NBC in 2012 and became chief investment officer at Horizon, was one of several women brought into high-level jobs at the network after the dismissals. She led Fox News through the upfront, then began making changes to the sales organization.

Gambelli has been upping Fox News’s data game, and the network is among a handful testing Data Plus Math’s new sales attribution platform during the first quarter.

Under Gambelli, Fox News is also working more closely with Fox Networks Group and may use its AIM data-based sales system. FNG is one of the partners of Open AP, which is trying to standardize audience buying for clients, and Gambelli said Fox News is moving in that direction as well.

“I feel like we’re a better play combined than we are separate,” she said.

Gambelli also promoted a group of top executives. “We were a very flat organization. I also wanted to put my core team together and let them know that this is a team going forward,” she said.

She intends to more formally integrate digital into the sales structure, explaining that the promotions give her room to do that.

“We’ve done a pretty good job of integrating digital and TV, which was more divided that it is now,” Gambelli said.

Under Ailes, Fox News was focused on TV. Now it is making a bigger effort to create digital content, adding advertising packages that include TV and online material. Gambelli said the network now is putting together cross-platform election packages that will take advantage of Fox News’s social influence.

Giving Clients the Business
Gambelli will also be putting more emphasis around Fox Business Network.

“Where CNBC is very much about the trader or around the stock market, I think our financial news is more accessible to the average American and how policy and all the changes going on in Washington affect your financial picture,” she said.

More change is surely in store for Fox News in the wake of 21st Century Fox’s blockbuster deal to sell $52 billion in TV and film assets to The Walt Disney Co. Fox News and Fox Business will remain as part of a new Fox business dedicated to news, sports and other live programming. But before that deal closes, another upfront will take place.

“We’re working on that right now,” Gambelli said. “I think we’ll continue to do more intimate presentations, agency by agency.”

The pitch will cover the network’s new primetime lineup, featuring Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham. Gambelli also plans to adjust the approach for Fox and Friends, called TV’s most influential news show because President Donald Trump watches it so closely.

The price for spots on Fox and Friends rose to $2,760 per 30 seconds in 2017 from $2,594 in 2016, according to SMI. Spots on CNN’s New Day and MSNBC’s Morning Joe cost $2,248 and $2,111, respectively.

“I’m trying to sell it more as entertainment, more like the Today show,” Gambelli said. “As much as it’s hard news, there are musical segments, and I think with the early morning shows on the broadcast side declining, we have an opportunity to sell that a little differently — not on the political side.”

The C3 commercial ratings used to buy and sell advertising fell 13% among adults 18 to 49, according to an analysis of Nielsen data by Wall Street analyst Michael Nathanson of MoffettNathanson Research.

Cable ratings were down 11% and broadcast was down 16%, Nathanson said.

TV ratings got a boost in 2016 when Nielsen switched to a bigger sample size.

“Ratings declines in 2017 were even worse than we imagined, with seven of the past 11 months declining double digits,” Nathanson said in a report.

Nielsen and the networks do not release C3 figures.

21st Century Fox’s networks were the biggest decliners among cable channels. A+E Networks and Disney were the only cable network owners to post gains in primetime among 18-to-49 year-olds.

Related > Disney-Fox: Hell Freezes Over

Among individual cable networks in total-day C3 ratings, Nathanson said A&E was up a whopping 40% for the month. Also posting gains were Hallmark Channel, up 12%; History, up 9%; MSNBC, up 8%; and Freeform, up 7%. Viacom’s MTV was flat.

The biggest decliner was Fox News Channel, followed by Viacom’s Nick at Nite. It's worth noting that Fox News uses live-plus-same-day ratings as it primary ad sales metric. The network recently noted that it has had its highest rated year in its history on a total-day basis.

The declines by the broadcast networks came against the backdrop of the presidential election a year ago, which brought viewers to their sets. Fox, which had a huge World Series finale a year ago, was the biggest decliner.

”Given the challenged ratings trends we have seen and expect to continue, we remain cautious on the TV advertising market’s ability to grow dollars by offsetting these declines with higher CPM inflation,” Nathanson said.

FCC chair Ajit Pai has told Fox & Friends that net-neutrality protesters have "crossed a line" with hateful signs that target his children.

Fox News Channel reported Monday (Nov. 27) that demonstrators had been gathering outside Pai's home after last week's release of the order to reclassify ISPs as information services not subject to mandatory access regulations and to eliminate most of the bright-line network-neutrality rules.

Signs posted on the street outside the FCC chair's home included some naming his children and asking how his kids could look him in the eye as he was "murdering Democracy in cold blood," according to a tweet by one of Pai's neighbors that was cited in the Fox & Friends story.

I have a friend that lives near @AjitPaiFCC. Net neutrality "activists" posted these signs, featuring his children's names, outside his house. Pizzas also reportedly sent to his house every half-hour last night. pic.twitter.com/jWI4gV6Hvc

— Brendan Bordelon (@BrendanBordelon) November 25, 2017

“It certainly crosses a line with me,” Pai said on the show. “Families … should remain out of it, and [protesters should] stop harassing us at our homes. ... It was a little nerve-racking, especially for my wife, who’s not involved in this space.”

Former FCC chair Tom Wheeler also had protesters outside his home before he switched to a Title II approach to net-neutrality rules -- the approach Pai is now moving to roll back -- but the demonstrators were not threatening, and Wheeler even spoke with them and posed for a photo at one point.

Protesters had taken to Pai's street back in May, as well, after the FCC voted to propose the Title II rollback, but the tone of the newest protest had an uglier edge.

Pai chief of staff Matthew Berry also condemned -- by way of retweets -- some of the hateful and even racist messages aimed at Pai and his family by opponents of his proposal, including one that said he should get cancer and his family should be executed so they could not pass his genes on.

Former FCC chair Michael Copps, now a special advisor to Common Cause, is one of the strongest critics of Pai's proposal, but he told B&C that, as he tweeted over the Thanksgiving Day weekend, there is not a place for such hateful speech in the net-neutrality discussion, and anyone who directs it toward the current chair is no ally of his.

Copps added that when he was on the commission, he was concerned about hate speech and would like to see more done to rein it in, adding that given how much uncivil dialog is going on these days, the problem should be a little more obvious.

Fred Campbell, president of Tech Knowledge, which backs Pai's Title II rollback, stood up for the chair and against the protests.

“The repeated racist attacks against FCC chairman Ajit Pai and his family in their own home during the holiday weekend are horrific," he said. "The perpetrators of this villainy should be ashamed. These attacks aren’t net-neutrality advocacy. They are terrorism.”

Free Press president Craig Aaron distanced his group, which is strongly opposed to the Title II rollback, from the attacks on Pai and condemned the tenor and tactics.

Should go without saying, but we'll say it again and again. #NetNeutralitypic.twitter.com/LiiYCgDC3e

— Free Press Action (@freepressaction) November 27, 2017

"We don't condone this type of harassment. We believe in rigorous public debate," said Evan Greer, campaign director at Fight for the Future, which called for protests of the pending vote to roll back Title II. "People who care about this issue should be channeling their anger productively and calling on their lawmakers to take action to stop the FCC vote."

President Donald Trump has, if possible, ratcheted up his media attacks, making it crystal clear Wednesday (Oct. 18) that he believes the mainstream media are indeed enemies of the people, bent on destroying him and willing to stop at nothing.

Trump once again circulated via email a new "Mainstream Media Accountability Survey," one of several the Trump-Pence campaign fundraising committee has conducted in concert with the Republican National Committee since Trump became president in January. The "surveys" began during his run for office.

"I’ve said it before and I will say it again: The mainstream media is out to bring down my administration," Trump said in the e-mail. "It’s a 24/7 barrage of hit jobs, fake stories and absolute hatred for everything we stand for as a movement.

"They don’t care about the truth," Trump continued. "They don’t care about what’s right. They only care about propping up the liberal Democrats they worship and destroying anyone who wants to put America First. There is nothing they won’t do to stop us."

Poll: Republicans Back Power to Pull News Media ‘Licenses’

The new survey focuses on four specific news outlets -- CNN, NBC, MSNBC and Fox News Channel -- asking whether any can be trusted to report fairly on his presidency. Trump has been highly critical of CNN and NBC News, and generally positive toward FNC.

Trump last week reacted to an NBC News story suggesting he wanted to boost the U.S. nuclear arsenal by calling it “fake news,” and “pure fiction.” He also called for broadcast licenses to be challenged and if need be revoked.

FCC chair Ajit Pai said this week that the commission can’t revoke licenses over the content of newscasts and he would continue to defend the First Amendment.

National TV ad revenue rose 2.5% in July, thanks largely to gains in sports on cable, according to new figures from research company Standard Media Index.

Cable news and broadcast primetime entertainment also posted increases.

Cable networks registered a 3.7% rise in ad revenue with sports programming up 30% in July. Broadcast ad revenue was up 0.3%

Much of the cable gain came from the Wimbledon tennis tournament, which aired on ESPN and ESPN2 entirely in July. Last year, four days of Wimbledon were played in June. ESPN also aired the X Games in July after they were played in June last year. The network got a bump from a 12% increase in commercial unit prices on its sports talk shows.

Related: ESPN Fits Mobile App With ‘Watch’ Tab

Cable news networks were also strong, with an 11% increase across Fox News Channel, CNN and MSNBC. Of those, MSNBC saw the largest gain, up 33%, followed by CNN (up 10%) and FNC (up 5%).

Spending on broadcast sports was down 13% compared witha year ago, when the Olympic trials brought more than $20 million in spending to NBC. The broadcasters were also hurt by the PGA Championship returning to August; it was moved to July last year because of the Olympics.

Related: NBC Sports Rebrands Comcast RSNs

Overall ad spending in July rose 12%.

Digital returned to strong growth with an 18% gain. But SMI said one large advertiser, Unilever, which announced it will shift spending from digital to TV, spent 15% more on cable and broadcast than a year ago.

Digital video grew 12%, with premium video showing big gains. Hulu was up 37%, while YouTube was down 15%. Some advertisers have pulled advertising from YouTube because of concern ads might run alongside inappropriate content. TV network digital was up 11%.

“Despite national TV ratings challenges, the ad market opened the second half of the year with a real bang,” said James Fennessy, CEO of Standard Media Index. “Social and premium video remain the powerhouses of the digital sector.”

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

A Fox News Channel report  has prompted the powerful chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee to seek more information on federal investigations into the Rossyln, Va.-based University of Management and Technology.

Committee chair Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), in a letterto Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, cited almost a half dozen references to FNC's February report "Fox News Investigation: DOD-Funded School at Center of Federal Probes Over Suspected Chinese Military Ties," and reporters Catherine Herridge, Pamela K. Browne and Cyd Upson

Grassley is concerned, among other things, that thousands of records of service members enrolled at the school could be compromised.

"Questions have been raised as to whether the UMT personnel in the Beijing office remotely accessed and compromised the personal and military histories of U.S. service members from China," Grassley said.

"According to Fox News, Defense Secretary James Mattis has also voiced concerns with the situation," Grassley wrote. "Allegedly, Secretary Mattis said schools like UMT are attractive to the Chinese military because it could allow access to sensitive technology and insight into our capabilities."

Fox News Channel won the cable ratings race around fired FBI director James Comey’s testimony in the Senate Thursday (June 8), with 3.1 million total viewers, just ahead of CNN’s 3.06 million. MSNBC drew 2.74 million viewers.

ABC topped all networks airing the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing live, pulling in 3.3 million total viewers, just barely beating CBS’s 3.29 million, while NBC was at 2.72 million. Univision had 624,000 total viewers.

Related: Comey Says Many Stories About Russia Investigation 'Dead Wrong'

Comey answered questions from the committee about his interactions with President Trump. Special coverage aired from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday.

Cable news network CNN took the race among viewers 25-54, drawing 1.02 million of them, ahead of NBC’s 859,000; ABC’s 854,000; CBS’s 784,000; MSNBC's 633,000; FNC's 600,000; and Univision's 258,000.

Related: President Asserts Comey Testimony Totally Vindicates Him

Fox News Channel has reached a long-term deal with on-air host Martha MacCallum, the network said Thursday.

As part of the deal, MacCallum will remain host of FNC’s The Story With Martha MacCallum as well as continue her contributions to FNC’s election coverage, said network officials.

The Story has posted a 13% increase in total viewers during the 7 pm hour since its launch on May 1 versus the same time period on 2016, according to the network.

Prior to The Story, MacCallum anchored The First 100 Days, which chronicled the start of the new administration and continued until President Trump’s 100th day in office. For the first quarter of 2017, The First 100 Days delivered the most-watched quarter in network history for the 7 pm time period.

"Over the past 12 years, Martha has built a relationship with our viewers based on her engaging personality and trustworthiness,” said Suzanne Scott, FNC president of programming in a statement. “She has proven herself to be an essential component of the network’s programming.”

Fox News Channel has named Amy Listerman as chief financial offier and executive vice president of finance and accounting, effective May 1.

Listerman replaces Mark Krantz, who retired in August and is reportedly cooperating, in exchange for immunity, with investigators looking into whether payments the network made in sexual harassment cases against it were accounted for properly.

FNC is also under fire because of harassment complaints against Bill O’Reilly, who hosts the network’s highest-rated primetime hour. Advertisers have been pulling their ads from the show, raising question about the future of that program.

Related > Report: Fox Settled O’Reilly Sexual Harassment Claim Last Summer

Before joining Fox News, Listerman had been with Scripps Networks Interactive, where she had been senior vice president and CFO of advertising sales and head of advertising sales data strategy.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Fox News Channel was the main source of news for 40% of the voters who put Donald Trump into the White House, while Hillary Clinton's supporters got their news from a number of outlets, with none of those getting more than 20%. Only 3% of Clinton supporters said Fox was their main source of news.

That's according to a new Pew Research Center survey, conducted Nov. 29-Dec. 12 among a representative sample of 4,183 adults.

The next most common main news source for voters who elected Trump was CNN, which the President-elect has attacked as fake news, though that network was cited by only 8%.

The full Trump voter breakdown was FNC, 40%; CNN, 8%; Facebook, 7%; NBC, 6%; Local TV, 5%; ABC, 3%; CBS, 3%; and local radio, 3%.

RELATED > Former Apprentice Contestant Sues Trump

CNN was the main source of news for Clinton voters, cited by 18% of respondents. MSNBC, Facebook, local television news, NPR, ABC, The New York Times and CBS were each cited by between 5% and 9% of those respondents as their main source.

The full Clinton voter breakdown was CNN, 18%; MSNBC, 9%; Facebook, 8%; local TV news, 8%; NPR, 7%; ABC, 6%; The New York Times, 5%; CBS, 5%; NBC, 4%; local newspapers, 4%; and FNC, 3%.

Across voters for both candidates, 19% said FNC was their main source, followed by CNN at 13% and Facebook at 9%, although Facebook does not produce its own news.

RELATED > Survey: Trump Should Dump Tweets

Prominent online sites that do produce news did not make much of a dent in the "main source" list.

Breitbart was named by only 1% of respondents as the main source of news, as was The Huffington Post. Buzzfeed was not named by a single member of the sample. Those sites were part of the larger news diet for some of those respondents.

The margin of error for the survey is plus or minus 2.7 percentage points, Pew said.

Fox News Channel veteran anchor Megyn Kelly will join NBC News, NBCUniversal News Group chairman Andrew Lack announced Tuesday.

Kelly, whose The Kelly File program is one of Fox News’ highest rated primetime series, will anchor a one-hour daytime news program that will launch in the coming months, but no date has been given for her debut.

Kelly will also anchor a Sunday evening news magazine show and will become “an important contributor” to NBC breaking news coverage as well as the network’s political and special events coverage, according to Lack.

“Megyn is an exceptional journalist and news anchor, who has had an extraordinary career” Lack said in a statement. “She’s demonstrated tremendous skill and poise, and we’re lucky to have her.”

Kelly in a statement on her Facebook page said: "Over a dozen years ago I started at Fox News in a job that would change my life. Now, I have decided to end my time at FNC, incredibly enriched for the experiences I've had. I have agreed to join NBC News, where I will be launching a new daytime show Monday through Friday, along with a Sunday evening news magazine program. I will also participate in NBC's breaking news coverage and its political and special events coverage. While I will greatly miss my colleagues at Fox, I am delighted to be joining the NBC News family and taking on a new challenge. I remain deeply grateful to Fox News, to Rupert, Lachlan and James Murdoch, and especially to all of the FNC viewers, who have taught me so much about what really matters. More to come soon."

Kelly has anchored The Kelly File since 2013 and has developed the show into the number two highest-rated show on Fox News behind The O’Reilly Factor. But with her contract with Fox ending in 2017 – and with the fallout over the resignation last July of Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes – there had been media speculation on whether Kelly would remain at Fox News.

Fox News finished 2016 as the most watched cable network in primetime, bolstered by The O’Reilly Factor, The Kelly File and the network’s coverage of the 2016 Presidential campaign.

Fox News Channel has named Tom Lowell VP and managing editor of news.

He will report to Jay Wallace, EVP of news and editorial for the cable news network.

Lowell, who has been executive producer of The Kelly File, steps into his new position Jan. 1. FNC did not say who will succeed Lowell at The Kelly File.

Lowell joined FNC in 2003, starting as a producer on Fox News Live. He launched America Live With Megyn Kelly in 2010 and The Kelly File in 2013.

Before joining the network, he was an EP at CBS affiliate WFSB-TV Hartford, Conn.; WCVB-TV Boston (ABC); and Fox affiliate WSVN-TV Miami.

John Roberts has been named chief White House correspondent for Fox News Channel, effective inauguration day (Jan. 20).

Roberts joined FNC in 2011 from CNN's American Morning, and has been FNC's senior national correspondent, based in Atlanta.

"Donald Trump's presidency will be the predominant news story worldwide in the next four years," said Roberts. "I am honored that Fox News has allowed me a front-row seat to history as it all unfolds."

Roberts covered the Trump campaign for the news channel. Chief White House correspondent Ed Henry was pulled off the beat "to work things out" back in May following a tabloid story about his alleged affair with a Las Vegas hostess.

Henry returned to the network in August as chief national correspondent, based in Washington.

Fox News Channel responded to former anchor Andrea Tantaros’s sexual harassment lawsuit by saying her complaint is filled with falsehoods and should be resolved in arbitration.

In a filing with New York State Supreme Court, Fox News said “Tarantos is not a victim; she is an opportunist.”

Related:Ailes, Fox News Channel Hit With Another Sexual Harassment Suit

Former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes was forced out of his post after former anchor Gretchen Carlson filed a sexual harassment lawsuit. Parent company 21st Century Fox launched an investigation that turned up other women with similar complaints.

Tarantos’ lawsuit named Fox News and several other senior executives at the network.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Fox News Channel and former chairman Roger Ailes have been hit with another sexual harassment suit.

Anchor Andrea Tantaros filed a complaint in New York State Supreme Court and named Fox News Channel and several of its executives, including Ailes, recently named co-president Bill Shine, programming head Suzanne Scott, counsel  Dianne Brandi and public relations chief Irena Briganti.

Ailes resigned last month following a similar sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson and an investigation by parent company 21st Century Fox that turned up complaints by other female Fox News staffers. Fox News said it does not comment on pending litigation.

Tantaros said in the suit, “Fox News masquerades as a defender of traditional family values, but behind the scenes, it operates like a sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency, and misogyny.”

Tantaros also charged that Ailes did not act alone. “He may have been the primary culprit, but his actions were condoned by his most senior lieutenants, who engaged in a concerted effort to silence Tantaros by threats, humiliation and retaliation,” her suit said.

She added that 21st Century Fox’s top execs, Rupert, James and Lachlan Murdoch, “have been misleading the public into believing that they are taking action. In fact, they have done the opposite.”

In the suit, Ailes is accused of making inappropriate comments like “turn around so I can get a good look on you” -- a request so common at Fox News it was referred to as “The Twirl” -- and “I bet you look good in a bikini.”

“Perhaps the most shocking encounter of all,” the suit said, “was a Spring 2015 meeting between Tantaros and Fox News senior xxecutive, defendant William Shine, during which Tantaros sought relief from Ailes’s sexual harassment. In response, Shine told Tantaros that Ailes was a ‘very powerful man’ and that Tantaros ‘needed to let this one go.’ Yet, after Ailes was revealed to be a sexual predator and forced to resign, Shine was promoted to co-president of Fox News. Shine’s inexplicable elevation sends the message that it will be ‘business as usual’ at Fox News when it comes to the treatment of women.”

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

21st Century Fox executive chairman Lachlan Murdoch opened the company's fourth quarter earnings call Wednesday with a statement about Fox News Channel, which he noted "has been the news over the past few weeks."

He said the company "moved quickly and decisively to protect the business, protect its employees and protect the unique voice Fox News broadcasts."

He did not mention former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes by name. Ailes resigned last month after being accused of sexual harassment by former FNC anchor Gretchen Carlson.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Lawyers for former Fox News Channel anchor Gretchen Carlson, who has sued Fox News chairman Roger Ailes for sexual harassment, said they want Ailes to deny the charges under oath.

Ailes on Wednesday released a statementcalling Carlson’s accusations “false” and “defamatory.” He said that Carlson’s contract was not renewed because ratings were disappointing, not because she refused any alleged improper advances.

Carlson’s attorneys released a statement Thursday spelling out what they said were the ratings changes for Carlson’s FNC show, The Real Story With Gretchen Carlson. They said that despite being moved to a tough time slot and getting insufficient support and promotion, the show's ratings went up, and Carlson was successful.

Visit broadcastingcable.com to read the statement from Carlson’s legal team of Nancy Erika Smith and Martin Hyman.

Fox News Channel is going inside the campaign of the controversial GOP presidential front-runner in a new special, "Fox News Reporting: Donald Trump--The Disruptor."

The hour special; will air Saturday night. April 9, at 8 p.m.

Fox calls it a "warts and all" portrait drawn from interviews with friends, family and supporters, and featuring an exclusive look at the candidate on the road as he makes his "assault on the political world," and gets pushback in return.

The warts include what Fox tabs Trump's self-inflicted damage, and the "and all" looks at the resistance from both ends of the political spectrum to the brash candidate.

The special will re-air on Sunday night, also at 8 p.m.

Fox News Channel's Greta Van Susteren will host a Town Hall with GOP candidate Donald Trump April 3 from Milwaukee.

The Wisconsin primary is April 5, with 42 delegates at stake, and Trump is trailing Sen. Ted. Cruz in the state in the latest polls.

Both Van Susteren, host and moderator of On the Record, and audience members will question Trump. Van Susteren is a native of Wisconsin and, FNC said, is among the longest-serving anchors in cable news.

WASHINGTON — Fox News Channel has confirmed that its March 21 Republican Presidential Candidate Debate from Salt Lake City, Utah, has been canceled due to the pullout of two of the three remaining candidates.

"On Feb. 20, the Republican National Committee announced that a GOP presidential primary debate would be held on March 21 in Salt Lake City," 
said Michael Clemente, EVP, news, for FNC, in a statement. "They offered that debate to Fox News Channel to host, provided there were enough candidates actively campaigning.

[SEE RELATED STORY: Donald Trump makes the morning talk-show rounds, says "there could be riots" in Cleveland at GOP convention.]

"This morning, Donald Trump announced he would not be participating in the debate," said Clemente, which set the dominos in motion. "Shortly afterward, John Kasich's campaign announced that without Trump at the debate, Kasich would not participate. Ted Cruz has expressed a willingness to debate Trump or Kasich — or both. But obviously, there needs to be more than one participant. So the Salt Lake City debate is cancelled."

The debate was to have aired on the eve of the Utah and Arizona primaries and hosted by Fox News's same trio of moderators, Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace, who had hosted the three previous FNC GOP debates.

Those three debates have been the three highest-rated programs of any type in Fox News’s history, topped by the first debate on Aug. 6 with 24 million viewers.

The debate was still on the RNC's list at press time, but with sponsors "TBD." Now make that "not TBD."

It was the Republican party and Fox News Channel's night.

As the GOP gained control of the Senate, Fox News Channel set the pace with the Nielsen electorate garnering the largest overall audience and also standing atop the so-called news demo among cable and broadcast networks with its midterm election coverage. 

Fox News Channel averaged 6.6 million watchers in the 10 p.m. hour (ET), when the three broadcast networks turned their attention to the results. CBS placed with 5.4 million viewers, compared with 4.2 million for NBC and 3.1 million for ABC.

For their part, CNN, which is currently dark on Dish Network, scored 1.9 million watchers during the period, while MSNBC registered with 1.6 million viewers.

Among the 25-to-54 set, FNC led the way with 1.8 million watchers, while CBS had 1.55 million and NBC 1.48 million. ABC was fourth, counting 1.08 million in that group, ahead of CNN's 912,000 and MSNBC's 566,000. That marked the first time that the cable news leader bested all of the broadcasters with the news demo.

During primetime from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., FNC averaged 6.3 million watchers, versus 2.1 million for CNN and 1.7 million for MSNBC.

On the demo watch, FNC scored with almost 1.7 million adults 25 to 54, more than double the combined total of its cable competitors: 909,000 for CNN and 525,000 for MSNBC.