Broadcast networks broken into regular programming Sunday afternoon to cover the news that President Joe Biden has decided to drop out of the race for re-election.

A few minutes after 2 p.m. ET, NBC News senior Washington correspondent Hallie Jackson reported on the news during a special report. She was joined during the report by Kristen Welker, Kelly O'Donnell, Yamiche Alcindor and Allie Raffa.

O’Donnell talked about how the pressure had been mounting on Biden.

“To be the president running for reelection, you are, in fact, the standard bearer of that party — and the bough had been breaking for days, crack by crack, now with roughly 40 elected members of Congress and the Democratic Party urging him to step aside,” she said.

Jen Psaki, who had been President Biden's press secretary, broke the news on MSNBC at 1:52 p.m.

“This is a significant breaking news development with the president announcing he is stepping back from the race," Psaki said. “There was very little indication from people close to him and many people in the campaign that this was what was about to happen, as much as there were reports of Democrats calling on him to do that.”

MSNBC’s coverage was joined by Rachel Maddow and Joe Scarborough.

Fox News Channel said it would present continuous coverage of Biden’s decision on Sunday. Fox's chief Washington Correspondent Mike Emanuel broad the news on air and was joined by Bret Baier, Brit Hume, Martha MacCallum, Bill Hemmer and Shannon Bream.

“This is a tectonic shift in politics, think about where we have been and in such a fast time to have changed now this nominee, stepping down," Baier said on Fox News. "It was only three weeks ago that there was that debate and at which point President Biden walked out and in the first few minutes, the world kind of gasped that was on stage after all the preparation that he did. The fallout from that I  don’t think ever really recovered and his effort to do interviews afterwards did not stop the bleeding as far as his political problems.“

Cable news rival CNN was airing a rerun of Fareed Zakaria GPS when the news broke, and at 1:46 p.m. and it took about 10 minutes to report the breaking news, according to the Daily Beast.

More people watched the guilty verdicts in former President Donald Trump’s porn-star hush-money election-interference trial on Fox News Channel than any other cable or broadcast outlet.

According to early data Nielsen provided by Fox News, the network had more than 4.4 million viewers tuned in during the 5 p.m. (ET) hour, when the jury’s decision was read in court. Later reporting had Fox at 4.7 million viewers on average in that hour.

MSNBC had 3.4 million viewers and CNN had nearly 2.4 million viewers. The New York Times reported on Friday that, from 8 to 11 p.m., MSNBC programs averaged 3.4 million viewers, topping Fox News’s 3.1 million, while CNN averaged 1.3 million.

The verdict generated the highest-rated hour in cable. 

On broadcast, from just before 5 p.m., when the networks broke into regular programming because verdicts had been reached, ABC News had 3.3 million viewers for 102 minutes of coverage and CBS News had 2.5 million viewers tune in for 71 minutes of coverage.

Viewing data on NBC viewership was not available.

Fox News Media’s digital properties notched triple- and double-digit increases versus their 2024 weekday average and delivered their highest level of engagement of the year, according to Adobe Analytics.

Fox News Go streaming video starts were up 240%, unique viewers were up 301% and total view time was up 64% versus the average 2024 weekday. 

Fox News Media and on-air personality Greg Gutfeld have reached a new multiyear contract extension that calls for him to continue as host of 10 p.m. show Gutfeld! and as co-host of afternoon talk show The Five.

Gutfeld, who has been with Fox News since 2007, will also host and produce Fox Nation programming. Gutfeld!, which celebrates its third anniversary Friday, averages 2.2 million viewers in its 10 p.m. time slot, according to Nielsen numbers supplied bu Fox News. 

The Five, which Gutfeld has co-hosted since its launch in 2011, averaged more than 3 million viewers during first-quarter 2024 and topped all programs on cable for the last 10 consecutive quarters, according to Fox News.

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“Greg is a true original whose trademark political and cultural commentary, humor and gifted writing has deeply connected and grown with our audience for more than 17 years,” Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said in a statement. “Upon launching Gutfeld! three years ago, he rapidly disrupted the status quo to become the most-watched host in the genre with more viewers tuning in to his show than any other late-night program on television. We are proud to be the home of Greg, his unparalleled analysis and late-night’s highest-rated program for many years to come.”

Gutfeld added: “Since joining the network in 2007, Fox News has given me the freedom to be unabashedly myself and, in turn, deliver a distinct experience for our audience. There aren’t many platforms that allow this type of creative independence and I’m proud to be a part of Suzanne’s team.”

With the 2024 presidential election season underway, Fox News Channel anchor and host Harris Faulkner is heating up on the ratings front as the host of two daily shows on the cable news network. 

The 19-year Fox News veteran’s morning news series, The Faulkner Focus, averaged nearly 1.5 million viewers in January. That’s a larger average audience than such broadcast shows as GMA3: What You Need to Know on ABC and CBS’s The Talk tallied during the first week of February, according to Nielsen data provided by Fox News.

Outnumbered — Faulkner’s other daily series, which she co-hosts with Emily Compagno and Kayleigh McEnany — is marking its 10th year on air in 2024. That show features a panel of regular contributors discussing breaking news and issues of the day. 

Faulkner recently spoke to Multichannel News senior content producer R. Thomas Umstead about the upcoming election news cycle and the challenges of competing in a crowded television environment. 

How have you been able to build ratings momentum in a noisy, competitive television news environment? It’s about consistency. When people tune in, they know what they’re going to get. My only goal is to tell the truth and to get the audience to remember some of those words by the way that I deliver it. I don’t want to waste their time and I don’t want them to think that I take them for granted.

How has the cable-news business changed since you’ve been at Fox News? The platforms are all still changing, but when you talk about reaching viewers, especially a young audience, staying relevant is everybody’s goal. You’ve got to be there when news happens …that’s what makes you relevant in this business. Whatever they are doing to consume the information, you have to bring the truth to them and tell it in a memorable way. 

Has the cable news business improved for women in general, and for women of color in particular? The one place I want to see more of us — and this includes Fox by the way — is as content drivers behind the scenes. We need line producers, senior producers and executive producers. We need people who are handling and driving the content behind the scenes. I think we have representation in front of the camera with people of many diverse lanes, and I encourage networks to look at more than skin color and hair texture when it comes to diversity. 

What role will the media serve in the 2024 elections? I do think we have a responsibility to prepare the viewer. The unifying message to me, the nonpolitical, apolitical message to me is to go and to do what my dad fought for — go do your supreme right of freedom and vote. In that sense, that’s our most important job. And the way that you do that is to instill confidence in people that you’re preparing them and that you’re telling them the truth, especially around presidential elections.

What’s left for you to accomplish in the news business? It is an accomplishment when you’re on a team for there to be a measurable way to show them how you’re doing. So while I don’t think it’s the end-all be-all, when we have good news to share about how the show is doing I’m extremely proud. Sometimes the only measurement that we get besides the beautiful comments from viewers that we get to meet in person are the ratings, and that’s of course what our bosses look at. 

Fox News won the State of the Union ratings race Thursday, March 7, in terms of total viewers, while NBC won the demo battle. Anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, Fox News Channel had 5.64 million total viewers, while ABC had 5.024 million, NBC posted 4.33 million, MSNBC had 4.20 million, CBS tallied 3.94 million, CNN had 2.51 million, Fox broadcast had 1.71 million, Fox Business averaged 240,000 and CNBC had 112,000, according to Nielsen's fast nationals. 

In the 25-54 demo, NBC, with Lester Holt and Savannah Guthrie anchoring, was tops with 1.11 million, just ahead of ABC’s 1.07 million. Fox News had 1.03 million, CBS tallied 824,054, CNN posted 646,000 and MSNBC had 611,000. Fox broadcast scored 516,738, Fox Business had 40,000 and CNBC tallied 35,000 in the demo. 

The ratings reflect viewership from 9:15 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. ET. President Joe Biden spoke for 68 minutes at the Capitol, and the Republican response, from Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), followed. “My purpose tonight is to wake up the Congress and alert the American people that this is no ordinary moment,” he began. “Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault at home as they are today.”

The New York Times called it “one of the most confrontational speeches that any president has offered from the House rostrum, met by equally fractious heckling from his Republican opponents.”

NBA and NFL coverage helped ESPN finish first in primetime among all cable networks during the final week of October.

The sports network averaged 2.2 million viewers for the week of October 23 to October 29, topping second-place Fox News Channel, which averaged 2 million viewers for the week, according to Nielsen numbers supplied by Fox News. 

ESPN was paced by its October 23 San Francisco 49ers-Minnesota Vikings Monday Night Football game, which drew 7 million viewers, as well as its October 25 NBA season-opening telecast featuring San Antonio Spurs No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama in his first pro game. That contest against the Dallas Mavericks drew nearly 3 million viewers. 

TBS finished third with 1.65 million, followed by MSNBC with 1.2 million and Hallmark Channel with 1 million viewers. Rounding out the top 10 most-watched networks for the week were TNT (973,000 viewers), HGTV (780,000), CNN (762,000), FS1 (665,000), and TLC (611,000).

On a 24-hour basis, Fox News finished first for a fifth straight week with 1.4 million viewers, followed by MSNBC (907,000), ESPN (797,000), CNN (617,000) and Hallmark Channel (551,000), according to Nielsen. 

Danamarie McNicholl has joined Fox News Channel as a correspondent based in Miami. She comes from KFMB San Diego, where she was a reporter. McNicholl begins at Fox November 6. 

She spent two years at KFMB, where she covered, among other stories, the F-18 military jet crash near Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. 

Tegna owns KFMB. 

McNicholl previously was a reporter and anchor at KREM Spokane, where she spent four years, starting as a general assignment reporter before becoming morning anchor. She got her start as a newsroom intern at XETV San Diego.  

A cum laude graduate of Gonzaga University, McNicholl holds a bachelor of arts degree in broadcast and electronic journalism. She is finishing her master’s degree in criminal justice and cybersecurity at Boston University. 

McNicholl was named Miss Washington in 2018.

Fox News Channel opened September on top of both the primetime and total day cable charts, with ESPN hot on its heels as football season kicks off.  

Fox News averaged 1.7 million viewers for the week of August 28 to September 3 to top all cable networks for the 10th straight week, according to Nielsen numbers supplied by Fox News. ESPN, bolstered by the first weekend of the college football season, finished in a tie for second place with MSNBC, with both networks averaging 1.3 million viewers.

HGTV was a distant fourth for the week with 859,000 viewers, followed by USA Network’s 834,000 viewers. Hallmark Channel was sixth with 710,000 viewers, followed by INSP (668,000 viewers), ESPN2 (649,000), TLC (617,000) and CNN (609,000).

On a total-day basis, Fox News placed first for the 35th consecutive week with an average of 1 million viewers. The network’s numbers were helped by its August 30 early morning (12 am to 5 am) simulcast of sister cable network Fox Weather's coverage of Hurricane Idalia, which drew nearly 500,000 viewers, according to Fox News.

MSNBC finished second with 860,000 viewers, followed by ESPN (622,000 viewers), CNN (515,000) and HGTV (453,000), Nielsen reported. 

Fox News Channel rode its live Republican presidential primary debate coverage to the top of the primetime and total day charts during the last week of August.

Fox News averaged 2.8 million viewers in primetime during the week of August 21-27 to lead all cable networks for the ninth straight week, according to Nielsen Numbers supplied by Fox News. The network was bolstered by the August 23 debate, which drew 12.8 million viewers — the most-watched non-sports show on cable in 2023.

MSNBC finished second for the week with 1.5 million viewers, followed by ESPN with 1 million viewers.

HGTV finished fourth with 844,000 viewers and CNN moved into fifth place with 830,000 watchers. Rounding out the top 10 most-watched networks in primetime were NFL Network (745,000 viewers), TLC (689,000), INSP (688,000), Hallmark Channel (670,000) and USA Network (667,000). 

Fox News averaged 1.3 million viewers on a 24-hour basis to top the chart for the 34th straight week, followed by MSNBC (991,000 viewers), CNN (613,000), ESPN (526,000) and HGTV (443,000), said Nielsen. 

Fox Corp. is pointing to support from a handful of legislators as it pushes back on an effort to challenge its qualifications to hold TV station licenses.

In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, Fox sent four letters from U.S. Reps. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), as well as Camden, New Jersey, Mayor Victor G. Carstarphen and Pennsylvania State Rep. Anthony Bellmon (D-Philadelphia), all praising the public service of WTXF, Fox's owned-and-operated Philadelphia affiliate whose license has been challenged.

The Media and Democracy Project (MAD), citing Fox's settlement of the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit over election misinformation on cable network Fox News Channel, last month challenged the renewal of WTXXF Philadelphia, and by extension Fox's character qualifications for holding any TV station licenses at all.

In filing the letters this week, Fox said they clearly showed that the station has and continues to operate in the public interest.

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In a joint letter, the bipartisan duo of Reps. Boyle and Fitzpatrick said the station provided “fact-based journalism and local programming that keeps our constituents safe and informed.”

Camden Mayor Carstarphen said the station's news department has been “professional, honest and fair in their reporting,” and that the station’s news team has been a “tremendous partner in telling the city’s story.”

Fox's lawyers told the FCC that those endorsements from elected leaders, all of whom reside in WTXF's coverage area, are in “stark contrast” to the distorted picture pained by the Media and Democracy Project in their challenge to the license renewal and request that the renewal be designated for hearing.

The FCC is authorized to review a license applicant's “citizenship, character, technical, financial and other qualifications.”

Former President Donald Trump’s August 14 indictment in Georgia on charges that he attempted to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state helped boost the weekly ratings fortunes for the cable news networks last week.

Fox News Channel and MSNBC both averaged 1.6 million viewers in primetime to lead all cable networks during the week of August 14 to August 20, according to Nielsen numbers supplied by Fox News. CNN finished in fifth place for the week with 770,000 viewers. 

NFL Network was the third most-watched network in primetime with 1 million viewers, followed by HGTV’s 803,000 viewers. TLC finished sixth for the week with 755,000 viewers, followed by Hallmark Channel (699,000 viewers), ESPN (683,000), INSP (663,000), and USA Network (619,000).

The three cable news networks topped the total day chart, led by Fox News with 1.1 million viewers, followed by MSNBC’s 1 million viewers and CNN’s 551,000 watchers. ESPN (451,000) and HGTV (438,000) rounded out the top five most-watched networks for the week on a 24-hour basis, according to Nielsen.  

Fox News Channel continued to sizzle on the ratings front last week, extending its winning streaks on both the primetime and total-day charts.

The news network won its seventh consecutive weekly primetime race, averaging 1.7 million viewers for the week of August 7-13 and besting second-place MSNBC’s 887,000-viewer average, according to Nielsen numbers supplied by Fox News.

The start of National Football League preseason football games propelled NFL Network to a third-place finish with 858,000 viewers, followed by HGTV with 783,000 viewers and ESPN with 727,000 viewers. 

INSP finished sixth in primetime with 712,000 viewers, followed by Hallmark Channel (700,000 viewers), TLC (644,000), USA Network (631,000) and History (605,000). 

The cable news networks topped the total day charts last week, led by Fox News with an average of 1.1 million viewers for its 32nd straight win, followed by MSNBC’s 887,000 viewers and CNN’s 487,000 watchers. HGTV (432,000 viewers) and Hallmark Channel (404,000) rounded out the top five most-watched networks on a 24-hour basis, according to Nielsen. 

Fox News Channel closed out July on a roll, sweeping the month’s cable primetime and total-day ratings charts. 

The cable news network averaged 1.8 million viewers in primetime for the week of July 24 to July 31, beating out second place MSNBC's 1.2 million viewers and marking its fifth straight win on the chart, according to Nielsen numbers supplied by Fox News.

Hallmark Channel rode its “Christmas in July” slate of holiday films to a third-place finish with 836,000 watchers, followed by Discovery Channel with 828,000 viewers, and INSP with 756,000 viewers.

History pulled into sixth place with 702,000 viewers, followed by HGTV and TLC in a tie for seventh with 648,000 viewers, USA Network (626,000 viewers) and ESPN (599,000).

Fox News continued its dominance of the total day charts, notching its 30th straight win with an average of 1.1 million viewers, followed by MSNBC (760,000 viewers), Hallmark Channel (476,000), CNN (431,000) and INSP (415,000).  

Former Democratic FCC commissioner and PBS President Ervin Duggan and onetime Weekly Standard editor and Fox News contributor Bill Kristol have teamed up to back a Federal Communications Commission inquiry into whether Fox has the character qualifications to hold its 29 TV station licenses.

The Media and Democracy Project (MAD), citing Fox’s settlement of the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit over election misinformation, earlier this month challenged the renewal of Fox’s WTFX Philadelphia, and by extension the company’s character qualifications for holding any TV station licenses at all.

In an informal letter of support for that formal inquiry, Duggan and Kristol, who are on the opposite ends of the political spectrum, said there were “more than sufficient grounds alleged in the MAD Petition for the Commission to designate the pending WTXF (Fox 29) renewal application for a hearing.”

They said there was evidence that Fox top executives “could have, but didn’t, stop the distribution of clearly false information via Fox News and Fox Business,” and that top Fox exec Rupert Murdoch admitted as much during the lawsuit. “We believe that this failure, which led to consequences dangerous to American democracy that are still unfolding to this day, is so shocking to the conscience, and so inconsistent with both the public interest and good journalistic practice, that there is a clear basis under the FCC’s Character Policy for the Commission to conduct a hearing.”

MAD said in challenging the station's license that Fox's senior management harmed the public by “wilfully distorting election news,” which the group said makes Fox “unqualified to remain a broadcast licensee.”

By its own count, Fox owns 29 full-power TV stations, including in 14 of the top 15 biggest markets, and owns duopolies — two stations — in each of the top three markets in the country, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

MAD wants the FCC to conduct an evidentiary hearing into Fox’s conduct, which would then implicate its ability to hold licenses for any of the stations if the FCC found that Fox Corp. lacked the standing to own WTFX.

“The FCC has the duty to hold Fox accountable and send a strong message that intentional, knowing news distortion will not be tolerated on America’s airwaves,” the group said.

Among the issues the FCC would consider in any review of character qualifications related to news distortion are: the seriousness of the misconduct; the nature of any participation by company managers and owners in the misconduct; any efforts to remedy the wrong; and the company’s past record regarding compliance with FCC rules and policies.

Fox News Channel celebrated the July 4 holiday week as the most watched cable network in both primetime and total day.

Fox News averaged 1.2 million viewers during the week of July 3 to July 9 to win its second straight weekly primetime crown, according to Nielsen figures supplied by Fox News. USA Network, on the strength of its NASCAR racing coverage, moved up to second place for the week with 882,000 viewers, followed by MSNBC’s 856,000 viewers and Hallmark Channel’s 814,000 watchers.

INSP was the fifth most-watched network in primetime last week with 790,000 viewers, followed by HGTV with 741,000 viewers. Discovery Channel (628,000 viewers), TLC (557,000), History (556,000), and Food Network (551,000) rounded out last week’s top 10 most-watched networks in primetime.

Fox News ran its total day ratings winning streak to 27 straight weeks, averaging 975,000 viewers, followed by MSNBC (599,000 viewers), Hallmark Channel (491,000), HGTV (436,000), and CNN (424,000).

Wells Fargo analyst Steven Cahall downgraded Fox Corp. stock to “underweight” from “equal weight” as lower ratings at Fox News Channel and cord-cutting threaten to depress earnings.

Cahall lowered his target price for Fox stock to $31 a share from his previous $35 a share target and Friday’s close of $31.92.

According to Cahall, Fox News Channel accounts for about 80% of Fox Corp.’s earnings. The network’s viewership is down 19% for the first half of 2023 compared to the first half of 2021, he noted, because of a combination of programming and cord-cutting. FNC's share of primetime news viewership is down to 38% share of from 51% in January, before popular host Tucker Carlson was dismissed.

Fox News’s share of conservative news viewers is down to 84% from 94%. 

“While the new primetime lineup could drive a rebound, we think Fox News is a Show Me viewership story,” Cahall said.

Cahall also noted that Fox gets 50% of its revenue from affiliate fees. He sees cord-cutting as reducing pay TV subscribers by 7% to 8% this year. He adds that if ESPN goes direct-to-consumer, cord-cutting could accelerate.

The company also faces more litigation after settling a defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems for $787 million.

Fox News Channel ended a competitive month of June at the top of both the primetime and total day ratings.

The news network wrested the top spot in primetime from last week’s winner, ESPN, with an average of 1.4 million viewers during the week of June 26 to July 2, according to Nielsen figures supplied by Fox News. MSNBC, which topped the primetime chart during the week of June 5, finished second with 1.1 million viewers, followed by ESPN with 1 million viewers.

HGTV was fourth for the week with 785,000 viewers, followed by INSP with 768,000 viewers. USA Network pulled into sixth place with 661,000 viewers, followed by History (645,000 viewers), Hallmark Channel and TLC (tied with 622,000), and CNN (571,000).

The cable news networks topped the total day chart, led by Fox News’s 25th straight consecutive win with 1 million viewers, followed by MSNBC (784,000 viewers) and CNN (457,000). HGTV (432,000 viewers) and ESPN (427,000) rounded out the top five most watched networks in the category, Nielsen reported. 

Two months after dropping controversial on-air host Tucker Carlson’s primetime news show, Fox News Channel said Monday it has revamped its primetime lineup, which will now feature shows from on-air personalities Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld.

Beginning July 17, Jesse Watters Primetime takes over the 8 p.m. time slot vacated by Tucker Carlson Tonight, with Hannity, hosted by Sean Hannity, remaining at 9 p.m. The new lineup will feature the Laura Ingraham-hosted The Ingraham Angle, which moves to 7 p.m. from its current 10 p.m. time slot.

Carlson’s highly-rated Tucker Carlson Tonight was canceled in late April, following a wave of leaks about the conservative host’s depositions in the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit, a suit Fox settled for more than $787 million. 

Late-night show Gutfeld! will move into the 10 p.m. slot, with Fox News@ Night with Trace Gallagher launching an hour earlier at 11 p.m.

“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,” Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said in a statement. “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.”

The moves come as Fox News’s 120-week cable news primetime winning streak was recently snapped by MSNBC. Fox News rebounded to win last week's cable news primetime race.

Fox News Channel secured sole possession of first place on the primetime chart last week on the strength of its June 13 coverage of the indictment of former President Donald Trump.

Fox News averaged 1.5 million viewers for the week of June 12 to June 18, recapturing the top spot from MSNBC, which finished second with 1.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen numbers provided by Fox News. 

ESPN finished third for the week with 997,000 viewers, followed by HGTV’s 806,000 viewers and TNT’s 751,000 watchers. INSP was sixth with 742,000 viewers, followed by History (659,000 viewers), CNN (654,000), Hallmark Channel (636,000) and TLC (598,000). 

Fox News was the most-watched network on a 24-hour basis for the 24th consecutive week, besting MSNBC (911,000 viewers), CNN (508,000), ESPN (453,000) and HGTV (439,000). 

TNT topped the primetime cable ratings charts for the seventh straight week on the strength of its Memorial Day NBA Playoffs telecast.

TNT averaged 2.1 million viewers in primetime for the week of May 29-June 4 to top all cable networks, according to Nielsen ratings provided by Fox News Channel. The network was bolstered by its May 29 coverage of Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, which drew 11.9 million viewers — the third-most-watched NBA game in TNT history.

Fox News finished second for the week with 1.3 million viewers, followed by MSNBC’s 991,000 viewers and ESPN’s 884,000 watchers. INSP pulled into fifth place with 789,000 viewers, followed by HGTV (784,000 viewers), Investigation Discovery (714,000), History (652,000), Hallmark Channel (643,000) and USA Network (613,000).

On a 24-hour basis, Fox News bested all cable networks for the 22nd consecutive week, averaging 1 million viewers. MSNBC finished second with 665,000, followed by TNT (554,000 viewers), ESPN (445,000), and HGTV (427,000).

Bret Baier, Fox News chief political anchor, interviews former President Donald Trump Monday, June 19. It’s Baier’s first sit-down with Trump since 2018. It will air during Fox News Channel’s Special Report with Bret Baier at 6 p.m. ET, and will focus on the Republican presidential primary. 

Baier, who joined Fox News in 1998, is host and executive editor of Special Report. He took over the show from Brit Hume late in 2008.

Special Report has averaged over 2.2 million viewers a night this year. 

Baier has been a moderator for the Fox News editions of The Senate Project debates, a coalition between the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, which hosts senators from different ends of the political spectrum. He will moderate the next debate June 12, featuring Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). That will stream live on Fox Nation at 11 a.m. ET.  

TNT rode the end of its coverage of the NBA and NHL conference championship playoff rounds, leading up to each league’s finals, to another win in the primetime cable ratings during the final full week of May. 

TNT averaged 3.2 million viewers during the week of May 22-May 28 to top all cable networks for the sixth straight week, according to Nielsen figures supplied by Fox News Channel. TNT was propelled by its Boston Celtics-Miami Heat NBA Eastern Conference finals coverage, with the May 27 Game 6 of the series averaging 8.7 million viewers. 

TNT will air the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, pitting the Vegas Golden Knights against the Florida Panthers, starting this Saturday (June 3). 

ESPN finished second for the week with 1.8 million viewers, powered by 8.2 million viewers tuning into its May 22 coverage of Game 4 of the Denver Nuggets-Los Angeles Lakers NBA Western Conference finals. The NBA Finals between the Heat and Nuggets begins Thursday night (June 1) on ESPN sister network ABC. 

Fox News finished third for the week with 1.3 million viewers, followed by MSNBC with 1.1 million viewers and HGTV with 781,000 watchers. INSP was the sixth most-watched network for the week with 693,000 viewers, followed by Discovery Channel (630,000 viewers), History (576,000), TLC (567,000) and Hallmark Channel (539,000).

Fox News took top honors in the total day category for the 21st consecutive week with 1 million viewers, followed by MSNBC (734,000 viewers), TNT (703,000), ESPN (599,000) and HGTV (420,000), according to Nielsen.  

Bret Baier, chief political anchor at Fox News Channel, will moderate the third installment of The Senate Project series, which features senators from different ends of the political spectrum debating key issues. Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) are featured. It takes place Monday, June 12 at 11 a.m. ET at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston. The event will run live, commercial-free on Fox Nation and will air on Fox News Channel Sunday, June 18 at 10 p.m. ET.  

The hourlong event will focus on foreign policy, homeland security and other issues.

In 2022, Baier moderated The Senate Project’s inaugural debate between Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), which was live streamed on Fox Nation. The second installment had Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio). 

“Following the success of last year’s debate, we are once again pleased to partner with the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute,”  Jay Wallace, Fox News Media president and executive editor, said. “The Senate Project series is a great example of how political leaders from opposing sides can find common ground in their efforts to address the critical issues facing the nation.”

The Senate Project was inspired by the political bridge-building established by the late Sens. Ted Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, according to Fox News. 

A fourth Senate Project debate is being planned for September in Washington, D.C.

“The Kennedy Institute is thrilled to host the third installment of The Senate Project in our replica Senate chamber,” Kennedy Institute CEO Adam Hind said. “Now more than ever, our country needs to recognize civil debate and dialogue is central to the American government process. Senators Kennedy and Hatch worked across differences to achieve monumental legislation together that changed the lives of millions of Americans. That is the example that inspired this project, and that is what this moment calls for.”

Fox News Channel has dedicated its London bureau to Pierre Zakrzewski, a cameraman who was killed while working last year outside Kyiv. The attack also killed Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova and critically injured Fox News’s State Department correspondent Benjamin Hall. 

Zakrzewski was 55 when he was killed in March 2022, his vehicle struck by incoming fire while news gathering in a village outside Kyiv. 

Based in London, Zakrzewski spent close to 20 years with Fox News. In 2021, he played a key role in rescuing Afghan freelance associates and their families from the country following the withdrawal of U.S. forces. He covered the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and breaking news from Israel, Pakistan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Italy, France, Venezuela, South Korea and Hong Kong.

“Pierre was renowned throughout the media industry for his passionate storytelling and remarkable skill, and he was an all-around exceptional colleague,” said Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott. “While we are still devastated by his loss, we are extremely proud to honor his legacy by dedicating and naming our London bureau after him.”

The dedication ceremony was held at the London bureau May 4. In attendance were Scott; Hall; Jay Wallace, president, Fox News Media; Zakrzewski’s widow, Michelle Ross-Stanton; Dragan Petrovic, London bureau chief; and Scott Wilder, senior VP of field & production operations, among others. 

Host Tucker Carlson has left Fox News Channel. His last program was Friday, April 21. 

“Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” said the network. 

Fox News did not give a reason for parting ways with Carlson, who hosted Tucker Carlson Tonight in the 8 p.m. ET weeknight slot. 

His departure comes on the heels of Fox News paying $787.5 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought on by Dominion Voting Systems. Private text messages and emails from Fox News journalists and executives were revealed in stacks of testimony pertaining to the lawsuit, which saw Carlson express his disdain for former President Donald Trump.  

Carlson, and Fox News, is also facing a lawsuit from a former Tucker Carlson Tonight producer, Abby Grossberg, whose suit mentioned a workplace where “the staff’s distaste and disdain for women infiltrated almost every workday decision.” 

Tucker Carlson Tonight is described on FoxNews.com as “the sworn enemy of lying, pomposity, smugness and groupthink.” It launched at 7 p.m. in 2016 and moved to 9 p.m. in 2017, when Megyn Kelly departed Fox. It moved again, to 8 p.m., when Bill O’Reilly left the network that same year.

Fox News Tonight will air live at 8 p.m. starting April 24 as an interim show helmed by rotating Fox News personalities until a new host is named. 

Carlson was on CNN and MSNBC before joining Fox News in 2009. 

Fox News Channel reestablished itself as the most-watched cable network in prime time last week after a March Madness bump saw it tumble to second place a week prior, according to Nielsen.

The cable news network averaged 2.3 million primetime viewers during the week of March 27 to April 2 topping ESPN, which finished second with 1.6 million viewers on the strength of the network-record 9.9 million viewers that tuned into the April 2 LSU-Iowa women’s NCAA college basketball national championship game, the ratings firm reported. 

MSNBC was third with 1.4 million viewers, followed by HGTV with 861,000 viewers and History with 748,000 watchers.

INSP finished sixth with 718,000 viewers, followed by Discovery Channel (672,000), Food Network (637,000), USA Network (632,000) and Hallmark Channel (624,000). 

Fox News was the most-watched cable network on a total-day basis for the 12th straight week, with an average of 1.4 million viewers, followed by MSNBC (877,000 viewers), ESPN (607,000), CNN (510,000) and HGTV (440,000), Nielsen said. 

Fox News Media is telling advertisers they don’t have to run commercials in news coverage to take advantage of the big Fox News Channel audience in an election year.

At its upfront presentation for advertisers Tuesday, Fox News will be outlining packages that only include lifestyle and weather programming, late-night programming and connected TV programming, Jeff Collins, executive VP at Fox News Media, told Broadcasting+Cable.

Recent headlines from the $1.6 billion defamation suit that Dominion Voting Systems levied against Fox News indicated that network executives, producers and on-air personalities knew what the channel was reporting about election fraud was baloney.

Despite polls suggesting the revelations have turned off some viewers, Collins said it hasn’t affected ad revenue. 

“In fact, we’ve seen no impact,“ Collins said. “We have not had one advertiser cancel or pause or reduce their schedule with us.” 

As one media buyer said: “Most of our clients decided some time ago whether they were comfortable airing on Fox News, and any news properties, or not. That is mostly unchanged.”

An analysis by iSpot.tv found that in January and February, Fox News had 649 advertisers, little changed from the 642 advertisers it had in January and February of 2022. The biggest advertisers on Fox News were Balance of Nature, My Pillow and Nutrisystem.

Viewing Up Despite Cord-Cutting

At a time when cord-cutting is ravishing cable networks, Fox News viewership is up 11%, one of just two cable networks to grow in 2022. 

“We continue to see a lot of strength in linear,” Collins said. “We may be defying gravity right now.”

Collins said that while most of the industry is cutting back, Fox News is leaning in, investing in new programming. Since its last presentation, before the pandemic, ”we have a lot of new content that we’ve launched over the last several years. So we want to get that out front of advertisers.”

In particular, Collins says Fox News is investing in covering stories from the whole country.

“Many other networks are flying over states,“ he said. ”We’re flying into them and telling those stories and that's a really important point of distinction for us.”

Some of that programming is in nontraditional categories for a news network, and Fox News will give advertisers packages of only non-news programming if that’s what they want.

Fox Business Network’s primetime programming now features lifestyle shows like American Dream Home, Mansion Global and How America Works.

That programming has been very popular with clients because of opportunities for contextually relevant placement. For example, bedding marketer Boll & Branch sponsored segments in Mansion Global in which their sheets were featured in the bedrooms.

Lifestyle programming from the Fox Nation streaming service has also been popping up Sundays on Fox News Channel, giving an advertiser like Camping World the opportunity to sponsor Yellowstone 150, with Kevin Costner.

Fox’s late-night show, Gutfeld, has also started to attract Colbert, Kimmel and Fallon advertisers. “We’re working with clients that want to run Gutfeld-only plans,” Collins said. In terms of pricing, “I wouldn't say we're quite up to where a broadcast level would be. I would say it's a work in progress.”

Meanwhile, Fox Weather has increased distribution and leads a group of digital and streaming properties available to advertisers.

To be sure, the upfront will feature many familiar Fox News anchors and correspondents. 

Election-Ready

But most crucially the big story coming up is the election and Fox News expects to generate big numbers with debates, primaries and ultimately Election Day.

“It’s coming and it’s coming quickly,“ Collins said. ”The first Republican debate is going to be this summer. It’s coming actually before the upfront.”

Four years ago, the first Republican debate in August drew 24 million viewers. 

“We expect and anticipate, given the competitive field, that there’s going to be as much interest,” Collins said. “We’re also excited to be able to talk about the fact that we’re reaching a more politically diverse audience than any other network out there, with more Democrats and independents watching Fox News than the cable news competition.”

Collins said he is planning to bring in four major sponsors for election coverage across the Fox News portfolio. Some of those conversations are already going on and might result in deals before there is movement in the overall upfront market. 

Fox News will hold aside some election inventory for movie studios, streaming services and other advertisers launching new products that want to reach the large audiences it expects to attract.

Collins said Fox is willing to work with advertisers in the currencies they want to use, but at this point most alternative currencies are being used on a supplemental basis. “People still want to see their Nielsen currency and transact on that. That, by and large, is what we’re seeing, but they want secondary looks and secondary reads to be able to go a level deeper.”

Fox News offers research on business outcomes and return on investment. “We are in my mind, the most efficient and effective medium out there for an advertiser’s messaging,“ Collins said. “In any sort of ROI study, we perform very well.” 

While the end of last year and the beginning of the first quarter were rough, Collins said that over the last several weeks and months business has been picking up. 

“I wouldn't attribute that to anything that’s been written about us,” he said. ■

Fox News Channel has extended its weekly winning streak in both primetime and total-day ratings into March.

The news network averaged 2 million viewers during the week of February 27-March 6 to notch its sixth straight win, according to Nielsen. ESPN finished second with 1.2 million viewers, followed by MSNBC with 1.1 million viewers. 

HGTV was fourth with 841,000 viewers, while History moved into fifth place with 776,000 watchers. INSP finished sixth with 758,000 viewers, followed by Hallmark Channel (685,000 viewers), TNT (676,000), Discovery Channel (650,000) and Food Network (633,000). 

Fox News took top honors on the total-day chart for the eighth straight week with 1.3 million, followed by MSNBC (693,000 viewers), ESPN (562,000), CNN (446,000) and HGTV (439,000), Nielsen said. ■ 

Fox News Channel swept the basic cable primetime and total-day ratings charts for the second consecutive week, according to Nielsen.

Fox News averaged 2.2 million viewers in primetime for the week of January 30-February 5 for its second consecutive win, besting ESPN and MSNBC, which tied for second place with 1 million viewers, according to Nielsen. 

HGTV was fourth with 921,000 viewers, with Hallmark Channel’s right behind at 816,000 viewers. History finished in sixth place with 765,000 viewers, followed by INSP (750,000), TNT (738,000), TBS (667,000) and USA Network (629,000), reported Nielsen.

On the total-day front, Fox News notched its fifth straight win with an average of 1.4 million viewers, more than doubling second place MSNBC’s  677,000 viewer output. ESPN (566,000 viewers), CNN (487,000) and HGTV (487,000) rounded out the top five most watched networks in the category, according to Nielsen. ■ 

ESPN rode a Monday night NFL playoffs performance to the top of the primetime ratings charts, while Fox News Channel kept up its winning streak in the total-day ratings.

ESPN averaged 2.4 million viewers for the week of January 16 to January 22, notching its third primetime straight win, according to Nielsen. The network was bolstered by its coverage of the January 16 Dallas Cowboys-Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL NFC Wild Card Playoff game, which averaged more than 30 million viewers combined on ESPN and ABC, Nielsen said.

Fox News finished second with 1.9 million viewers, followed by MSNBC with 943,000 viewers, Hallmark Channel with 885,000 viewers, and HGTV with 872,000 watchers.

Also finishing among the top 10 most-watched networks in primetime were History (742,000 viewers), TNT (730,000), INSP (698,000), TBS (656,000) and TLC (654,000). 

Fox News secured its third straight win on the total day charts with 1.3 million viewers, topping ESPN (825,000 viewers), MSNBC (629,000), HGTV (495,000), and Hallmark Channel (455,000), Nielsen reported. ■ 

Alan Komissaroff, who had been with Fox News since its launch, died Friday at age 47, the company said.

Komissaroff, who rose to become senior VP of news and politics for Fox News Media, suffered a heart attack at his home almost two weeks ago.

“Alan was a leader and mentor throughout Fox News Media who was integral to our daily news operations and played an indispensable role in every election cycle. The recent midterm election coverage was easily one of the finest nights of special coverage he produced throughout his career,” said Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott and Fox News Media President and Executive Editor Jay Wallace in a note to staff.

“And he was the ultimate producer: breaking news, politics, special events — there was no steadier or more trusted colleague to be with in the control room during the most consequential events of our time and his incisiveness and passion for news made our work better,” they said.

Fox News anchor Brett Baier aired a tribute to Komissaroff on Special Report Friday night (January 20).

“As we head to break, we remember one of our own. We are heartbroken that our colleague Alan Komissaroff has died from a heart attack," said Baier. "He has been a crucial leader in our coverage for every major news event and every election night. He was a happy warrior [who] thought outside the box and made us better every day. Our FOX family is hurting tonight..."

Komissaroff went straight from college to Fox News Channel when it launched in 1996. He went on to become a writer, producer and showrunner before becoming an executive.

He is survived by his wife and high school sweetheart Rachael and two children, Ben and Olivia.

Services will be held this January 22 at Mount Sinai Memorial Chapels.

A GoFundMe for his family has been set up. ■

ESPN rode its live sports programming lineup to the top of the cable primetime ratings last week.

The sports network averaged 2.6 million viewers in primetime during the week of October 24-30, barely eclipsing second place Fox News Channel’s 2.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

The launch of Hallmark Channel’s “Countdown to Christmas” lineup of holiday-themed movies pushed the network into third place for the week with 1.2 million viewers, followed by MSNBC with 1 million viewers and HGTV with 766,000 watchers.

Rounding out the top 10 most-watched networks in primetime were TNT (693,000 viewers), TLC (651,000), Food Network (584,000), History (581,000) and TBS (574,000).

On the total day front, Fox News extended its winning streak to 43 weeks with an average of 1.6 million viewers, besting ESPN (856,000), MSNBC (705,000), Hallmark Channel (659,000) and CNN (468,000), according to Nielsen. ■ 

Laura Ingraham, host of The Ingraham Angle on Fox News Channel, celebrates 15 years at Fox News, and five years for the show. With The Ingraham Angle hitting the anniversary mark October 30, Ingraham spoke with Broadcasting+Cable about her highlights at Fox News, how much more divided our nation might get, cable news’s role in the great divide, and the guest she’d most like to have on The Ingraham Angle. 

Ingraham said she’d love to have Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House, on The Ingraham Angle. “I’d actually like to have a real conversation with her because I think she’s super-smart,” Ingraham said. “She’s obviously done an amazing job for her ideological position. I don’t agree with her on pretty much everything, but it would be nice to actually have a conversation with her.”

(Pelosi’s husband was attacked in a home invasion October 28, after Ingraham spoke with B+C.)

Ingraham said they tease Pelosi frequently on the show, but added that it is in good humor. 

Asked if Pelosi has been invited on The Ingraham Angle, Ingraham said it probably happened years ago. “Thank you for reminding me,” she said. “I think we should do it again.”

Her show airs at 10 p.m., leading out of Hannity. Asked what The Ingraham Angle offers that viewers don’t get anywhere else, Ingraham said, a different perspective on the key issues. “I have a unique perspective because I came from the world of government, but the law was my focus for a number of years,” she said. “So I think I have the legal and the conservative movement experience that does set me apart.”

Viewers are “going to hear and see new information and new angles” on the show, she added, even on “stories that you might have heard mentioned earlier in the day.”

With the midterms approaching, Ingraham said America is “on a knife’s edge.” She sees the GOP prevailing in both the House and the Senate November 8. “If you’re the party in power, you can’t spin this. This isn’t a communication problem, this is a policy problem,” she said. 

Ingraham mentioned crime and the economy as the key issues. “People are getting poorer and the country’s getting weaker,” said Ingraham. 

We asked Ingraham about our divided nation, and if that will get worse. She said that the division has become “the accepted narrative” in America, and cited “the government taking over so much of our lives” as a factor, as well as a “media bubble” that lacks diversity of opinion. 

To what degree are cable news outlets, and their political pundits, responsible for the divisiveness? Ingraham did not address the question directly. “I think we’re reflecting what the people feel,” said Ingraham. “I think people are seeing the country they love slip away.”

We also discussed whether these political pundits should be permitted to appear at political rallies, as some Fox News hosts have done in the past. She admitted not having “a great sense about that,” but said she could see a problem for “supposedly objective anchors” speaking at such events. The pundits, whose political viewpoints are a secret to no one, may be in a different group. 

“It’s not a secret that I’m a conservative,” Ingraham added. 

Ingraham’s media consumption touches on just about everything, she said: The Atlantic, The Economist, The Independent (U.K.), BBC, The National Post (Canada) and The Wall Street Journal, among others. “I read a lot of the stuff on the left,” she said, “because I want to know what the left is thinking or what they are planning.”

Ingraham, who worked at MSNBC and CBS News before Fox News, said launching The Ingraham Angle has been the highlight of her 15 years with the company. She called it “exciting, insane … in a good way” and “a fun endeavor.”

“It’s been a great privilege to be given time with viewers every night,” Ingraham said.  ■ 

According to Media Matters for America, no fan of Fox News Channel, that network is delivering “dramatically” more coverage of competitive midterm Senate races in primetime on weeknights than either CNN or MSNBC.

The Media Matters content analysis found that in the four weeks after Labor Day (September 5), Fox News cited Democratic nominees in seven competitive Senate races twice as many times as either of its competitors, and mentioned the respective Democratic and Republican nominees 336 times (212 mentions of Democrats, 124 of Republicans), compared to 179 times for CNN and MSNBC combined (76 mentions for Democrats and 103 for Republicans).

Media Matters said the coverage has been focused — it said “fixated” — on the Pennsylvania Senate race, noting that the race accounted for more than half of all the candidate mentions (190).

Fox News also dominates when it comes to interviewing candidates, Media Matters said, conducting 19 interviews with GOP Senate nominees since Labor Day, including six with Dr. Mehmet Oz, the former TV talk-show doctor running for that Pennsylvania Senate seat against Democratic Lieutenant Gov. John Fetterman.

The left-leaning Media Matters was definitely not celebrating Fox News’s focus on the midterms given the lens it suggested the news net was looking through.

“Fox functions as the communications arm of the GOP, and its biggest stars are working to ensure that Republicans take over the Senate and have an opportunity to implement a hard-right agenda,” study author Matt Gertz said. “Fox’s powerful right-wing propagandists are bombarding their audiences with a steady stream of attacks on the Democratic nominees while lavishing positive airtime on the Republican ones.” ▪️

Uma Pemmaraju, a founding anchor at Fox News Channel, died earlier this month in Ossining, New York. She was 64 and the cause of death was not divulged. 

Pemmaraju was born in India and moved to San Antonio as a baby. In high school, she worked as a reporter for the San Antonio Express-News, and interviewed CBS Evening News anchor Walter Cronkite, the NY Times reported. 

She got her degree at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and went into local TV. Pemmaraju worked at a station in Baltimore before landing anchor jobs at WLVI and WBZ in Boston, and was a correspondent on WBZ’s Evening Magazine. 

Pemmaraju also taught journalism at Emerson College and Harvard University. 

She was recruited to Fox News by senior programming executive Chet Collier, according to The New York Times, and was on the network when it launched in 1996. She hosted Fox News Now.

Fox News said Pemmaraju was the first Indian-American anchor to regularly appear on national TV. 

Pemmaraju departed Fox News in 1999 to give birth, then worked at a Dallas station, and returned to Fox News in 2003 as a news update anchor and substitute host, and Sunday host of Fox News Live.  

"We are deeply saddened by the death of Uma Pemmaraju, who was one of Fox News Channel’s founding anchors and was on the air the day we launched,” said Suzanne Scott, Fox News Media CEO. “Uma was an incredibly talented journalist as well as a warm and lovely person, best known for her kindness to everyone she worked with. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her entire family.”

She left Fox again in 2018 and joined Bloomberg News, but departed within a year due to back trouble. 

Pemmaraju was working on a book at the time of her death about heroic deeds done by everyday people. ■

Shannon Bream, a 15-year Fox News veteran, has been tapped to succeed Chris Wallace as host of Fox News Sunday. She has been guest hosting the Sunday-morning public affairs show, which airs on the Fox network and repeats on Fox News Channel, since Wallace left for the now-shuttered CNN Plus.

Bream, who will be the first woman to anchor the political talk show, will continue as Fox's chief legal correspondent when she takes over as permanent host on September 11. Fox pointed out that since her guest-hosting duties began, the Sunday show's ratings have improved in overall audience and the key news demo.

Bream is a founding author of Fox News Books and since 2017 has anchored the late-night newscast Fox News @ Night, which airs from midnight to 1 a.m. ET on Fox News Channel.  

Before joining Fox News, Bream was a weekend anchor at WRC Washington and before that anchored evening and late news at WBTV Charlotte, N.C. ▪️

Fox News Channel dominated cable-network ratings in primetime and on a total-day basis as it continued its early summer winning streak on both charts.

Fox News averaged 2.1 million viewers in primetime for the week of June 13-June 19 to top all cable networks for the third consecutive week, according to Nielsen. Cable news competitor MSNBC finished second with 1.4 million viewers, followed by HGTV with 921,000 watchers.

Hallmark Channel moved into fourth place with 792,000 viewers, while Discovery Channel finished in fifth place with 782,000 viewers. INSP was sixth with 775,000, followed by TLC (761,000 viewers), Food Network (665,000) and History and USA Network (tied with 645,000),  Nielsen said.

On a 24-hour basis, Fox News averaged 1.3 million viewers to finish first for the 24th consecutive week, distancing itself from MSNBC (882,000 viewers), HGTV (478,000), Hallmark Channel (478,000) and CNN (432,000), Nielsen said. ▪️

As the televised House January 6 Committee hearings continued Monday, the witnesses included former Fox News Channel politics editor Chris Stirewalt, part of the decision desk team at Fox that was the first to correctly predict that Joe Biden had won Arizona in the 2020 presidential election.

Stirewalt, who now works as political editor at Nexstar-owned NewsNation, briefly described the process that led to calling Arizona for Biden, a decision he said he knew would be consequential because it was among five battleground states that would ultimately decide the race between Biden and former president Donald Trump. 

His testimony was part of a presentation (including video depositions by former Trump campaign officials and former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr) that showed Trump was told many times that there was no evidence backing Trump's belief that the election was stolen from him. 

Asked about the controversial call on Arizona, Stirewalt said: “Well, it was really controversial to our competitors who we beat so badly by making the correct call first. Our decision desk was the best in the business and I was very proud to be a part of it.”

Fox News had built a forecasting team and process over the course of a decade, and as the votes were coming in from Arizona it backed up what Fox News’s internal polling showed, Stirewalt said. Fox News also had access to Associated Press polling and other data, he said. “We had a different set of data than our competitors did. We had more research and we had a better system and we had a great team,” Stirewalt said.

As Trump campaign officials said in deposition videos shown by the committee, Fox News's ultimately correct call on Arizona was a big surprise that angered Trump and members of his campaign inner circle. Stirewalt, who was the public face for the network’s decision desk, and his boss Bill Sammon, the network’s senior VP and managing editor in Washington, both left the network after pushback from viewers about the election coverage. 

Sammon had wanted the decision desk team to be unanimous before making the call on Arizona, Stirewalt said. “We were able to make the call early,” Stirewalt said. “We looked around the room, everybody says yea and on we go.” 

NewsNation said it would air an interview with Stirewalt (done after his testimony) on the On Balance with Leland Vittert show on NewsNation at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT). Stirewalt will appear on Dan Abrams Live on NewsNation at 9 p.m. ET for a live interview. 

NewsNation is streaming the hearings live, while Fox News has been airing its regular programming, even as the committee was showing Fox News clips of Trump interviews. ■

At a time when linear ratings are hard to come by, Fox News Media is pitching scale in upfront conversation with clients.

Fox News Channel wants media buyers to know that it not only posts broadcast-level ratings during news time slots, but during other dayparts, including primetime and late night.

Those ratings can translate into incremental reach, a commodity many advertisers are looking for, Jeff Collins, executive VP of Fox News Media, told Broadcasting+Cable.

Also: Weekly Cable Ratings: Fox News Leapfrogs TNT in Return to First Place on Primetime Chart

“We’ve provided our upfront partners with reallocation schedules demonstrating the incremental reach that they would achieve by shifting broadcast budgets to Fox news programming while maintaining consistent frequency levels,” Collins said.

Collins said that advertisers are seeing increases of 15% to 25% in reach when they shift 10% to 20% of their budget to Fox News. The schedules substitute Fox News programming for morning news, evening news, Sunday discussion shows, even late night, where Fox News’s Gutfeld! draws more viewers than NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon or ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

Fox News Channel’s The Five has ratings above the network prime average, so it can add reach not only to news schedules but to prime entertainment schedules, Collins said.

Of course Fox’s controversial primetime lineup continues to generate huge numbers, which is enticing for some advertisers.

“Listen, there’s some advertisers that will run in opinion programming across all news, and there’s some that don’t,“ Collins said. ”We’ve been targeting the ones that will and would be willing to run within opinion programming. The point we’re making to a lot of our clients is that there’s plenty of programs outside of just prime opinion that deliver broadcast-like rating and could be suitable replacements for broadcast.”

Across all dayparts, Fox News has more than 20 shows that deliver more than 1.7 million viewers. “The scale does not only exist in prime. We see scale all day long,” he said. “So if your strategy is to include opinion, great. We have a whole host of programming that can work for you. If it does not include opinion, we also have a whole grouping of programming for you as well.”

Collins also points out that Fox News has more lifestyle content, including the Patriot Awards, American Built on Fox Business and an upcoming docuseries on the 150th anniversary of Yellowstone National Park hosted by Kevin Costner on the Fox Nation streaming service. ￭

Fox News will also be taking advantage of Atlas, Fox’s technology for matching advertisers and their messages with contextually appropriate content. Atlas will be used across Fox News’ digital inventory during the upfront, Collins said.

This is an election year and Collins would be remiss not to point out that Fox News draws a lot of viewers during elections.

“We deliver more consumers across all political affiliations, including more Democrats and independents than CNN and MSNBC,” Collins noted. “We’re reaching people across the entire political spectrum.“

Fox News is putting together its election coverage sponsorship packages. Those are likely to be sold in the upfront, with Election Day falling in the fourth quarter.

“We’ve had early discussions,” Collins said. “Fox News is going to be the place for advertisers to be for this election. If you look at past elections, you know Fox News pretty consistently delivers larger audiences than not only any other cable news organization, but any broadcast news organization, too.”

This year, Fox News is not putting on a separate upfront event. It will be a part of Fox’s big upfront presentation on Monday, May 16.

“It gets the Fox News brand in front of a larger and broader audience,“ he said. ”We’re excited to be part of the larger portfolio and show the combined power of Fox overall.”

That also includes the still-new Fox Weather service. ”We’re seeing quite a bit of demand and a ton of engagement on Fox Weather,” he said. He notes that the average length of tune for Fox Weather on Fox’s Tubi platform is more than 30 minutes — pretty long for a weather report.

Some network sales executives report a cooling off of the scatter market recently, a sign that the upfront might not be a picnic. But Collins is getting a different forecast.

“We’re still seeing a really strong scatter market,” Collins said. “I believe that has a lot to do with the fact that there’s been a lot of ratings weakness across the board, while our ratings have continued to grow. We’re also seeing quite a bit of endemic advertisers coming into news. That strengthens our marketplace and we’ve also seen just an incredibly strong DTC and direct-response marketplace as well. So I’d say we’re probably in a little bit of a different boat than maybe some other folks have been out there in scatter.” ■

TNT outdueled Fox News Channel for first place on the primetime basic-cable ratings charts for the last full week of April, according to Nielsen.

TNT, benefiting from coverage of the first round of the NBA Playoffs, averaged 2.6 million viewers for the week of April 18-24 to end Fox News’s three-week winning streak. The cable-news channel finished second with 2.2 million viewers, followed by ESPN’s 1.3 million viewers and MSNBC’s 1.1 million watchers. 

HGTV finished fifth with 1 million viewers, followed by TLC (895,000 viewers); Hallmark Channel (874,000); Discovery Channel and History (tied with 804,000); and INSP (796,000).

On a total-day basis, Fox News finished first for the 16th consecutive week, averaging 1.4 million viewers, followed by TNT (915,000), MSNBC (670,000) HGTV (561,000) and ESPN (557,000), Nielsen reported. ■

Fox News Channel captured its third straight weekly primetime ratings title over sports-fueled cable networks.

Fox News averaged 2.2 million subscribers during the week of April 11 to April 17, besting NBA playoffs-boosted TNT (1.4 million viewers) and ESPN (1.2 million viewers), Nielsen reported. News network MSNBC was fourth with 1.2 million subscribers.

HGTV finished fifth with 971,000 watchers, followed by INSP (860,000); History and TLC (tied with 833,000); Food Network (778,000); and Discovery Channel (753,000).

Three cable news networks occupied the top weekly ratings spots on a 24-hour basis, with Fox News leading the way with 1.5 million viewers, followed by MSNBC (671,000) and CNN (592,000). TNT (587,000) and ESPN (569,000) rounded out the top five most-watched networks in the category, per Nielsen. ▪️ 

Benjamin Hall, correspondent at Fox News, was injured while reporting outside of Kyiv. Hall has been hospitalized. He was named State Department correspondent at Fox News late last year. 

“The safety of our entire team of journalists in Ukraine and the surrounding regions is our top priority and of the utmost importance,” said Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott in an internal memo. “This is a stark reminder for all journalists who are putting their lives on the line every day to deliver the news from the war zone. We will update everyone as we know more. Please keep Ben and his family in your prayers." ■

Greg Gutfeld, co-host of Fox News Channel's The Five, said on the program Thursday (March 3) that his mother-in-law had left Lviv, Ukraine, for Poland, where she planned to meet up with her daughter, Elena Moussa, a former Russian model and fashion designer.

Gutfeld had mentioned on the show Wednesday that Fox staffers in Ukraine to cover the Russian invasion had been trying to get her to safety, calling them “heroes” and unbelievably awesome" for the help they had given to a “grouchy, cynical bastard” like himself.

On Thursday, he let viewers know that his mother-in-law had gotten out safely and was “in a car on her way to Warsaw to see Elena,” again thanking the staffers.

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of Feb. 21-27, showcasing the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks 

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

With the calendar turning to March, interest in men‘s college basketball is heating up in advance of the NCAA tournament. From February 21-27, games scored 2.12% of total TV minutes watched — No. 1 for the week, and nearly double the watch-time of the next most-watched programming.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• The National Basketball Association only aired games from Thursday through Sunday, yet still netted 1.14% of minutes watched for the week.
• Fox News Channel coverage surges, with seven of the top 25 most-watched shows, including Fox News Live, which soars from outside the top 50 to No. 15 overall.
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit leaps from No. 42 to No. 5 week-over-week, with 0.85% of minutes watched.
• Paw Patrol jumps to No. 14 after not appearing in the top 50 the previous week, via marathon viewing on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.

Fox News hops to No. 1 among networks in terms of total watch-time, courtesy of Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) coverage and commentary around Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The network grew week-over-week minutes watched on TV from 5.24% to 7.39%.

More insights around the most-watched networks from Feb. 21-27:

• With audiences locked on Russia and Ukraine news, other cable news networks also show week-over-week increases, with CNN climbing from No. 15 to No. 5 and MSNBC moving from No. 19 to No. 11 by minutes watched.
• In part thanks to Paw Patrol, Nickelodeon moves from No. 20 to No. 17 in week-over-week watch-time.
• HGTV builds up to No. 9 by minutes watched, after sitting at No. 11 the previous week.
• The CW’s watch-time moves from No. 24 to No. 22 in our rankings, boosted by viewers tuning into All-American’s return and the debut of All-American: Homecoming.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

Basketball’s watch-time advantage also corresponds to a TV ad impressions lead from Feb. 21-27. Men’s college hoops accounts for over 4% of impressions to top all programming during the week, while NBA games delivered nearly 2.5%.

More data about the top programs by TV ad impressions during the week:

• The men’s Dubai Tennis Championships, women’s Monterrey Open and player responses to the Russia-Ukraine conflict helped drive Tennis Channel’s Center Court to No. 16 by TV ad impressions on the week.
• American Idol’s season 20 premiere helped float the show to No. 25 by impressions (0.72% of everything served on TV).
• News-focused programs make up the majority of the top programs by impressions from Feb. 21-27, with 14 of the top 25 — and 16 including sports-news programs SportsCenter and Center Court.
• Daytime soap operas claim three spots among the top 25, led by The Young and the Restless at No. 8 (with 1.1% of impressions).

CBS skips to the No. 1 spot in our ad-impressions-by-network ranking from February 21-27, in part due to men’s college basketball triple-headers on both Saturday and Sunday.

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions from the week:

• Cable news claims three of the top seven spots in our rankings, with Fox News grabbing 10.5% of impressions, followed by CNN (8.6%) and MSNBC (4.9%).
• Live sports also delivered a large portion of impressions, as 12 of the top 25 networks aired at least some sort of sporting event during the week.
• Related: ESPN2 impressions climbed by 15% week-over-week as a result of more impressions delivered by men’s college basketball games (despite fewer minutes of advertising).
• Top networks delivered a larger share of impressions, with the top eight networks by impressions accounting for nearly 71% of impressions from Feb. 21-27, versus 65% the previous week.

Fox News' Neil Cavuto, senior VP, anchor and managing editor of business news for Fox News Channel, has returned after what he called a touch-and-go, intensive care bout with COVID-19 pneumonia.

Cavuto announced last fall that he had suffered a breakthrough infection and urged viewers to get vaccinated.

Following weeks of guest hosts, who Cavuto thanked for upending their lives and covering for him, Cavuto returned to his weekday afternoon business news show show Monday.

Also: Suffering Breakthrough COVID-19, Fox News Channel‘s Neil Cavuto Urges Vaccination

Fox had been mum on Cavuto's status at his request, which he explained Monday was because his show was about the news, not about him. But given that it "did drag on," he said, his viewers needed an explanation, which he gave. The following is a transcript of his explanation.

"I did get Covid again…but a far more serious strand…what they call Covid pneumonia. It landed me in Intensive Care for quite a while and it really was touch-and-go. Some of you who’ve wanted to put me out of my misery darn near got what you wished for! So, sorry to disappoint you," he said.

"[T]he vaccine didn’t cause this. That grassy knoll theory has come up a lot that I really have to put it to rest. My very compromised immune system did. Because I’ve had cancer and now have Multiple Sclerosis, I’m among the vulnerable three percent of the population or so that simply cannot sustain the full benefits of a vaccine. In other words, it doesn’t last.

"But let me be clear, doctors say had I not been vaccinated at all, I wouldn’t be here. It provided some defense, but that is still better than no defense. Maybe not great comfort for some of you. I've got to be honest, frankly, it was not great comfort for me either!" ■

Fox News Channel has tapped TV station journalist Nate Foy to be a New York-based correspondent starting later this month.

Foy has been weekday and weekend news anchor and substitute prime time anchor at NBC affiliate WBBH-TV Fort Myers, Florida.

Also: Fox News Channel Names Rachel Campos-Duffy 'Fox & Friends' Weekend Co-Host

Before WBBH-TV, Foy was a sports anchor at WZVN-TV Fort Myers and before that, sports director at KQTV St. Joseph, Missouri. ■

As a nor'easter threatened the East Coast with potentially heavy snowfalls and high winds, Fox Weather, Fox News Media's ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) streaming service, will make its debut on the Fox News Channel mothership, with added play on Fox Business News.

A live simulcast of Fox Weather will air Saturday morning (January 29) on Fox News Channel at 5-6 a.m., then Fox Business Network will carry live simulcasts at 6-9 a.m. and 6-10 p.m.

Also: Fox Weather Plans to Shake Up Weather Space

Fox Weather meteorologists Amy Freeze, Craig Herrera, Kiyana Lewis and Ian Oliver will report on the storm in the 5 a.m. simulcast. Meteorologists Marissa Torres, Kendall Smith and Jane Minar will helm the majority of coverage during the FBN 6-10 p.m. simulcast.  ■

Jesse Watters Primetime launches on Fox News Channel January 24 in the 7 p.m. slot. Watters remains a co-host on The Five, while relinquishing his Saturday-night show, Watters‘ World. 

The new program will be “unpredictable,” Watters told B+C, “with a lot of my personality in it.” The weekday show goes for an hour. 

Watters will start with an opening monologue and cover the news of the day at the top. He will at times inject his opinion on stories, he said, and so will his guests. 

Tucker Carlson, who follows Jesse Watters Primetime at 8 p.m., will be a guest on opening day. The series premiere will “introduce the show’s mission,” Watters said, “have fun with the haters.”

Jesse Watters Primetime will check in with people on the street. “Every time I do something on Jesse Watters Primetime, I’m going to be thinking about the American people,” said Watters. “I have a very strong connection to the American people, and it’s something I want to accentuate.”

Watters has spent 20 years at Fox News Channel, coming on board in 2002 as a production assistant and working as a correspondent on The O’Reilly Factor. He said he started working in TV “because I liked watching TV,” and learned from his mistakes along the way. “My parents just wanted me to have health insurance,” he shared about landing that first job. 

Watters’ World began in early 2017 and he joined The Five in April 2017. The Five averaged 3.3 million total viewers in the fourth quarter of 2021, with 481,000 in the 25-54 demo.

“Jesse’s versatility and hosting acumen has grown exponentially over the last five years, and he has developed a deep connection to the audience through two hit shows The Five and Watters’ World,” said Suzanne Scott, CEO of Fox News Media, in a statement. 

Every episode of the new show will reflect Watters asking, “why do the American people need to see this, what are they going to learn, and why is this important?” he said. ■

Jessica Loker has been named VP of politics and senior executive producer of Fox News Sunday.

Loker, who has been executive producer of Fox News Sunday, will now oversee all political news and logistics as well as manage the hourlong public affairs show, which airs both on Fox TV stations and Fox News Channel.

Before her post at Fox News Sunday, Loker was senior producer for Fox Report with Shepard Smith. Both Smith and former Sunday host Chris Wallace exited the network, Smith for CNBC in 2020 and Wallace recently for CNN's streaming platform, CNN Plus.

News networks will be massing their journalistic forces to cover events in Washington surrounding the one-year anniversary of the Capitol riots and insurrection spurred by unfounded allegations of significant voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

That‘s according to coverage plans drawn up by some of the news organizations.

Fox News Channel plans extensive January 6 coverage, including an appearance on Special Report with Bret Baier by Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), one of only two Republican members (the other is Adam Kinzinger of Illinois) of the special congressional committee examining that day‘s events.

Fox News‘s coverage of the day's events begins at 9 a.m. with remarks by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the Capitol. Fox News Digital will live-stream the remarks of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as her planned moment of silence.

Coverage will also include interviews with Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Tex.), who barricaded himself inside the chamber; and Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Tex.), who used a chair leg as a potential weapon of self-defense.

Congressional correspondent Chad Pergram will discuss his experiences from that day, which he has also talked about on FOXNews.com.

The January 2 episode of Fox News Sunday aired an interview with Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger.

C-SPAN, the public affairs networks funded by the cable industry, will begin its coverage at 7 a.m. on Washington Journals with viewer calls and a recap of the sights and sounds of the  day and a discussion of the events and hearings that ensued.

C-SPAN will go live with the Biden and Harris remarks and carry the pro forma House session at noon. At 1 p.m. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden will moderate a conversation with historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham on the historical impact of the events.

At 2:30, House lawmakers will share their memories of and reflections on the attack, followed by the 5:30 vigil by congressional leaders on the steps of the Capitol.

ABC News‘s coverage will be led by David Muir. That coverage will include special reports throughout the day, and include Muir's interviews with three of the officers who testified in a congressional hearing on the riots, which will air on World News Tonight.

ABC's ongoing coverage has included a January 2 interview with Cheney by George Stehpanopoulos on This Week, and the Wednesday (January 5) debut of documentary Homegrown: Standoff to Rebellion, debuting on streaming platform Hulu.

Good Morning America, GMA3: What You Need to Know and Nightline will also all include coverage of the day's events and import. Nightline will also air Muir‘s interviews with the three officers, while streaming channel ABC News Live will feature insights from ABC News correspondents who covered the attack.

ABC NewsOne, the network's news service supplying content to more than 200 affiliates, will report live from Capitol Hill with multiplatform reporters Faith Abubey and Ike Ejiochi and input from ABC News political director Rick Klein and correspondent Karen Travers.

In addition to covering the day's events, CNN will air "January 6th, One Year Later," a two-hour special live from Capitol Hill starting at 8 p.m. and "honoring the heroes who protected our democracy in the face of an insurrection." The special will be anchored by Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper and feature, among many others, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Select Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Select Committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).

NBC News' coverage of the day begins with a special edition of Today anchored from  Washington by Savannah Guthrie, who will talk with Cheney.

Lester Holt will also anchor his Nightly News newscast from Washington Jan. 6 and 7, with an interview Jan. 6 with House Speaker Pelosi, which NBC is billing as a broadcast-exclusive interview.

NBC News will air special reports throughout the day, including the President's remarks anchored by Guthrie and the 5:30 vigil, hosted by Holt.

On the cable side, MSNBC's Morning Joe will launch its coverage, featuring Peril co-authors Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, followed by daylong coverage on MSNBC Reports, with Katy Tur anchoring the 2 p.m. Congressional commemoration ceremony joined by Andrea Mitchell and Chuck Todd.

At 4 p.m., Democracy in Peril will feature Nicolle Wallace, Ari Melber, Joy Reid, Chris Hayes, Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell looking at the insurrection from various angles, including from lawmakers in the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, and the "emotional fallout" from the attack.  

On the streaming front, MSNBC's free news channel, The Choice, will provide Peacock-exclusive content throughout the day.

CBS News will air a special report at 9 a.m. to cover the Biden and Harris remarks.

It will be anchored by Tony Dokoupil from the Capitol, joined by Nancy Cordes, Kris Van Cleave, and Jeff Pegues, and will also stream live on CBSN.

Norah O'Donnell will anchor the Washington-based Evening News from the Capitol.