Brit Hume to step down from Special Report after Election?
TVDecoder’s Brian Stelter scoops that Brit Hume may step down from Special Report after the 2008 election…
Update: DCRTV says it had it first. How the hell did I miss that?
Brit Hume, the pre-eminent political anchor on the Fox News Channel, intends to step down from his nightly newscast after the presidential election, three people close to him said this week.
Mr. Hume, 65, has expressed an interest in “reducing his role” but will likely remain with Fox News as a panelist on “Fox News Sunday,” two of the people said. The people requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of his contract negotiations, which are ongoing.
Nitpicking 101: I have to disagree with this background paragraph however…
While the other cable news channels have repeatedly tinkered with time slots, Fox’s 6 to 11 p.m. schedule — comprised of Mr. Hume, Shepard Smith, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes, and Greta Van Susteren — has remained remarkably stable for most of the decade. The consistency has helped make Fox one of the most popular channels on cable for six straight years.
Consistency has only helped FNC remain popular because if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Since late 2001, FNC has fielded the same lineup. But it wasn’t what made FNC popular. It was FNC’s increasing popularity that froze the lineup, not freezing the lineup to create popularity. As long as FNC dominated in Total Viewers and the Demo there was no need to tinker with the lineup to any great degree. However, if one of those shows had suddenly cratered you can bet it would have been long gone by now.
Roger Ailes hates complacency. His shot across the bow internal email a few months ago was misread by everyone in the MSM as the ravings of someone losing control. But I saw it to be a solemn announcement that complacency would not be tolerated and that changes were coming. And this has been borne out with what has happened to both programming and talent at FNC since then. The list of changes includes the departures of Laurie Dhue and Eric Burns, the bust up of Fox and Friends weekend’s team of Hopkins, Wright, and Kelly, and the programming changes to M-Fr dayside.
July 15, 2008 at 4:42 pm
This will be a huge loss for FOX. As a political junkie, Special Report is my favorite news program.
Brit Hume is as good as it gets in terms of reporting politics.
I hope the show format remains exactly the same. I’m not sure I’m crazy about Bret Baier as Brit’s replacement, but he would seem to be the heir apparent since he’s usually does the show on Fridays.
Any idea if he will remain a panelist on FOX News Sunday? I hope so. Brit’s sparring sessions with buddy Juan Williams are always fun.
July 15, 2008 at 4:48 pm
It will be very interesting what happens to Special Report in the post-Hume era. Personally I don’t think that Bret Baier have enough gravitas to totally take over for Hume. Chris Wallace, with Baier and/or Jim Angle doing a day each, seems like the best combo.
July 15, 2008 at 7:08 pm
I remember him saying once that this was a young man’s game. I think maybe it’s gotten boring in the sense that nothing ever really changes. Trust me, that gets tiresome as the years pass. Perhaps what is interpreted as bias is just cynicism.
July 15, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Maybe he’s got his eye on another position, somewhere else?
I don’t want to say MTP… mostly because I think certain people within the NBC family would be over-the-top upset by it… BUT, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad choice.
Of course, if the word that he intends to remain part of FOX News Sunday is true… this doesn’t have a prayer. But who knows.
Juuuuuuuuuuuuust saying.
July 15, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Luv to see the flaming hair if MTP was even considered. Rumor, rumor.
July 16, 2008 at 5:54 am
When Brit Hume leaves there will be no reason to watch any TV national news, just your local station for the weather. You can read all the news you need to know on your computer hours and days before it might be reported on the MSM.
July 16, 2008 at 9:41 am
I don’t want to say MTP…
Blue: As much as I have always liked Hume, in truth he has been extremely boring when subbing for Wallace on FNS. Hosting MTP would be a huge mistake for all parties.
asistudent: And I just read that Ailes said he is in no rush to replace Hume. I also wonder if the post Brit Hume decision will also include the 5pm hour.
July 16, 2008 at 11:55 am
Brit Hume is extremely boring on election coverage too!
Plus, seeing that more people would rather watch Wolf Blitzer than Hume during election coverage speaks volumes.. Ya know why? Because Blitzer is a robot who should be hawking bamboo steamers!