Sean Hannity says he’s happy being bumped back an hour – to 10 PM ET - in Fox News’ prime time lineup but other than his supposed good cheer over being able to spend more time with his family, it’s hard to see anything other than ominous signs for him. And maybe for Roger Ailes' helmsmanship of Fox News Channel, too.
Clearly, Hannity’s bullyboy punditry has gone stale, at least in the ratings department. Otherwise, Fox wouldn’t be casting about for ways to engage its viewers in new ways, as laid out in its press release.
Moving to the 10-11PM/ET timeslot, Hannity, will continue showcasing Sean Hannity’s provocative style and conservative commentary on politics and the American agenda. The show will also provide a highly interactive viewing experience utilizing tools such as viewer voting and the Hannity Live companion app, a web experience allowing viewers to gain access to exclusive content directly from the show producers in the control room. Hannity will also travel even more across America and expand his studio audience specials like the show’s College Forum.
By contrast, there’s not a word that any changes are coming to the O’Reilly Factor, as per Fox.
Frankly, I do not see these kinds of cosmetic alterations making a difference for Hannity. His 9 PM replacement, Megyn Kelly, is just as much of a race-baiting, Republican cheerleader as any Fox News watcher could love, albeit in younger, prettier and slier packaging than Hannity. Will viewers really find her so compelling or remain so loyal to Hannity that they’ll stick around for a more bombastic version of what will undoubtedly be the same talking points?
The fact is that there is less daylight between Sean Hannity and Roger Ailes than any of the other talent. As Joe Muto, the “Fox News Mole” observed:
I said earlier that O’Reilly had more juice than anyone. That wasn’t entirely true. He had higher ratings than anyone, to be sure, but it could be argued that Hannity actually had more juice, owing to his closer affiliation and friendship with Ailes. The two of them are fellow travelers, both devoted to Republican causes.
So while Fox News focuses on revamping Hannity’s schtick, and Kelly mounts a GOP-themed charm offensive, there’s very little evidence that the substance will be anything but the same old, same old Fox News.
And that may be the real problem.
Klannity’s change in format will not lead to young viewers flocking to his circus. And who knows what kind of ratings Kelly will get after her first week, unless she really unleashes the hatred like Klannity. Faux better hope the seniors fall asleep in front of their TV’s even earlier and that they are hooked to to Neilsen boxes, cause I just don’t see how these moves are going to help them at all.
I think his current contract expires in 2017, and then it’ll be interesting to see if he’s renewed since he’ll have to deliver an improvement in the ratings to justify getting an extension. I still think he’s needs a liberal partner. His current format is dull, stale and easily predicable.
Probably not but they’re less likely than any age group to change their minds on anything anyway. FNC is doing this as a public service so their faithful “viewers” can fall asleep in peace. It’s amazing to realise that the whole evening from 7pm to 10 pm will be anchored by ladies, with the nastiest ones being also the prettiest.
Hip, hip, hurrah for the feminist movement!
Let’s examine Nixon trainee Roger Ailes. Having a close affiliation to Ailes does not guarantee permanent employment at the Foxies. Actor Glenn Beck and the departed Brian Lewis found that out the hard way.
Hannocchio’s future with these frauds will be based on his ratings. These clowns don’t like paying hosts millions of dollars for a low-rated show.
The Stop Hannity Express says his ratings will decline in his new time slot. He’s too old to attract a younger audience. Look at his hair and face. All gray with crow’s feet around his eyes. He looks older than his age of 51.Younger viewers can’t relate to him.
Coming down the pipe.
1. More bad news for Hannocchio.
2. Hannocchio makes a desperate move.
3. Jealousy rears its ugly head at this fraudulent “news” network.
4. Barbie Kelly is more popular than Hannocchio.
NOTE TO FOX ‘NEWS’ SUITS
We can think of several younger hosts to replace him in the 10 p.m. ET slot, and they would be twice as popular than him.
I agree that Hannity will almost completely tape his shows from this point forth. The only time you’ll see him do anything live will be for elections coverage or major events. The rest will be canned material, like his “focus group” specials.
The real problem Fox will have is with the new show by Megyn Kelly. She’s already shown herself to be unpredictable and volatile. Can she anchor a primetime show far from her usual morning duties? We’ll have to see if she has anything beyond what she threw at Kirsten Powers over the Black Panthers. If she doesn’t, Fox News could find itself in some very serious trouble with its primetime lineup. O’Reilly will of course continue to get the older demo to tune in, but there’s a real question of how many more years he has in him to anchor a primetime show. How much longer before he turns into the next Brit Hume and just offers color commentary once a week?
