Fox News announced Monday that Jesse Watters will replace news commentator Tucker Carlson in the nightly lineup as the 8 pm (4 pm Alaska) anchor. Laura Ingraham moves to the 7 pm slot, Sean Hannity remains at 9 pm, and Greg Gutfeld moves to 10 pm.
Watters became popular during segments of the political talk show The O’Reilly Factor, with Bill O’Reilly, making his way with a man-on-the-street interview that became its own show, “Watters’ World” in 2015. Fox fired O’Reilly in 2017 over sexual harassment claims. He was at the time, the network’s biggest draw.
Carlson was fired in April, in an instance many believe to be part of a deal made with Dominion Voting Systems, which sued Fox News for defamation for allowing hosts, contributors, and guests to speak badly about the voting system company.
Meanwhile, Carlson has moved to Twitter to produce his show, which is a much shorter segment at this stage than his Fox News hour. His last episode had over 28 million viewers.
Fox, according to Nielsen live plus same day data for May 2023, verged 1.09 million total day viewers, 1.42 million total primetime viewers, 135,000 adults 25-54 in primetime and 126,000 adults 25-54 in total day. But Fox News saw substantial audience drop off in primetime with Carlson now out of the equation.
“The network dropped -32% in average total primetime viewers and -44% in the A25-54 demo, as well as -16% in total day viewers—and -22% in the total day A25-54 demo versus the previous month,” Nielsen reported.
Gutfeld is still the ONLY show on fox news. Which means he’s probably the next to get fired.
They’ll survive. Never be what they once were, but will survive.
Hannity has no place else to go.
Getting rid of the crazy for cocoa-puffs crowd.
yep in 2023 anyone who even broaches the truth is crazy
The truth as you see it I’m sure.
… O’Reilly
… Tucker
… And now Watters
I wonder how long Watters lasts in this time slot before kicking him out?
FOX is also losing viewership and ratings with Nascar events.
Great analogy comparing FOX and the Titanic.
Count the commercials in any program, that’ll tell you who’s next on the chopping block. Programs that generate the most revenue stay, others are subject to replacement. Advertisers demand results. There is no truth or moral high ground in media, only what generates ratings, because ratings dictate advertising rates.
Fox went mainstream a while ago. Is it Blackrock (why would they buy so much Fox stock?) or did one of the Murdochs star in one of the New York apartment sex tapes? I’m sure they would cut Gutfeld if they thought they could get away with it.
Tucker Carlson was really the only halfway-good reason for every watching FAUX Snooze.
I can never, ever forgive them for their shameless cheerleading of all the egregious warmongering, official torture, and pro-police-state BS during the Cheney-Bush “War on Terra” years.
Fox also dumped the last remaining Carlson staff members. Their usual approach was to reassign staff.
The feud is more and more outright hate.
If Tucker was broadcasting in the mid-20th century he would be spending his time pleading with his audience to shun the polio vaccine. What a pathetic entitled jerk. He should have been cast as “Greg” in Animal House. Wouldn’t have to act at all, just could have been himself.
Awwww. You’re jealous.
I originally liked (then tolerated) Carlson until his head got too big and he started airing UFO theories and the like. But Watters is pretty good. He’s got a more homespun, easy-going approach. I never watch Hannity or Ingraham. I predict that Ingraham will crash and burn in her new time slot. The net result of this shakeup is that Fox News – like Fox TV – has cut out an hour of daily programming. I’d sure like to see a real hard-news show at the 3:00 timeslot.
Simple truth is Fox isn’t as conservative as they want you to think they are.
They are really only conservative by comparison to the competition.
They are libs. Just cornering the market.
Faux News used to be worth watching, but then Rupert turned it over to the kids and that’s when the leftward shuffle began. I haven’t watched it in years. Now, I don’t even watch TV at all. Come to my house and you’ll see the power cord draped over the top.
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