In April, Fox News Channel cut ties with Tucker Carlson, its highest-rated host. Unlike when Fox News terminated Bill O’Reilly nearly six years to the day earlier (2017), management had not settled on a replacement show for the critical 8 pm hour before firing Carlson. It ultimately settled on Jesse Watters as Carlson’s replacement.
Since Carlson’s departure, a series of rotating hosts have anchored Fox News Tonight during the 8 pm hour. The results have not been pretty. Carlson typically averaged between three and three and a half million viewers nightly. Viewership has fallen by about 50 percent on most nights.
Fox News Channel’s 120-week streak of winning the primetime cable news ratings ended in early June when MSNBC won a week. When I saw that, I swear I heard Al Michaels say, “Do you believe in miracles?”
MSNBC couldn’t carry the ratings win through the entire month. In June, FNC beat MSNBC, with an average of 1.4 million viewers compared to 1.3 million for MSNBC. CNN averaged 635,000 viewers in prime time during the same month. FNC won the second quarter as well. (The rest of the ratings I refer to, unless noted, are before Carlson’s dismissal).
The margin is far closer than Fox is used to, and they knew they needed to make moves.
Fox announced a revamped line-up that introduces no new personalities to its primetime schedule. Will it be a hit or miss? While the cable news leader did its best to play it safe, I think they are messing with the formula that has made it successful. I believe they needed to find at least one person on their bench or in a contributor role and take a shot at finding the next Tucker Carlson.
Here’s the FNC line-up effective July 17.
Laura Ingraham’s Ingraham Angle will move from 10 to 7 pm ET. There is a larger available audience at 7 pm. Therefore, she may gain viewers. Also, Ingraham has three adopted children who may be as old as 18 and as young as 12. Presumably, an earlier schedule would be better for her personal life.
Jesse Watters will move from 7 to 8 pm ET. Here is where Fox is taking its biggest gamble. Before continuing, I must clearly state that I’m a Watters fan. About a decade ago, when Watters was a producer for The O’Reilly Factor and the Fox News version of Stuttering John – perfecting the cable news version of the ambush interview – he was on my list for people to consider when we had an opening at 1210 WPHT. I don’t believe we ever spoke, but he was on my list.
In a previous column, I wrote: “The idea has merit because in a Reuters Institute survey asking people ‘which journalists you regularly pay attention to’, Waters finished seventh (Carlson was first, Rachel Maddow second, Sean Hannity third).” This is what makes it a “safe” move.
In that column, I offered two names currently working for Fox News: Will Cain (Weekend Fox and Friends host) and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (a FNC contributor).
I think Watters shines on The Five, which, with the departure of Carlson, became the top-watched cable news show, averaging 2.8 million viewers in the second quarter of 2023. He’s done well in the 7 pm hour usually, in the high two-million viewers nightly and occasionally topping three million. Whether he can replace Carlson, or his former boss O’Reilly is an entirely different issue.
I think Watters is great in his role on a panel. He’s terrific in the leadoff position at 7 pm. I thought his off-the-cuff riffs would be perfect for radio. But I think he’s miscast in the leading role on FNC and have my doubts.
Watters doesn’t have the intellectual heft of Carlson. While he can be captivating, it comes with a certain unseriousness that Carlson and O’Reilly before him had as provocateurs. Watters can recite the talking points; whether he can set the agenda is yet to be seen.
Sean Hannity at 9 pm ET. If we gathered every cable news host and anchor of all time for a Survivor season, Sean Hannity would be the Sole Survivor. He’s been with Fox News Channel, at 9 pm ET, since day one. In 2022, Hannity broke Larry King’s record as the longest-running primetime cable news host. Hannity will continue his streak, remaining in his 9 pm slot, making it the one hour of Fox’s primetime schedule that remains unchanged.
Greg Gutfeld will move from 11 to 10 pm ET. Again, I like Gutfeld. I think he’s funny, witty, and looks much younger than his age. He appeals to a younger demographic than most of the other FNC mainstays.
Gutfeld has been immensely successful at 11 pm and has changed late-night television. Before the writers strike, Gutfeld typically averaged around 2.5 million viewers and beat all the other late-night shows. Stephen Colbert usually had approximately 2.1 million viewers, while Fallon and Kimmel each averaged about 1.3 million viewers.
Having Gutfeld compete as a late-night show against three extremely liberal hosts was a tremendous advantage. How he will fare at 10 pm is less certain.
Fox News Channel’s primetime schedule will conclude at 11 pm ET with Trace Gallagher and Fox News @ Night.
Fox is playing it as safe as it can, but at the same time, it is changing the formula that made it successful. Several FNC contributors might have matched Carlson’s intensity better than Jesse Watters. Greg Gutfeld may find competing in the 10 pm hour isn’t as easy as competing against three other liberal late-night comedians.
Time will tell if the revamped Fox News Channel line-up will be a hit or miss.
