FOX NEWS CHANNEL NAMES TUCKER CARLSON AS NEW 9PM/ET HOST
Martha MacCallum to Anchor 7PM/ET News Program for President-Elect Trump’s First 100 Days and Co-Anchor Inauguration Day Coverage
NEW YORK – January 5, 2017 — Fox News Channel (FNC) has named Tucker Carlson host of the 9PM/ET timeslot beginning Monday, January 9th, announced Rupert Murdoch, Executive Chairman of 21st Century Fox and Executive Chairman of FOX News. The program will continue as Tucker Carlson Tonight and will broadcast live from FNC’s Washington, DC bureau.
After a record-breaking launch in the 7PM/ET hour this past November, Tucker Carlson Tonight has become one of the most buzzed about cable news programs on television. Featuring powerful analysis and lively debates with guests from across the political and cultural spectrum, the show finished December as the number two cable news program in the Adults 25-54 demographic behind only The O’Reilly Factor.
In commenting on the new schedule, Mr. Murdoch said, “In less than two months, Tucker has taken cable news by storm with his spirited interviews and consistently strong performance. Viewers have overwhelmingly responded to the show and we look forward to him being a part of Fox News’ powerful primetime line-up.”
Since its debut, Tucker Carlson Tonight has averaged 2.8 million viewers and 515,000 in the 25-54 demographic, up 23% in viewership and 26% in 25-54 compared to the same period last year. According to Nielsen Media Research, Carlson currently tops both MSNBC and CNN combined in total viewers and all three major demographics – 25-54, 18-49 and 18-34.
Martha MacCallum will take over for Carlson at 7PM/ET on January 16th, kicking off primetime with a new news program entitled The First 100 Days. Based in New York, the show will chronicle the beginning of the new administration and run through President-elect Trump’s first 100 days in office. Additionally, she will co-anchor the network’s Inauguration Day coverage on Friday, January 20th alongside Chief Political Anchor Bret Baier. MacCallum recently signed a multi-year deal to remain with FOX News.
In commenting on MacCallum, Mr. Murdoch said, “Martha is a versatile and skilled anchor who has proven to be an essential component of our news programming. For the last 12 years, our viewers have trusted her reporting and we are pleased she will be part of our primetime line-up for the first 100 days of the new presidency.”
MacCallum joins FNC’s primetime from America’s Newsroom, which she has anchored since 2010 alongside Bill Hemmer. America’s Newsroom recently delivered its highest-rated year since the program’s launch in 2016 and routinely outpaces CNN and MSNBC combined during its timeslot, according to Nielsen Media Research. While MacCallum anchors The First 100 Days, FNC’s Shannon Bream will co-anchor America’s Newsroom with Bill Hemmer. Bream currently serves as the network’s Supreme Court reporter and anchors the Sunday afternoon news program America’s News Headquarters.
Additionally, MacCallum has played a pivotal role during the network’s presidential election coverage since 2004 as the lead reporter on exit poll data and key voting trends on primary nights. During the election season, she co-moderated two Republican presidential primary debates with Hemmer in Des Moines, IA and Cleveland, OH, with the latter delivering 6.1 million total viewers and 1.2 million Adults 25-54. She also contributed extensively to FNC’s election coverage on November 8th, 2016, which garnered the network’s highest-rated election night in its 20-year history, averaging nearly 13 million viewers and 5 million in the 25-54 demo from 8PM – 3AM/ET.
Prior to joining FNC in 2004, MacCallum held a variety of positions at NBC from 1997 to 2003. She was co-anchor of CNBC’s Morning Call with Martha MacCallum and Ted David and was the anchor of CNBC’s Checkpoint, an evening news program focusing on the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. A frequent contributor to MSNBC’s The News with Brian Williams, NBC’s Today, NBC affiliates and CNBC World, MacCallum also created the series Inside the Business for Business Center. In 1997 and 2003, MacCallum was a recipient of the American Women in Radio and Television award for her reporting.
Carlson joined FNC in 2009 as a political contributor and was named co-host of FOX & Friends Weekend in 2012. He also played an integral role in the 2016 election coverage, including on election night. In 2010, he founded The Daily Caller, a conservative news site featuring original reporting, commentary and breaking news. Carlson remains a passive owner of The Daily Caller, but no longer serves as the website’s editor-in-chief. Prior to joining FNC, Carlson hosted the political program Tucker on MSNBC from 2005 through 2008 and spent five years at CNN co-hosting The Spin Room and later Crossfire. He began his career at Policy Review, a national conservative journal, and also worked at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and The Weekly Standard.
FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well as political and business news. The number one network in cable, FNC has been the most watched television news channel for nearly 15 years and according to a Suffolk University/USA Today poll, is the most trusted television news source in the country. Owned by 21st Century Fox, FNC is available in more than 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape, routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.
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