When it was announced that Fox News was giving Megyn Kelly a new primetime show, no one could have imagined the changes she was going to cause. It has since been announced that Sean Hannity and Shep Smith are both having their timeslots taken by Kelly. In related news, their newest broadcaster, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, is excelling on Fox and Friends.
When Megyn Kelly returns from maternity leave, she’s going to be facing a lot of scrutiny. All eyes are going to be on the new mom, who has recently shook up the entire primetime lineup of the conservative news network.
Megyn Kelly, who once hosted a successful afternoon news program, will begin her own 9:00 p.m. show on the date of October 7. Fans have missed Kelly for the past few months, while she has been spending time with her newborn, and are eagerly awaiting her return date.
Of course, her recent promotion came with more than a few changes for the hosts of Fox News’ nightly programs. Specifically, Sean Hannity will be losing his longtime timeslot and will be moving to the 10:00 p.m. hour.
This means that Greta will be moving to 7:00 p.m., Shep Smith’s old timeslot. Shep is perhaps the most displaced, as he will be losing his nighttime show altogether. Fox News has said that Shep will retain his program that airs earlier in the day and will take a more active role in other areas of the newsroom.
Fox has also confirmed the title of Megyn’s new show, The Kelly File. In a press release, the news network said:
"As the newest edition to the line-up, 'The Kelly File' will focus on late-breaking stories in a live format as well as in-depth investigative reports interspersed with newsmaker interviews."
Fox News has dominated the world of cable news for quite some time. They handedly beat their liberal counterpart, MSNBC, leading many to wonder why the network would change anything.
So it makes sense that the changes to Fox News’ lineup has a lot of people talking, chief among them is Roger Ailes. The network’s chief said in a statement:
“As the network continues to dominate with the top 13 programs in cable news, FOX News already redefined primetime viewing to extend well beyond the antiquated 8-11PM format. We’ve developed a deep bench of engaging and thought-provoking personalities that have grown with FOX News as it has evolved into the most influential and successful cable network in television. These changes will enable the network to continue setting the industry standard for years to come.”
It makes since that Ailes isn’t worried. His most recent change, hiring Elisabeth Hasselbeck, seems to be paying off. Elisabeth is fitting in perfectly on the hit morning show, Fox and Friends.
Even if this is a misstep for Fox, the likelihood that they would lose the ratings war is virtually incomprehensible.
