More Changes at Fox News

The last year has been very volatile for the Fox News network. New shows arriving, old shows going, and the reshuffling of various personalities. Just when it appeared the dust may finally have begun to settle, we hear there are more changes coming for the network.

One of my favorite information sources, Mediabistro, reported the following this past week:

"TVNewser has learned America's Election HQ is returning to the Fox News Channel schedule beginning Monday. The 5pm ET show will be anchored by a rotating series of anchors through election day. E.D. Hill will host next week."

"Just In with Laura Ingraham ends its three-week run tomorrow. Ingraham was aware the show was temporary, and she will continue as primary fill-in for Bill O'Reilly."

"As for John Gibson whose show, Big Story, was replaced by America's Election HQ in February, he continues his show on Fox News Radio."

I'm delighted to see E.D. Hill back on a more regular basis and look forward to her having a designated spot daily once again. She is one of the more articulate and intelligent broadcast journalists today.

Laura Ingraham knew going into her recent show, Just In, that the program was intended to be temporary. How long, nobody knew. We have recently found out it was a mere three weeks. Ironically, she is losing this show just as she worked out the negotiations on her radio program and is back on the airwaves for that successful program. Ingraham is fine on TV, but better on the radio. I almost think that she welcomes the changes.

Meanwhile, John Gibson, will remain on the radio. However, if they are rotating hosts for America's Election HQ, we might see him on that program. We will have to wait and see. When it comes to the media, about the only constant you can depend on is change.

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Big Changes at Fox News

The changes at Fox News have been dramatic. In the last two weeks the network has seen additions, substrations, and complete reworks. Some faces and names that we have grown to know are no longer anchors and seem poised to play supportive roles in the future.

MediaBistro reports:

TVNewser has learned beginning Monday Live Desk with Martha MacCallum will be expanded to two hours, airing from 1-3pmET. MacCallum will also be getting a co-anchor and a new set. Trace Gallagher joins as co-anchor, while continuing to fill in for Shepard Smith on Studio B and Fox Report. Also starting Monday Live Desk will originate from the FNC newsroom.

America's Pulse anchored by E.D. Hill goes away, but Hill stays with the network in a capacity to be determined. Hill has been with FNC since 1998. She co-anchored Fox & Friends for several years before moving to the 11 am ET hour, then launching America's Pulse.
Live Desk debuted in September 2006 replacing Day Side, which morphed into Fox network's The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet.

> More: TVDecoder's Brian Stelter says the FNC changes will also effect the the network's 5 pm ET hour, once occupied by John Gibson and Heather Nauert.

Not mentioned in the MediaBistro article is the very recent addition of Laura Ingraham to the Fox News Channel Network line up. Here's a quick assessment of the network's changes:

* I'm disappointed by the departure of E.D. Hill. Smart, articulate, and attractive, she was always a pleasant part of the show's line up. She was always considered the network's "liberal", but her roots were solid and her analysis strong. I'll be interested to see how she is utilized.

* John Gibson. John is an old school Conservative and with a slightly less than current style, I wasn't completely surprised by his departure. I do think we will see him again though, in different capacities.

* Fox Live Desk. This show has undergone some major changes and seems to be a TV version of what people experience on video platforms on the Internet. When you watch, you have a primary screen and three small screens on the side addressing different stories. Everyone knows that people have been trying to move the TV to the web, this appears to be an attempt to do the exact opposite. I have only scene the new format once, but my initial assessment is positive.

The proverbial "puzzle box" with all the network's pieces has certainly been shaken. It will be interesting to see how the format changes will fair when it comes to the single most important thing in media today -- ratings.

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Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.