Fox News and CNN Shuffle Anchor Lineups Amid Ratings Battle
January 11 2021 - 6:45PM
Dow Jones News
By Benjamin Mullin
Fox News and CNN announced substantial changes to their lineups
Monday, as cable news channels look to capitalize on continued
viewer interest in politics two months after the presidential
election.
Fox said it is expanding its opinion programming into the 7 p.m.
hour with "Fox News Primetime," a show that will feature a rotating
group of opinion hosts. It will replace "The Story," a news program
anchored by Martha MacCallum.
CNN is adding another hour for anchor Jake Tapper, the 5 p.m.
block currently occupied by "The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer,"
while senior political correspondent Abby Phillip will host a
Sunday program.
Cable news channels, which enjoyed record ratings in the
aftermath of the 2020 election, are jockeying for advantage as the
story shifts to the turbulent exit of Donald Trump from the White
House and the beginning of President-elect Joe Biden's
administration.
Fox News was No. 1 in every major category for 2020 as a whole,
but rivals ate into its lead during the postelection period. CNN
has taken the lead in total-day viewership, averaging 1.56 million
viewers from Nov. 4 to Jan. 6, according to Nielsen, while Fox News
has drawn an average total-day audience of 1.44 million viewers
during the postelection period.
CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront" has gained ground on "The Story"
during the postelection period, according to Nielsen. Meanwhile,
pro-Trump channels like One America News and Newsmax are vying for
the Fox News audience of conservative viewers. Fox News still draws
more viewers than CNN or MSNBC in prime-time, when conservative
opinion hosts like Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham
attract big audiences.
Fox News parent Fox Corp. and Wall Street Journal parent News
Corp share common ownership.
CNN, a division of AT&T Inc., faces uncertainty in its
leadership ranks. Network President Jeff Zucker told associates he
was considering whether to remain at the network after his contract
expires this year, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The moves are part of a broader reshuffling at both Fox News and
CNN. At Fox News, anchor Harris Faulkner will move to 11 a.m. with
a show called "The Faulkner Focus." Journalists John Roberts and
Sandra Smith will anchor a two-hour news program, "America
Reports," beginning at 1 p.m. Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino will
co-host "America's Newsroom," a two-hour program that begins at 9
a.m.
At CNN, chief political correspondent Dana Bash and Mr. Tapper
will co-host "State of the Union," a weekend politics program that
he currently anchors solo. CNN also said that Ms. Phillip will
anchor an 8 a.m. show called "Inside Politics Sunday with Abby
Phillip." Kaitlan Collins will be CNN's chief White House
correspondent, replacing Jim Acosta, who will become the network's
chief domestic correspondent and a weekend anchor.
Write to Benjamin Mullin at Benjamin.Mullin@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 11, 2021 18:30 ET (23:30 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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