FOX News Channel Announces Expansion of FOX & Friends Franchise
October 04 2017 - 2:39PM
Business Wire
FOX & Friends FIRST to Begin at
4AM
FNC Leads Cable News Industry with More
Women in Anchor/Host Roles Across Daytime and Primetime
Programming
FOX News Channel (FNC) is expanding the FOX & Friends
franchise by one hour, announced Suzanne Scott, president of
programming for FNC. Beginning October 9th, FOX & Friends FIRST
will be presented from 4-6AM/ET and FOX & Friends will continue
in the 6-9AM/ET timeslot. The 4AM hour of FOX & Friends First
will be solo-hosted by Heather Childers, while the 5AM hour will be
co-anchored by Jillian Mele and Rob Schmitt.
With the expansion of the franchise, FNC now has more women
anchoring and hosting programs than any other cable news network on
weekdays from 4AM-12AM/ET. Additionally, upon the debut of Fox
News @ Night on October 30th, FNC will have live weekday
programming for 20 hours a day.
In making the announcement, Scott said, “As FOX & Friends
continues to mark its most-watched year in network history, we are
thrilled to give our viewers more of the morning franchise they
love.”
FOX & Friends FIRST is presented prior to the network’s
signature morning show, previewing the day ahead by covering the
latest news headlines in politics, business, entertainment and
health. The early morning program is the number one cable news
program in its timeslot, dominating CNN and MSNBC in both total
viewers and the 25-54 demographic.
On pace to have its highest-rated year in network history, FOX
& Friends has been FNC’s signature morning program for more
than 19 years. Co-hosted by Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian
Kilmeade, the show has eclipsed the competition for 190 consecutive
months. Featuring interviews with numerous celebrities, authors,
athletes and political heavyweights, the program also includes
regular stunts and musical performances both on set and outside
before gathering crowds. Additionally, each hour of the show offers
reports on general news, sports, weather, politics, business and
entertainment provided by FOX & Friends FIRST co-host Jillian
Mele.
Heather Childers joined FNC in 2010 as a general assignment
reporter based in New York. During her tenure, she served as an
anchor of America's News HQ from 2011 to 2013, as well as helped
launch FOX & Friends FIRST, where she has been a co-host for
nearly five years. Prior to joining FNC, Childers served as a
weekday evening anchor for News 14 Carolina (YNN 14) in Charlotte,
NC. She was also a weekend evening anchor and weekday reporter for
WLOS-TV (ABC 13) in Asheville, NC and a weekday anchor for WFLX-TV
(FOX 29) in Albany, GA. Childers began her career as a producer at
WCNC-TV (NBC 22) in Charlotte, NC. She graduated from the
University of North Carolina with a B.A. in English.
Jillian Mele joined FNC from Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia (CSN
Philly) in March 2017. While with CSN Philly, she earned an Emmy
Award for her co-host role on the local morning news program,
Breakfast on Broad. Earlier in her career, Mele spent seven years
with WCAU-TV (NBC 10) in Philadelphia, PA and reported in various
capacities, including as a news, sports and traffic reporter. She
got her on-air start as a local news anchor for stations in Presque
Isle, Maine, and Binghamton, NY. Mele received a B.A. in arts and
communication from La Salle University.
Rob Schmitt was named a weekend news anchor and general
assignment reporter at FNC in June 2016 and has served as a
substitute anchor for various programs including FOX &
Friends First, and FOX Report. Prior to joining FNC, he was an
anchor for WNBC-TV (NBC 4) in New York, helming the 12 Noon News
while also contributing reports to the 5PM/ET and 6PM/ET news
programs. Before joining WNBC-TV, Schmitt worked as an anchor and
reporter for CBS2/KCAL9 (CBS) in Los Angeles, CA, and began his
career at WPLG-TV (ABC) in Miami, FL. A native of Indiana, Schmitt
received a B.A. from the Ernie Pyle School of Journalism at Indiana
University.
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 more than 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 90 million homes and dominates the
cable news landscape, routinely notching the top ten programs in
the genre.
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FOX News Media
Contact:Jessica Jensen, 212-301-3531
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