Plus Pages

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Report: Fox News Talking Show With Laura Ingraham


Longtime Fox News contributor and fill-in host Laura Ingraham is in line for her own show on the channel, possibly in a key prime time hour.

On Monday a source with knowledge of the matter told CNN that there are talks underway between Ingraham and Fox executives, but no decisions have been finalized.

The addition of an Ingraham talk show could be part of a bigger-picture reshuffling of Fox News Channel's highly rated schedule.

Matt Drudge, who is well-sourced in conservative media circles, spurred intrigue about potential changes when he tweeted this on Monday: "FALL PREVIEW: Laura Ingraham's prime time to shine! After years in the trenches, much deserved."

The prime time hours on cable news are 8, 9 and 10 p.m. When Megyn Kelly left for NBC in January, Tucker Carlson took over her 9 p.m. time slot. Then in April when Bill O'Reilly was removed amid a sexual harassment scandal, Carlson moved into O'Reilly's 8 p.m. time slot and the channel's 5 p.m. conservative talk show "The Five" moved to 9 p.m. Sean Hannity remained in place at 10 p.m.

The cable news channel now seems to be exploring programming options in the event that Eric Bolling does not return. Bolling is the centerpiece of the 5 p.m. show that was created when "The Five" moved to 9. It is called "Fox News Specialists."

Earlier this month Bolling was suspended pending a probe into accusations that he sent lewd texts to colleagues, which he has denied.

If Fox News executives need to replace "The Specialists," "The Five" could be shifted back to its original 5 p.m. time slot. Then Ingraham could take over at 9 p.m.

Alternatively, Hannity could move up one hour to 9, and Ingraham could take over at 10.

Along with the Bolling suspension, another subplot is the ratings race between Fox and MSNBC. The MSNBC host Rachel Maddow has snapped Fox's winning streak in the 9 p.m. hour.

No comments:

Post a Comment