Tucker Carlson Starts Monday In Fox 9PM Slot

Tucker Carlson will take over for Megyn Kelly on Fox News next week, the network announced Thursday.

Carlson, a conservative commentator and founder of The Daily Caller web site, is well-known to Fox fans. His two-month-old show "Tucker Carlson Tonight," an out-of-the-box ratings success at 7 p.m., will move to the 9 p.m. hour.

According to CNNMoney, the shift leaves Fox with an all-white-male prime time lineup for the first time in its twenty-year history. Some cable news observers had speculated Fox would replace Kelly with one of the four women who had filled in for her at 9 p.m.

Instead, one of those fill-ins, Martha MacCallum, will take over Carlson's 7 p.m. time slot for at least a few months.

Fox said in a press release that MacCallum's new show, "The First 100 Days," will "chronicle the beginning of the new administration and run through President-elect Trump's first 100 days in office."
In the spring, MacCallum could become the permanent host of the 7 p.m. hour. Fox said that she recently signed a new multi-year deal with the network.

Martha MaCallum

As for the 9 p.m. hour, "Tucker Carlson Tonight" has many of the qualities that make a compelling Fox News show, making the move a logical decision by Rupert Murdoch and the executives who run the cable news channel.

Ever since the show debuted on November 14, Carlson has shown a knack for selecting topics of interest to conservative viewers; hosting fiery debates with liberals; and criticizing Fox's rivals in the mainstream media.

At the end of every show, Carlson says his broadcast is "the sworn enemy of lying, pomposity, smugness, and groupthink."

According to Fox, Since its debut, Tucker Carlson Tonight has averaged 2.8 million viewers and 515,000 in the 25-54 demographic, up 23% in viewership and 26% in 25-54 compared to the same period last year. According to Nielsen Media Research, Carlson currently tops both MSNBC and CNN combined in total viewers and all three major demographics – 25-54, 18-49 and 18-34.

MacCallum joins FNC’s primetime from America’s Newsroom, which she has anchored since 2010 alongside Bill Hemmer. America’s Newsroom recently delivered its highest-rated year since the program’s launch in 2016 and routinely outpaces CNN and MSNBC combined during its timeslot, according to Nielsen Media Research. While MacCallum anchors The First 100 Days, FNC’s Shannon Bream will co-anchor America’s Newsroom with Bill Hemmer. Bream currently serves as the network’s Supreme Court reporter and anchors the Sunday afternoon news program America’s News Headquarters.