By RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com, originally filed Friday, July 31, 2015
Bill Hemmer spent a decade at CNN, much of it in Atlanta, covering key events such as the 1996 Atlanta Centennial Olympic Park bombing and 9/11.
Now he’s celebrating a decade at rival Fox News in New York as a mid-morning anchor. After signing a new multi-year deal last year, he should be around for quite a bit longer.
“Look at our ratings and look at everyone else,” Hemmer said in a recent phone interview, alluding to Fox’s dominant ratings position for the past 13 years versus CNN and MSNBC. “I look at the attitude inside Fox News and everybody else. There is something special inside this building. We have an attitude of optimism and can do."
Hemmer, 50, added, "As long as [Fox News CEO] Roger Ailes gives me the thumbs up, there's no reason to work anywhere else."
He may be the first on-air broadcaster to log a decade or more at both cable news networks.
“Ten and ten! Sounds like an ESPN series!” said Hemmer. “I’m starting to think I’m the lucky one. It’s not an easy business to survive in.”
He will join his co-host Martha MacCallum for a special 5 p.m. hour-long debate on Thursday for the GOP presidential candidates who are outside the top 10, based on polls. Fox News added the extra debate in June so all major candidates will have a chance to express their ideas.
For this secondary debate, either six or seven people may qualify. The main GOP debate will air on Fox at 9 p.m. featuring the current poll leaders. This will be the first debate for a very crowded field.
“It’s the political event of the summer,” Hemmer said. “I think they all bring interesting backgrounds to the debate stage. You’ve got former and current Senators and governors, people in business and a doctor or two. People might be surprised by the nuances they’ll hear from the stage compared to what they've heard so far. Our challenge is to push people away from Twitter and headlines and get to the depth of the matter.”
At the same time, he said each candidate will not have that much time to go deep.
“I’m curious to know how effective they will be landing their arguments and doing them succinctly and what passion they bring to the arrangement and how well they communicate their ideas.”
Hemmer said he’s taking his debate prep seriously. “How you phrase questions is my biggest challenge,” he said.
He is aware it’s still early in the race. A lot of voters have not made up their minds yet. “This is the time to build the foundation if you’re a candidate,” he said. “For many of them, this will be their biggest audience yet. It may set the baseline for their campaign.”
Hemmer has fond memories of his time in Atlanta, including his old friends and the Southern hospitality. He reminisced about water skiing on Lake Lanier, having easy access to golf courses compared to New York and imbibing at the Treehouse Restaurant and Pub in Peachtree Hills.
"That's kind of where my group hung out," he said, with a sigh. "It's been way too long!"
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