This was posted Monday, September 18, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Confirming news that leaked out a few days ago, Fox News today said it's handing Laura Ingraham its coveted 10 p.m. weekday prime-time slot and moving Sean Hannity to 9 p.m.
Her program debuts October 30. Hannity's move will occur September 25. Rotating hosts will handle the 10 p.m. slot for a month.
"The Five," which has been in the 9 p.m. post for the past few months, will return to 5 p.m.
Ingraham, 54, is a long-time conservative radio host and champion of Donald Trump. Her viewpoints are generally populist. She's strongly against illegal immigration, skeptical of free trade and a basic social conservative. Over the past decade, she has been a frequent guest on both "Fox & Friends" and Hannity's show, as well as other Fox News programs.
Hannity will now go up against Rachel Maddow at MSNBC. Maddow's ratings have skyrocketed this year and has often exceeded that of "The Five," a rare situation where any show beats anything Fox News airs.
These changes come after two of its biggest stars left under very different circumstances: a disgruntled Megyn Kelly left to go to NBC and Bill O'Reilly was let go after the New York Times came out with a piece revealing Fox News paying millions to women who had accused him of harassment. Plus, Eric Bolling was recently accused of inappropriate workplace behavior and his 5 p.m. show was recently dropped as well.
Ingraham's daily radio show is heard in Atlanta at 9 a.m. weekdays on WCFO/1160AM. Hannity - who worked in local Atlanta radio before going to Fox News more than two decades ago - is heard on News 95.5 and AM 750 from 3 to 5 p.m. and 9 to 10 p.m. on nights without football-related programming.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
About the Author
