Fox News is revamping a key time slot in its daytime schedule.
The network is adding an opinion show at 7pm ET, a time Fox has in the past reserved for news rather than opinion programs, reports The Associated Press.
The hour, which is currently anchored by Martha MacCallum, will be hosted by a rotating group of opinion anchors starting Monday, Jan. 18, the network announced. The rotation will be temporary until a permanent host is selected.
The move comes on the heels of a turbulent 2020 election, since the conclusion of which MacCallum has seen a dip in ratings behind MSNBC and CNN. MacCallum's 7pm show comfortably led these competitors in viewership in the earlier part of last year.
During the first three months of 2020, Fox averaged 2.1 million viewers between 9am and 4pm on weekdays, equal to the viewership held by CNN and MSNBC combined, according to Nielsen.
In the months since the election, CNN has averaged 1.92 million viewers in those same hours, while Fox and MSNBC have averaged both at 1.53 million.
The change also comes amid jabs with rising competitor Newsmax, which has risen in the ratings with a pro-Trump show hosted by Greg Kelly.
While Newsmax holds that its own successes inspired the change at Fox — saying “The Fox is on the run” in a statement — Fox, which still has three times the viewers of Newsmax, denied the claim, saying that it was considering schedule changes as far back as October.
“Chris Ruddy is irrelevant,” Fox said in a statement, referring to Newsmax’s CEO.
MacCallum will be switched over to the 3pm ET time slot. Harris Faulkner’s daily hour will move to 1pm from its current 11am time under the renamed “The Faulkner Focus.” In the mornings, Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino will host the two-hour “America’s Newsroom” at 9am ET.
The rescheduling is in line with similar slot rearrangements which typically occur at news organizations with new incoming presidents, according to AP.
CNN is also making changes to its daytime schedule as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to enter the White House.
Jake Tapper daily news program will air from 4pm to 6pm, increasing its run length by an hour. Tapper will also serve as the cable news network’s lead anchor for all DC-based events.
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