The obligatory “Brit Hume stepping down at Fox News” post
posted at 5:35 pm on July 15, 2008 by Allahpundit
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Sources familiar with the situation say that Hume, 65, will give up his job as Washington managing editor and anchor of “Special Report.” They say he is near a deal to continue with Fox in a senior statesman role, not unlike that of Tom Brokaw at NBC, for roughly 100 days a year.
In his new role, Hume would be a senior political analyst, anchor special events, serve as a panelist on “Fox News Sunday” and occasionally substitute for the host, Chris Wallace.
He’ll be there through the end of the year so election night coverage should proceed as usual. I’m always surprised by how much respect Hume commands among conservatives, not because he doesn’t deserve it but because you’d think he’d be drowned out by the O’Reilly and Hannity megaphones. Not so; in my conversations with people, as genial, gentlemanly conservative journalists go, he’s second in esteem to no one but … Tony Snow, actually. Where are Fox viewers going to get their nightly shot of gravitas now? The closest to Hume in that regard is Wallace but I doubt he wants to do five shows a week. Bret Baier is solid but he’s not a trademark FNC personality the way the rest of the late afternoon and evening crew is.
Given how short the supply is of hard-newsy TV reporters with star power, I’m guessing they may tweak the show by cutting back on straight news reporting (they have Shep at 7 p.m. for that) and emphasize the panel format more heavily, a la Hardball. That way there’s less pressure on the moderator and they get to inject something new into that calcified 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. line-up that they’ve had forever. Commenters in our Headlines item are suggesting Ingraham and Mark Steyn, both of whom would be great but are probably too overtly partisan for the task. Any suggestions?
Update: Headlines comments imported.
Update: I just had a terrible thought.
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There was a time i cared. FNC has gone to the ‘gov’t media complex’ dogs so it matters not.
Too bad they can’t/won’t give the job to Mark Steyn. I might watch then.
Christine on July 16, 2008 at 1:55 PM
OMG Allah…you just HAD to post a picture of your bad thought…I think I just had a stroke.
Christine on July 16, 2008 at 1:57 PM
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Let me reiterate my horror:
NOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Special Report is the one program I try to watch every day. At the very least, they need to give it to Bret Baier, who I’ve always assumed was being groomed for that job.
Life would lose all meaning without The Grapevine and that random funny little clip at the end.
TallDave on July 16, 2008 at 3:40 PM
I see them grooming Laura Ingram for something more at Fox as well. Not much else out there unfortunately…
Wyznowski on July 16, 2008 at 3:43 PM
Angle, Wendell G or Gibson. But Gibson might be a bit too out there.
chrisknits on July 16, 2008 at 3:51 PM
Give me a break, Hume has turned blurring the line between reporting and partisan commentary into an art form. It’s not unusual to see him foaming at the mouth when some hapless NPR commentator disagrees with him.
The worst thing about Hume was his policy during the Rumsfeld era of ending his program with a clip of Rummy making a stupid joke during a press conference. Hume would follow up with an equally contrived laugh and smile that obviously tried to convince people to like Rummy because of his great personality… No reason to mention the gross and unprecedented incompetence of Rummy’s Iraq war leadership, of course.
Perhaps Brit is being pushed aside as Fox ratings slide, undoubtedly hurt by the overwhelming belief that Fox is the only network with a hard-coded bias that includes talking points, a refusal to hire strong left-leaning commentators (no equivalent of Pat Buchanan or Tucker Carlson), and a tendency to engage in misleading reports.
bayam on July 16, 2008 at 3:52 PM
I would be surprised if someone other than Baier replaces Hume.
Brit makes no bones about being a conservative, which does leave Fox open for criticism. In a panel type situation, if there is a host or moderator, he or she should be blatantly neutral. I love to watch Brit as a panelist on Fox News Sunday, but it makes me uncomfortable when he jumps all over Juan Williams from the hosts chair. As entertaining as it is.
Bottom line, Fox news is deep on talent and will just keep getting better.
myamphibian on July 16, 2008 at 4:35 PM
Tammy Bruce, Michele Malkin, and Brigitte Gabriel (who I was pleasantly surprised to see on today) all need more air time on Fox. They have finally given Laura Ingraham the credit she deserves, now it’s time to show it to the rest of the women who are the pillar of our movement.
And although I love Fox, I wish Tammy and Michele didn’t have exclusive contracts with them. There are still some same people who watch CNN and could benefit from some fresh air.
ashleymatt on July 16, 2008 at 5:16 PM
samesaneashleymatt on July 16, 2008 at 5:19 PM
I’m holding out for the FAUX NEWS trademark.
Blondes with legs crossed, that go on forever, high heels just touching the floor or the lowest rung on the stool.
Roger knows what can hold an audience when the content of his news can’t…!
J_Gocht on July 16, 2008 at 7:13 PM
John Kasich could work his way up to the job. He is not seen as overtly partisan. However, he may be a better fit as McCain’s VP in an attempt to win his native OHIO.
KW64 on July 16, 2008 at 10:02 PM
NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! heaven forbid, Rivera still scares me. After hearing his drivel on immigration that feeling has only been intensified, besides he’s as old as Brit any way.
Bob the RhinoKeeper on July 17, 2008 at 8:57 AM
Lara is oh so much much cooler than Bill-O…!
J_Gocht on July 17, 2008 at 2:07 PM
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