Cable news may not be quite as relevant as it used to be, however when it comes to ratings, one network remains on top.
Fox News, which has had its share of ups and downs in 2023, stumbled only momentarily when it parted ways with its star primetime host Tucker Carlson in April. The coveted 8 p.m. time slot, which Tucker had held since 2018, brought in millions of viewers each night and was consistently the top-ranked primetime slot in cable news.
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Tucker's slot has since been inherited by Jesse Watters, whose new "Jesse Watters Primetime" hourlong show also regularly beats the competition, albeit with slightly less elevated numbers.
Most recently, Fox News announced its chairman Rupert Murdoch would step down and into the likely more passive role of chairman emeritus following News Corp's annual meeting in November. His son, Lachlan Murdoch, will take over as News Corp (NWSA) -) chairman and executive chairman and CEO of Fox.
No doubt Fox is muddling through an era of reinvention, but its timing couldn't have been better, as the U.S. gears up for the 2024 presidential election and Americans continue to argue about everything including the ongoing Trump indictments, President Biden's son, matters about Ukraine and foreign involvements, and inflation at home.
And the cable news channel thinks it has the perfect antidote to reinvigorating the excitement around politics and news gathering.
Fox news announces historic event
Fox on Sept. 25 announced it would host a first-ever debate between the Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The debate is being billed as a "red vs. blue state debate," though it can no doubt be considered an unofficial temperature taking for the 2024 election. Ron DeSantis is officially in the running and calls for Newsom to jump in escalate on a weekly basis as pressure mounts against Biden to make room for somebody younger.
Newsom, for his part, says he won't run against Biden.
The debate will take place on Nov. 30 and run for approximately 90 minutes in Georgia. Sean Hannity, Fox's 9 p.m. anchor and host of "Hannity," will moderate.
"I’m looking forward to providing viewers with an informative debate about the everyday issues and governing philosophies that impact the lives of every American," Hannity said of the upcoming debate.
Newsom agreed to a potential debate between himself and DeSantis in July following calls by Hannity and others to reinvigorate debate and bring alternative voices into the ring ahead of the election.
DeSantis was quick to agree shortly thereafter.
"Let’s get it done. Just tell me when and where — we’ll do it," he said.
The debate is the first of its kind for the network where two sitting governors will meet and discuss a variety of issues.
Fox Business will also host the second upcoming primary debate between the remaining GOP candidates in Simi Valley, Calif., on Sept. 27, from 9 p.m.-11 p.m. Eastern time.
