OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Fox News has dropped a major announcement about popular network personality Dana Perino.
The former Bush administration spokeswoman, co-anchor of “America’s Newsroom” and co-host of “The Five” will be launching her own weekly podcast beginning August 21, the network announced last week.
“FOX News Audio’s ‘Perino on Politics,’ which launches the same week Fox News Channel will host the first GOP presidential primary debate, will examine the 2024 election and beyond,” the report said.
Perino will talk with highly knowledgeable people from both within and outside Washington, D.C. The lineup will include experts such as columnists, advisors, pollsters, and political strategists, and together, they will delve into the most recent developments along the campaign trail, crucially leading up to what is being seen as a pivotal election, Fox noted.
The show’s inaugural guests will include political strategist Colin Reed and National Review’s senior political correspondent, Jim Geraghty, the report added.
“Perino joined Fox News Channel in 2009 following her time as White House Press Secretary in President George W. Bush’s administration. She has since played a key role in Fox News’ election coverage,” Fox reported, adding:
Perino’s “America’s Newsroom,” which she co-anchors alongside Bill Hemmer, is regularly the top cable news program in its timeslot. “The Five,” which she co-hosts alongside Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters and Jeanine Pirro, is the most-watched show on cable news despite airing well before the primetime hours that historically dominated ratings.
“The Five,” which has been the No. 1 cable news program for seven-straight quarters, averaged 2.6 million viewers and 254,000 among the advertiser-coveted demo of adults age 25-54 during July to continue its unprecedented run.
Meanwhile, previous media reports indicate that a few present Fox News personalities have entertained the idea of leaving the network to join former highly-rated host Tucker Carlson, who has been posting a version of his show on Twitter for months despite warnings from Fox.
“Carlson’s Twitter move could have additional reverberations with talent at the network. A handful of Fox anchors have reached out to Carlson directly or had their surrogates contact him to say they are eager to join whatever venture he starts on Twitter when their contracts are up, according to sources,” Variety reported.
At present, Carlson remains under contract with Fox for a purported $20 million per year. As such, he’s not free to sign up with another network. Reports said his contract doesn’t expire until after the 2024 election, in January 2025.
Variety added that Dominion Voting System’s defamation claims against Fox News rested mostly on accusations aired post-2020 election on programs hosted by Sean Hannity, Jeanine Pirro, and Maria Bartiromo. But the company wanted to hurt Fox and, as such, chose to press the network into cutting ties with its most popular talent: Carlson.
“That condition was intended to hurt Fox, and Tucker is just collateral damage,” a source familiar with the matter told Variety at the time.
“Dominion wanted to punish Fox, and it’s working,” the source added, referencing Fox’s meteorite decline in viewership in the weeks after taking Carlson off the air.
All said, however, Fox News appears to be rebounding after suffering a loss of more than a million viewers per day following the network’s decision in April to take star Carlson off the air.
The network revamped its prime-time lineup, handing Carlson’s old slot to Jesse Watters while moving Laura Ingraham to an earlier slot along with Greg Gutfeld and keeping Sean Hannity at 9 p.m., where he’s been for decades.
According to the cable news TV ratings earlier this month, the decisions appear to be paying off: Both Watters and Gutfeld are dominating their slots over rivals at MSNBC and CNN, and it’s not close as Fox, in general, begins to retake the offensive the cable news wars.
Watters ended July with the top two rated shows on cable news in terms of total viewers: “The Five” and “Jesse Watters Prime Time.” Gutfeld, meanwhile, came in third place overall with his show Gutfeld! at 10 p.m. bringing in 1.983 million total viewers; he is also a co-host of “The Five.”
