Rumors from Fox News insiders are reporting that the struggling former cable news king has reached a deal with Laura Ingraham for a show at the 10pm slot.
Ingraham has been a frequent contributor both on Bill O’Reilly’s show and as a guest of Sean Hannity.
The move reportedly puts Hannity in a 9pm slot to go head to head with MSNBC’s liberal queen Rachel Maddow. Maddow has exploded in viewership after O’Reilly’s ouster from FNC.
This development puts cold water on the speculation that the Murdochs are looking to remake the network as something other than a conservative alternative to MSNBC.
Ingraham has been an outspoken supporter of President Trump and of the populist revolution that pushed him to victory last November.
Her show will no doubt shake things up in the cable news world.
Here’s more from CNN…
Laura Ingraham, the radio host and Fox News commentator, is about to become a prime time host on the conservative cable network.
Ingraham is expected to take over the 10 p.m. hour on Fox News, according to people who spoke on condition of anonymity.
While there may be one or two final details to negotiate, Ingraham has been telling friends that the deal is essentially done, the sources said.
Her new show will be part of a broader change to the network’s top-rated prime time lineup. Sean Hannity’s show, currently at 10 p.m., will move one hour earlier to 9 p.m., multiple sources confirmed.
And “The Five,” a talk show originally named for its 5 p.m. time slot, will shift from 9 p.m. back to its namesake hour.
The changes come on the heels of Eric Bolling’s exit from Fox and the cancellation of his 5 p.m. show “Fox News Specialists” last Friday.
Fox is temporarily replacing the “Specialists” with news programming. But “The Five” will move back to 5 p.m. in the coming weeks, the sources said.
The launch date for Ingraham’s new show is unknown. But the sources said the new schedule is confirmed and known among senior staffers. This is a change from last month, when the talks between Ingraham and Fox were first reported.
