Fox News shuffles daytime lineup; CNN makes changes
Both Fox and CNN announced schedule changes on Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Both Fox and CNN announced lineup changes Monday, as is often the case for news organizations with a new president about to take power. For years, first with Shepard Smith and then with MacCallum, Fox has stressed news instead of opinion in that hour. In fact, Newsmax issued a statement that its improved daytime and 7 p.m. ratings since the election has triggered changes at Fox. Since the election, CNN has averaged 1.92 million viewers in those daytime hours, with Fox and MSNBC both at 1.53 million.
Nearly a year after sudden exit, Shepard Smith returns to TV
The 56-year-old newsman, a Fox News original who joined that network at its start in 1996, says he's relishing the fresh start. Smith left more questions than answers upon his Fox exit, leaving others to speculate about why. His 3 p.m. newscast stood out at a network where opinion is king, and sometimes he challenged statements made by the network's prime-time hosts. Asked about it, Smith said that โI had felt like it was time for a new challenge for a long time. With CNN, MSNBC and the broadcast networks courting Smith, CNBC was considered an underdog, at best.
Shep Smith announces he is leaving Fox News
(CNN) - In a stunning announcement, Shepard Smith said on his Friday show that after more than two decades at Fox News, he was stepping down as chief news anchor, and leaving the network. "This is my last newscast here," Smith said, adding that he was "eternally grateful" to Fox for the opportunities it has afforded him. "Together with my colleagues, we have written a first draft of history," Smith said. "Endeavored to deliver it to you while speaking truth to power, without fear or favor, in context and with perspective." Smith said that he recently asked Fox to allow him to leave and begin a "new chapter."