function onPlayerReadyVidible(e){'undefined'!=typeof HPTrack&&HPTrack.Vid.Vidible_track(e)}!function(e,i){if(e.vdb_Player){if('object'==typeof commercial_video){var a='',o='m.fwsitesection='+commercial_video.site_and_category;if(a+=o,commercial_video['package']){var c='&m.fwkeyvalues=sponsorship%3D'+commercial_video['package'];a+=c}e.setAttribute('vdb_params',a)}i(e.vdb_Player)}else{var t=arguments.callee;setTimeout(function(){t(e,i)},0)}}(document.getElementById('vidible_1'),onPlayerReadyVidible); Brian Williams. Keith Olbermann. Campbell Brown. Connie Chung. Phil Donahue. Chris Hayes. Paula Zahn. Ed Schultz. Eliot Spitzer. Kathleen Parker.Those are some of the TV news stars who competed against Bill OReilly at 8 p.m. ' and lost.But OReillyslong reign as cable news king abruptly ended Wednesday when 21st Century Fox, parent company of Fox News, announced that he would be leaving the network amid a sexual harassment scandal. His time slot goes to Tucker Carlson, whose show has aired at 9 p.m. since Megyn Kelly left Fox News in January.OReillys departure represents an enormous change for the industry, although Fox News competitors may not be able to take immediate advantage, said Jonathan Klein, who led CNN from 2004 to 2010 and is currently CEO of video subscription platform TAPP Media.It wont send viewers to CNN or MSNBC because OReillys viewers arent looking for cable news, Klein told HuffPost. Theyre looking for OReilly.OReilly pioneered the opinionated host-driven cable news format on Fox News. The network launched The OReilly Report in 1996, its first year on the air, before shifting format to The OReilly Factor two years later. By the early 2000s, OReilly was the highest-rated host, paving the way for Fox News to become the most-watched cable news network ' a title the network hasnt relinquished since.In a Wednesday memo to Fox News staff, 21st Century Fox Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch and his sons James and Lachlan didnt mention the scandal that brought down OReilly, but noted that by ratings standards, he is one of the most accomplished TV personalities in the history of cable news.Of course it wasnt ratings that led to OReillys downfall, an unceremonious exit unparalleled in an industry where a TV news hosts rise and fall is inextricably tied to viewership.His audience, averaging around 4 million viewers, appeared to be sticking by him even as advertisers fled in response to the New York Times revelations that the host and the network paid $13 million to five women over allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior. But the social media-driven advertiser exodus ' along with public protests, continued fallout from thesexual harassment scandal involving former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes, and the possibility of sinking a major British TV deal ' was apparently too much for the Murdochs. Fox News isnt getting a political makeover as OReilly leaves the building.In fact, the new opinion line-up may be more pro-Donald Trump than before, given that OReilly, while largely supportive of the president, occasionally differed with him. The more staunchly pro-Trump Eric Bolling will host a new 5 p.m. show, while The Five, with Trump-sympathetic co-hosts Kimberly Guilfoyle and Jesse Watters, shifts to 9 p.m. (The rotating cast also includes co-hosts who have been critical of Trump, such as Bob Beckel, Juan Williams and Dana Perino.)And the unapologetically conservative Carlson will kick off primetime in the coveted 8 p.m. slot.Carlsons star has risen quickly at Fox News. A former CNN and MSNBC host, Carlson was leadingFox & Friends Weekend before a promotion to replace Greta Van Susteren at 7 p.m. He improved ratings at that hour and created several viral moments while sparring with journalists such as Teen Vogues Lauren Duca and Newsweeks Kurt Eichenwald. When Kelly left for NBC News in January, Carlsonlanded in her 9 p.m. slot.Although Kelly was a star, the network didnt miss a beat with Carlsons shift into primetime. His show averaged 3.27 million viewers during the first quarter of 2017, second only behind OReillys nearly 4 million. However, Carlson will now have to perform without the best lead-in in cable news.Its unlikely that OReilly viewers will flock to less partisan hosts (CNN) or avowedly progressive ones (MSNBC), and many who tuned in nightly will stick with Fox News as long as a right-leaning host is on air.But the question will be whether fans of OReilly specifically will watch someone else in his time slot ' or perhaps go see if a games on.Though Fox News remains the ratings leader, the ground can shift. Liberals coping with Trumps presidency have beenincreasingly tuning into MSNBC, with 9 p.m. host Rachel Maddowrecently toppingOReilly in the age 25-to-54 demographic prized by advertisers. Next week, a resurgent CNN plans to give Jake Tapper, the breakout news anchor of the Trump era, a tryout in primetime. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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