Looks like more Fox News viewers are tuning in to the network’s 3 p.m. hour now that former anchor Shepard Smith has left the building.
Smith’s replacement, Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer, showed a promising start as his new show launched on Monday with an impressive increase in viewership over the time slot’s numbers at the same time last year.
(Video: Fox News)
The debut of “Bill Hemmer Reports” saw an increase of 37 percent over last year’s average of “Shepard Smith Reporting,” according to Nielsen Media Research, with 1.8 million total viewers. The numbers beat out MSNBC, which averaged one million viewers with “MSNBC Live With Ali Velshi,” and CNN, which pulled in only 867,000 during the same 3 p.m. ET time period with “CNN Newsroom With Brooke Baldwin.”
“I am very happy to start this next chapter with you at home. We won’t solve the world’s issues in an hour, but over time we will understand them better. I call it the whole picture,” Hemmer told viewers in his inaugural episode.
“We’ll be fast and we’ll try to be first, but we will focus on being fair,” he added. “In the end, the whole picture takes time, but over time we hope to see you around here more often and that’s our word.”
Bill, we started together on @AmericaNewsroom — exactly 10 years ago, this Monday 1/20/2020 – So excited for your new adventure at 3 pm! @BillHemmer Reports! Can’t wait. https://t.co/8ejKwS6iiS
— Martha MacCallum (@marthamaccallum) January 17, 2020
Compared to the same day last year when Smith hosted the time slot, “Bill Hemmer Reports” saw a 12 percent increase in the 25-54 age demographic. The show averaged 269,000 viewers in the key demographic, compared to CNN’s 199,000 and MSNBC’s 164,000 viewers.
The show’s first guests included President Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Kevin Sheekey, the campaign manager for 2020 presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg.
Congratulations to my good friend and former colleague @BillHemmer on his new show “Bill Hemmer Reports” that’s premiering today at 3PM ET on @FoxNews!
Bill is an amazing journalist and someone who cares deeply about delivering real and accurate news. I can’t wait to watch! https://t.co/RyLhIVJCIu
— Kimberly Guilfoyle (@kimguilfoyle) January 20, 2020
Hemmer, who joined Fox News in 2005 and was formerly at CNN, co-anchored “America’s Newsroom” since 2009 before being moved to the time period hosted by Smith, who abruptly left Fox News in October after more than two decades with the network.
Fox News’ chief national correspondent Ed Henry, who also did a stint at CNN, replaced Hemmer in his former time slot.
Pretty great to see @BillHemmer’s first show at 3PM beat @CNN primetime numbers with 1.8M viewers. CNN didn’t even get 1M for primetime. SAD! ?
Congrats Bill! pic.twitter.com/5Ps1iXL5AW
— Brad Parscale – Text TRUMP to 88022 (@parscale) January 22, 2020
A select few shed tears over Smith’s departure but most loyal Fox News viewers celebrated the news as his vocally anti-Trump bias was regularly on display.
5 top Shep Smith anti-Trump rants and unhinged meltdowns https://t.co/Vj9ixMY57C pic.twitter.com/cR2YwR1eNK
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) October 12, 2019
“Is he leaving? Oh, that’s a shame,” Trump quipped when told of Smith’s resignation. “Is he leaving because of his ratings? I mean, if he’s leaving, I assume he’s leaving because he had bad ratings. He had the worst ratings on Fox, so there’s a reason. Why is Shepard Smith leaving? Well, I wish him well. I wish Shepard Smith well.”
Recent reports indicated that the 56-year-old former Fox News anchor was in talks with MSNBC and CNN.
Meanwhile, Hemmer’s ratings win with his show’s debut was lauded by Twitter users.
Well, well, congrats @BillHemmer! “Bill Hemmer Delivers Double-Digit Ratings Boost In 3 P.M. Debut” https://t.co/YLlYyIIXke
— Tammy Bruce (@HeyTammyBruce) January 22, 2020
Proves the Shepard Smith was a gigantic jerk and a not a fair person. So many of us said this over and over…FOX finally listen. Congrats on the great choice @BillHemmer and @HeyTammyBruce who is always spot on. https://t.co/RrG1IXUkSJ
— Jeanne Moore (@jeannem2018) January 22, 2020
This is what happens when you put in a fact based, truth finding journalist @BillHemmer instead of an opinionated, biased, Never Trumper, Shepherd Smith. Chris Wallace should be next to go. #makefoxgreatagain https://t.co/x1JOx8kPVA
— D. Henke ?? (@D_Henke0211) January 22, 2020
Viewers have stopped changing the channel during. Congrats sir.
— Jeff Garrett (@jeffgarrett1999) January 22, 2020
No surprise!!! Making 3pm great again!!
— USALISA?? (@LISAUSA56) January 22, 2020
The “New kid on the block” is already whooping the establishment media.
— InfamousK ™ ?? (@InfamousK48) January 22, 2020
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