Will feature J6 hours of live programing daily
Fox News Channel will feature 16 hours of live programing weekdays when the network debuts to an estimated 12 million homes on Oct. 7.
Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes said at an unveiling of the network's programing lineup in New York on Sept. 4 that the company will be spending 'north of $100 million' on the planned service. He said it is hard to project how many subscribers will be needed to break even but that conventional wisdom in the cable industry generally puts the figure at 25 million. FNC also will look to expand distribution internationally, he said.
Ailes declined to discuss specifics on the advertising front. He said, however, that executives at the cable operation are in talks with Fox Broadcasting's Jon Nesvig, president of sales, about possible joint sales efforts. Ailes said there will be no infomercials on the new network.
A key element of FNC will be live news updates every half-hour around the clock. The news channel will start the day with continuous news updates (6-9 a.m. ET) and switch to an hour newswheel format from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Throughout the entire 6 a.m.-5 p.m. time period, FNC will provide updated news reports each half hour, followed by 20 minute segments focusing on a single topic (health, entertainment, business, culture, religion, crime, travel, psychology and politics).
Early evening and prime time hours will be filled with hour blocks of news programing hosted by key network personalities Neil Cavuto (formerly with CNBC's Market Wrap); former Inside Edition anchor Bill O'Reilly; Fox News political correspondent Mike Schneider; Catherine Crier (formerly with ABC and CNN), and conservative radio commentator Sean Hannity (alongside a yet-to-be-named liberal counterpart). During the overnight period (10 p.m.-6 a.m.) the network will feature repeat programing with news updates.
FNC weekend programing will include a mix of repeats and such originals as call-in show Pet News (Saturday, 9-11 a.m.); Fox on Sports (Sunday, 9 a.m.-noon); Fox on Medicine (Saturday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.); archival series Fox Movietone News (Saturday, 1-2 p.m.); call-in show Money News Now (3-5 p.m.); Cavuto on Business (Saturday, 6 p.m.), and That Regan Woman, with publishing executive Judith Regan (Saturday and Sunday, 9-10 p.m.).
FNC already has 400 staffers in place, representing about 90% of the full team, said Ailes, adding that only one or two more anchors will be hired and that those discussions are drawing to a close.
Ailes, formerly a conservative campaign strategist and producer of The Rush Limbaugh Show, also provided a glimpse of the editorial thinking behind the planned news channel. He said that FNC will seek a balance that often is lacking in TV news. Citing a recent example, he said that reporters repeatedly have asked presidential candidate Bob Dole how he will pay for his proposed 15% tax cut, but they have failed to ask President Clinton how he will pay for his proposed social programs.
Ailes said he also is emphasizing to his reporters that being first with a story is not everything. He asked them last week to watch a videotape of the distraught mother of suspected (but never charged) Atlanta Olympics bomber Richard Jewell and to put themselves in her shoes.
'There's too much of a quickness in TV news to find black hats and white hats,' Ailes said. 'It's important to be fast, but it's even more important to be fair.'
Ailes was hesitant to predict any shakeout among a growing list of news services that ranges from established player CNN to newcomer network MSNBC. 'There may be room for five or six,' Ailes said. 'We don't know.'
FOX NEWS CHANNEL
WEEKDAY LINEUP
6:00-9:00 aim. Fox News Now 9:00-9:30 a.m. Fox in Depth 9:30-10:00 a.m. Fox on Health 10:00-10:30 a.m. Fox in Depth 10:30-11:00 a,m. Fox on Trends 11:00-11:30 a.m. Fox in Depth 11:30-noo Fox on Psychology 12:30-1:00 p.m. Fox on: (M) Religion (T) Law (W) Crime (Th) Travel (F) Culture 1:00-1:30 p.m. Fox in Depth 1:30-2:00 p.m. Fox on Family 2:00-2:30 p,m. Fox in Depth 2:30-3:00 p.m. Fox on Entertainment 3:00-3:30 p.m. Fox in Depth 3:30-4:00 p.m. Fox on Sports 4:00-4:30 p.m. Fox in Depth 4:30-5:00 p.m. Fox on Politics 5:00-6:00 p.m. The Cavuto Business Report 6:00-7:00 p.m. The O'Reilly Report 7:00-8:00 p.m. The Schneider Report 8:00-9:00 p.m. The Crier Report 9:00-10:00 p.m. Hannity & (LTBD)(*) 10:00 p.m.- 6:00 a.m. Repeat Programing (*) All Times Eastern Time (*) News updates every half-hour, 24 hours a day (*) Liberal to be determined
