Are Conservatives About to Get a New Network to Replace Fox News?

Bill O'Reilly

There is apparently a fear among various groups of conservatives that Fox News is about to take a hard turn to the left following the departures of Bill O’Reilly and Megyn Kelly. The common thought seems to be that Rupert Murdoch’s sons, James and Lachlan, will take on increasingly larger roles at Fox, and their less-than-conservative leanings will lead to a thinning of right-leaning talent.

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Mediaite is reporting that a meeting was planned today involving “two prominent high-powered television executives, some underperforming conservative networks and people who have an interest and the ability to fund a new network.”

There are certainly plenty of (out-of-work?) conservative powerhouses to pick from that could star on a new network, and perhaps even some executives from within Fox News who might be lured by the new opportunity.

Names bandied about as possible on-air talent include O’Reilly and Tomi Lahren, the controversial young star recently sidelined at The Blaze after outing herself as being not all that conservative. You’ll be excused for wondering why these two would have a home at a news organization that wants to be more conservative than Fox News. Conservative rock stars, they are not.

There is a flaw with the reasoning that Fox is turning liberal. The solidly conservative Tucker Carlson has moved into O’Reilly’s 8pm slot and has been getting stellar ratings; this is a conservative upgrade, as O’Reilly was no RWNJ. The Five has taken over Carlson’s previous spot at 9pm; the panel contains conservatives like Dana Perino, Greg Gutfeld, and the Ivanka-loving Jesse Watters. Plus, losing Megyn Kelly did nothing but improve the network, as her penchant for making herself the story made her show unwatchable.

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So, at least for now, the prime time lineup remains right-of-center. Long term, however, the ideological tilt of Fox is likely to change as power shifts from the father to the sons and new talent vies for prime spots. Appealing to younger viewers will likely become more of a focus, even as younger generations “cut the cord” from traditional media.

So, what do you think? Is there a need for a news network that is to the right of Fox?

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