Ch-Ch-Changes


J$P Exclusive! In the Know: our confidential source opines on the changes at Fox & Friends.



What's a blog on cable news without tipsters, insiders, and secret sources? Our anonymous informant is real, not just a rhetorical device. We asked for a reaction to the recent changes at Fox & Friends. What you read is our contact's personal opinion. It should not be interpreted as representing the viewpoint of this site, or of Fox News.
Like most major management decisions in any field, this move seems to make absolutely no sense at all from the perspective of a viewer. If they would explain it outright, it may seem a bit more clear as to what they are doing. From the change in personnel lately, to the EP reshuffle on Fox & Friends, to the new graphics for the second time in less than a year, a lot of the recent moves have left me scratching my head. The only one I really understood was Julian Phillips' departure (and I hate to say that because he's a wonderful man) but he just didn't click with the strongly conservative audience, which merited a move.

Chris Knowles is one of the most charismatic people on the roster at Fox and is sorely underused. (If you remember the David Blaine in a bubble interview segments you've seen it). Al Roker can sit down and do segments, why not him? He disappeared from F&F and as was moved to later in the day. That's fine as well.

E.D. Hill was a strong, strong female presence and was as recognizable a face to the Fox News audience in that regard as Greta during primetime. She was a true anchor for that program. The question is, is Gretchen Carlson the right person to fill that spot? Fox and Friends is a news show, yes, but it's also based around interaction and humor. E.D. was strong, but she could laugh it up too. And it's not that she's not a delightful woman, but Gretchen seems to be a bit more rigid and I don't really see this as a fit.

One person who really clicked for a morning anchor position was Rebecca Gomez. Of all the women who did the show only once or twice like Michelle Malkin, Alicia Acuna, and the like, she was the one who had the format down and excelled at it the moment she sat down in the chair. She was dead on. She was amazing. I would love to see her in a more permanent morning role.

The bottom line is, I believe the people who are making these decisions know what they're doing. They built this channel to what it is so they must have some sort of research, some sort of empirical evidence that suggests that these moves are the right moves. Time will tell if that's true.

posted: Fri - September 29, 2006 at 09:50 PM       j$p  send 

johnny dollar
Special rule for this comment thread: no guesses as to the identity of our insider. Any messages that speculate about who it is, whether or not names are named, will be nuked. Thank you so much.
October 1, 2006, 1:22:49 AM EDT – Like – Reply

Ira
Johnny: My only comment about this post is that your insider is hinting that perhaps racism is the reason that Julian Phillips didn't connect with the "strongly conservative audience" although replacement Kelly Wright is also black.
 
F&F Weekend has been argued ad nauseum elsewhere on the web. My opinion is that the show needs 2 men and 1 woman instead of vice versa.
October 2, 2006, 1:00:16 PM EDT – Like – Reply

sknabt
Your 'insider' has all the in-depth of knowlege of either the night watchman or a janitor.
October 2, 2006, 10:03:16 PM EDT – Like – Reply

johnny dollar
Yeah, Sknabt, you might have that level of knowledge some day. Thank you for your comment, but until you explain and answer for your lies about me, nothing you say is credible.
October 2, 2006, 10:12:21 PM EDT – Like – Reply

Fox Fan
Actually nothing sknabt can say will be credible no matter what he corrects from his past comments.
 
His lying statements of the past speak to his credibility alone.
October 2, 2006, 11:04:31 PM EDT – Like – Reply

sknabt
I just love your rules, J$. Calling me a liar, of course, isn't a personal attack. Or name calling me or the folks at News Hounds doesn't apply either. Of course, you sum up your double-standard pretty well: "This goes double for personal attacks on us." 8^)
 
Oh, I know, I know. Attacking liberals is always the truth; attacking conservatives is always vicious smear. 8^)
 
You can champion your "insider" all you want but his observations are the sort of generic opinions any of us could have. I learned nothing reading it - all kidding aside.
October 3, 2006, 8:13:18 AM EDT – Like – Reply

johnny dollar
Well, if you want to talk lies, you started it. I asked you three times to back up what you said about me (you made a ridiculous statement about why my posts were deleted from the newspoodles). Three times. All three times instead of either backing up your claim (impossible since it wasn't true) or correcting yourself you just vanished from the thread and never returned. And that's just one instance.
 
At least this time you didn't run from the thread, so that's a step in the right direction. Now, if you could just address those falsehoods of yours...
 
All kidding aside, I'm not sure what you expected to "learn" from my source. I thought it was clear that I asked him/her for thoughts on F&F, and that's what I got. Opinion pieces are not intended to educate, but to stimulate, in this case via the viewpoint of someone who is more than just a viewer. I like that sort of article. If you don't, then fine.
 
Oh, and I congratulate you for managing to bring conservative/liberal into an entirely apolitical discussion!
October 3, 2006, 9:45:36 AM EDT – Like – Reply

Bob S
I don't give a damn about Julian, ED Hill or any of the other's. Let's focus on what's important people...for God's sake, where is Juliet Huddy?
October 5, 2006, 7:02:36 PM EDT – Like – Reply