Fox News Channel’s (FNC) prominent rising star, Megyn Kelly, is departing for NBC News. This comes after a turbulent year for Kelly. In addition to publishing her book Settle for More, Kelly’s dealt with attacks from Donald Trump and conservative viewers that felt she had gone too liberal in her reporting. She also joins the women who have accused former FNC Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes of sexual harassment.
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How do you replace Megyn Kelly? With newer management at the helm for NewsCorp, let’s take a look at some of the roads the “Fair and Balanced” network can take to replace her.
First off, a little side note: I’m not in favor of Fox keeping the schedule exactly as is. It should answer the complaints of its viewers turning off the TV in that hour between the O’Reilly Factor and Hannity, and simply move Hannity back to his original 9 p.m. slot. This way you can keep the conglomerate of loyal customers happy for a solid programming block, and get a fresh face in there at 10.
Naturally, a network can begin its talent search in-house. FNC has plenty of contributors, weekend hosts, and FOX Business hosts to choose from, but for a long time now, I’ve felt there needs to be a conservative alternative to Jon Stewart-types, that can still tackle an issue seriously. Tucker Carlson fills this role partially already with his epic takedowns of young socialists and college professors, but FNC is the biggest platform to give young conservatives someone to point to and say, “Conservatism is cool!”
Greg Gutfeld is already the comedic relief on The Five and has his own show on weekends, so another name that comes to mind is Kennedy. She got her start as an MTV VJ in the early 90s, as a closeted conservative/libertarian that slowly revealed her voice throughout the decade, speaking at the ’96 RNC. Kennedy has hosted her own show on Fox Business since 2013, but an added bonus is that she isn’t only more of a moderate (a self-described Republitarian), in several instances, she’s openly displayed libertarian views (supporting Gary Johnson in 2012). This choice very much reflects the tendencies of the 37% of millennials that voted for Trump, and apparently are moving away from social issues.
FNC can also follow Trump’s plea to minority voters, “What the hell do you have to lose?” and design a show that appeals to minority conservatives that really don’t have a voice at all on cable news. Right Side Broadcasting, once known as the YouTube channel that streamed all of Trump’s campaign rallies from all angles, and showed the boisterous crowds, has a show called The Colors that Unite with Pastor Mark Burns, the preacher that loudly exclaimed “ALL LIVES MATTER!” at the RNC. FOX could mirror this with a choice directly from the Trump camp, the Reverend Darrell Scott. Scott is and continues to be a tremendous ambassador and branch out for Trump’s appeal to the minority communities, as the President-elect has already tweeted loudly about the murder rate in Chicago. Plus with technology, there’s no doubt Rev. Scott can still do his ministry work in Cleveland and host a show — but one huge negative would be if Trump’s efforts with minorities fail, and the Reverend’s show is just seen as pro-Trump propaganda. Still, it’s a great opportunity for the leader in conservative news to reach a base that is under-represented, whether choosing a black, Hispanic, or another minority conservative.
Athletes and sports figures have become more outspoken with their political beliefs, with more liberal causes being prominent in the media landscape: kneeling during the National Anthem, the Rams’ “hands up, don’t shoot” display, and LeBron James wearing an “I Can’t Breathe” t-shirt. However, if athletes, especially minorities, are seen going against the grain, such as Ray Lewis did when he visited the President-elect at Trump Tower in December to talk about safety and black community plights, they’re immediately branded as sellouts. Fox Sports’ Clay Travis wrote on that network becoming an alternative to viewers increasingly disenfranchised by ESPN and other sports channels moving to the left, so why not give a conservative ex-jock a platform?
Ray Lewis already has TV experience as a former Monday Night Football studio panelist on ESPN, and Curt Schilling has certainly been vocal on his beliefs, being suspended and later fired from ESPN after two different tweets comparing radical Islam to Nazis, and questioning those advocating gender-neutral bathrooms. Schilling also hosts his own daily show on Breitbart, Whatever it Takes. Bringing athletes in can definitely get some stories and publicity, and even if FNC would be nervous to make an ex-jock a political host, put them on as part of a panel show. The big negative is that broadcast ability doesn’t always translate from the locker room to the camera, so a lot of care needs to be taken if choosing this step.
Two more viral names come to mind: With millennials moving away from regular TV consumption and going towards a combination of internet-binging and more a la carte channel choice, conservative YouTube sensations could possibly be the next big thing on FNC. Steven Crowder’s YouTube Channel has over half a million subscribers, featuring his show Louder with Crowder and other right-leaning hidden cam skits and pranks. Crowder was previously a FOX News contributor for many years until he was let go in 2013 amidst some bad blood after he had said Sean Hannity wasn’t a “real host” and a bad interviewer. That could be seen as a negative, but Crowder apologized after those comments were publicized. With a newer regime at the helm, perhaps bygones can be bygones and water can flow under the bridge, as Louder with Crowder debuts on FNC.
The other, and final name, on this list has been the “Blonde from the Badlands” who has stormed from the Internet to mainstream at the tender age of 24, Tomi Lahren. Her “Final Thoughts” segments regularly go viral, whether blasting Colin Kaepernick, Beyoncé, or the rant that started it all, her response to the attack on two military installations in Chattanooga motivated by radical Islam. Clearly, FNC could see her as the young, fresh answer to SJWs, and raising a new generation of conservatives. However, her career has gone through One America News and TheBlaze, two networks that are definitely more right-wing, but the latter has come under more scrutiny. Glenn Beck, TheBlaze’s founder, was an adamant #NeverTrumper, comparing the candidate to Hitler and even going as far as to say that electing Hillary Clinton would be the “moral, ethical choice.” Lahren, for her part, was a huge Trump supporter.
It’s obviously not easy to fill the giant pair of high-heeled shoes Megyn Kelly wore at FOX for 12 years. Tough auditions and hard choices are ahead. If FNC plays this right, however, this could be a huge play for younger viewers, and the Trump revolution could cement itself on the airwaves.
