Megyn Kelly is moving to primetime for Fox News Channel, the network announced this afternoon. But to which hour, is not known. Since 2010, Kelly has anchored the two-hour afternoon show “America Live.”
“Megyn is an exceptional talent who has successfully filled and surpassed each role we have given her at the network,” Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes said in a statement. “Her ability to command the screen, delve into the facts and lead a debate is what makes her one of the most sought-after anchors in the business.”
Kelly signed a new contract with Fox News in May. Last fall, before negotiations got underway, Ailes told TVNewser, “We have a great relationship. Eventually, we’d love her to stay here and be even a bigger star.”
“Roger Ailes hired me nine years ago when I was new to this business and he had little other than instinct to suggest it might work out,” Kelly says. “I was grateful to him then, remain so today, and am excited for this next opportunity.”
The move is scheduled to happen after Kelly returns from maternity leave. But it was not announced, and it is not immediately clear, which primetime hour Kelly will anchor. Primetime in cable news typically means 8-11pm. Fox News Channel’s top two shows are O’Reilly at 8pm and Hannity at 9pm. “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren” at 10pm just finished the second quarter as the sixth-most watched show on Fox News,
The network also announced that it has signed long-term deals with Van Susteren, as well as with Bret Baier, Shepard Smith, Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity. Adding intrigue into what may come next, Mediaite reported that “earlier this spring” Van Susteren met with CNN chief Jeff Zucker “inquiring about a potential return to CNN.”
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