Fox News

• 1. Founding And Early Development

  ›

  On the 7th of October 1996, the Fox News Channel launched with a signal reaching only 17 million cable subscribers. Rupert Murdoch, an Australian-born media mogul, had spent years building the infrastructure for this venture after purchasing six television stations from Metromedia in May 1985. He hired Roger Ailes, a former Republican political strategist and CNBC executive, to serve as founding CEO just months before the debut. Ailes demanded five months of grueling workdays lasting fourteen hours each before the network went live. The initial programming schedule featured twenty-minute single-topic shows like Fox on Crime or Fox on Politics surrounded by rolling news headlines. Interviews included facts displayed at the bottom of the screen about the topic or guest. The flagship newscast was The Schneider Report, which relied on Mike Schneider's fast-paced delivery style. During evening hours, the channel aired opinion shows including The O'Reilly Report, The Crier Report, and Hannity & Colmes. From its first day, FNC placed heavy emphasis on visual presentation with colorful graphics designed to grab attention even if viewers could not hear the host. On-screen text summarized positions while bullet points appeared when hosts delivered commentary. The network also created the Fox News Alert feature that interrupted regular programming whenever breaking news occurred.

• 2. Programming Evolution And Studios

  ›

  Fox News maintains eight studios at its New York City headquarters located at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan. Studio B serves Fox Business programming while Studio D once housed an area for studio audiences but is no longer in current use. Studio E broadcasts Gutfeld! and The Journal Editorial Report from a location shared with sister channels. Studio F carries The Story with Martha MacCallum, The Five, Fox Democracy 2020, Fox & Friends, Outnumbered, The Faulkner Focus, and Fox News Primetime. Studio G houses Fox Business shows, The Fox Report, Your World with Neil Cavuto, and Cavuto Live. Studio H served as the Fox News Deck used for breaking news coverage before becoming inactive. Studio J airs America's Newsroom, Hannity, Fox News Live, Fox & Friends First, and Sunday Morning Futures. Additional programs originate from Washington DC studios on Capitol Hill across from Washington Union Station including Special Report with Bret Baier and The Ingraham Angle. The Next Revolution broadcasts from Los Angeles bureau studios while Life, Liberty & Levin comes from Levin's personal studio in Virginia. Audio simulcasts air on SiriusXM Satellite Radio starting in 2003 when the company introduced Fox News Radio division. Syndicated throughout the United States, this division provides short newscasts and talk radio programs featuring personalities from both television and radio divisions. In 2006, the company launched Fox News Talk, a satellite radio station featuring programs syndicated by and featuring Fox News personalities.

• 3. Ratings Dominance And Demographics

  ›

  In September 2018, 87 million U.S. households representing 91% of all television subscribers could receive Fox News. By January 2014, the network marked its 145th consecutive month as the highest-rated cable news channel overall. During that same period, Fox News beat CNN and MSNBC combined in total viewership during prime time hours and the entire day. A November 2012 telecast drew 11.5 million viewers for the third U.S. presidential debate setting a record for the network. Prime time averages reached almost 3.7 million viewers with total day averages at 1.66 million during weeks before major events like the Boston Marathon bombing coverage. The median age of a prime-time viewer was 68 according to Nielsen statistics from March 2024. Among those naming Fox News as their main source for political news, 69% were aged 50 or older based on a 2019 Pew Research Center survey. In the adults aged 25-54 category, Fox led with 246,000 viewers in primetime and 158,000 in day viewers compared to MSNBC's 133,000 and 86,000 respectively. A 2013 Gallup poll found 94% of Fox viewers either identified as or leaned Republican while 93% of people naming Fox News as their primary election news source identified as Republicans. Despite these numbers, a 2013 New York Times article noted the channel appeared to have a mostly aged demographic profile.

• 4. Political Alignment And Partisan Impact

  ›

  Academic studies conducted between 1996 and 2000 found that in towns broadcasting Fox News, Republicans gained 0.4 to 0.7 percentage points in the 2000 presidential election. These results suggested Fox News convinced 3 to 28 percent of its viewers to vote Republican depending on audience measures according to research published in Political Communication journals. A 2014 study using similar methodology found congressional representatives became less supportive of President Clinton in districts where Fox News began broadcasting compared to similar districts without the network. Another paper discovered Fox News viewing increased Republican vote shares among voters identifying as Republican or independent by 0.3 points among those induced into watching 2.5 additional minutes per week. Political scientists Matt Grossmann and David A. Hopkins wrote that Fox News helped Republicans communicate with their base and spread ideas effectively mobilizing voters during midterm elections like 2010 and 2014. During the 2004 United States presidential election, Fox News was markedly more hostile toward Democratic nominee John Kerry distinguishing itself through heavy coverage of the Swift Boat smear campaign against him. The network helped launch and amplify the Tea Party movement a conservative faction within the Republican Party organizing protests against Obama policies during his first term. By 2017, growing academic literature found Fox's prime-time programming engaged in rhetorical themes similar to propaganda rather than journalism or persuasion.