Fox’s Brit Hume To Step Down
Veteran Anchor to Stay as Senior Analyst
By Howard Kurtz (WaPo)
Brit Hume, a top anchor and executive with Fox News since the channel was launched 12 years ago, plans to step down at year’s end. But he won’t disappear entirely.
Sources familiar with the situation say that Hume, 65, will give up his job as Washington managing editor and anchor of “Special Report,” the 6 p.m. show that has beaten the cable news competition for seven years. They say he is near a deal to continue with Fox in a senior-statesman role, not unlike that of NBC’s Tom Brokaw, for roughly 100 days a year.
Hume would be a senior political analyst, anchor for special events, panelist on “Fox News Sunday” and occasional substitute for the host, Chris Wallace.
Hume was unavailable for comment; the sources describing the situation would not be identified discussing pending contract negotiations.
A former ABC White House correspondent who has never hidden his conservative views, Hume has been a central part of Fox’s success. He has anchored on election nights and at political conventions and moderated a number of presidential debates. Hume has enjoyed good access to top Bush administration officials; when Vice President Cheney was under intense criticism after accidentally shooting a hunting companion two years ago, he did one interview, with Hume.
Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes has made no decision on whether “Special Report,” which began as a temporary program during the Clinton impeachment, will continue, or who would be its future anchor.
Hume had made no secret that he would probably retire when his contract expired this year. That became more likely when his wife, Kim, stepped down as Fox’s Washington bureau chief in 2006.
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Dan Rather must be sobbing with jealousy.
July 15th, 2008 at 6:25 pmWell that sucks balls. You can put someone else great in the chair but you can’t replace Brit. His combination of incisive analytical skills, humor, academic but down to earth manner, sorta easy hound dog demeanor, charm and gravitas, are just not the kind of things you’re gonna see all wrapped up in another person again.
I wonder if it’s gonna go to Btett…
July 15th, 2008 at 6:37 pmwell, there goes the last news show worth watching.
.. on to the bobbleheadorama….
July 15th, 2008 at 6:42 pmBrit Hume is a classy anchor, even though his alma mater is our hated rival, UVA. He wasn’t a total hack like Chris Matthews.
I hope “Red Eye” gets moved up a few time slots now, maybe have Greg Gutfeld host “Special Report” too! Hell, it’s sandwiched between reruns of Hume’s show.
Other people that’d make great hosts Julie Banderas (the more air time she gets, the better! oh yeah!) and Griff Jenkins. But I think it’ll likely go to Brett Baier or Chris Wallace.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:10 pmI just can’t help it … That’s the problem with ADD, especially adult ADD …
Anyhow, does anyone else recall the “Wayne’s World” skit on SNL after the start of the first Gulf War, Desert Storm?
Wayne and Garth were talking about staying up all night watching Britt Hume and Wolf Blitzer … and drinking highly-caffeinated beverages …
And they were completely taken with the news anchor’s names …
“Britt Hume … Hume …”
“Wolf Blitzer … that’s a name for a war reporter …”
Just a passing thought/memory … Gone now. The beauty of ADD, you know.
Britt, man, ya got atleast another 10 great years in ya … and then atleast another 10 good ones. Damn!
July 15th, 2008 at 7:23 pmIf Britt wants to semi-retire, then God bless him.
He’s more than earned it at 65.
My communist conspiracy senses are a tinglin’ though.
The klintons are “alleged” to have something to do with his son’s death:
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/BODIES.html
“Go away or you’ll end up like your son.”
Just a random thought flying through this conservative’s brain.
Oh yeah and Fuck islam!
That’s in there too.
FUCK islam!
July 15th, 2008 at 7:35 pmThere it is again.
You said it pretty well, the only thing that I may add is integrity. Brit’s daily presence at FOX will be missed.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:40 pmthats just a shame. Brit Hume is really one of the only news anchors left that gives you that “comfortable” kind of feeling when listening to him. because you know you can rely on his journalistic integrity as well as his opinions. very well informed on what seems like every single subject one could imagine. he will surely be missed
July 15th, 2008 at 8:33 pmHume is the one news commenter we can always count on to get it right. He really is unafraid of the left.
July 16th, 2008 at 2:53 amthanks for the link POD1 and…
Islam Delenda Est!
July 16th, 2008 at 5:21 amIf true Hume will be missed immensely!
July 16th, 2008 at 7:11 am