Bret Baier Marks 5 Years as Anchor of ‘Special Report’

By Merrill Knox 

bret baierBret Baier will celebrate his fifth anniversary as anchor of “Special Report” tonight. Baier began at Fox as the network’s Atlanta bureau chief in 1998, running the operation out of his garage with a fax machine and a cell phone. He took over for Brit Hume as anchor of “Special Report” when Hume transitioned into his current role as the network’s senior political analyst in 2009.

It has already been a big year for Baier: he was recently elected to the Gridiron Club, the oldest association of journalists in Washington. He also plans to write his first book, Special Heart: A Journey of Faith, Courage and Love, this year. The book will detail his experience with his six year old son Paul, who suffers from a rare heart condition. Baier will donate his author proceeds from the book to pediatric heart research.

“Special Report” consistently ranks in the top five cable news programs, finishing 2013 fourth in total viewers and fifth in the A25-54 demographic. Baier’s team has put together a look back at his five years in the anchor chair, which will air tonight.

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