Politico profiles Fox News “Special Report” host Bret Baier who took over the program from Brit Hume nearly a year ago:
Count Hume a fan. “My attitude is: I’d like to be Bret Baier,” Hume told POLITICO. “He’s an incredibly attractive, exceedingly able, totally honorable guy.”
Of late, Baier’s ratings are far exceeding Hume’s at the end of his run as anchor. Hume averaged 1.6 million viewers each night in December 2008, while Baier is averaging 2.1 million now.
Those ratings are helped, in part, by Baier’s lead-in, something he acknowledges. “[Glenn] Beck is a tremendous boost to lead us in,” Baier said. “He is a rising tide to all ships. He’s definitely provided a boost at 5pm.”
Baier also said that he hasn’t had as many major interviews with the current White House administration, but that they’ve had “a ton of access.” He says, “Even in the darkest days of the White House-Fox [News] whatever it was, we still had access.”
Finally, Baier took a moment to discuss one of the most important aspects of his life, his son, who suffers from a heart defect and has undergone a number of surgeries, with one more on the way:
“It’s always difficult to think about,” Baier says. “This really does affect who I am. When you face adversity with one of your children, it does affect how you look at things. Perhaps the little things stay little. You look at the big picture much more, and every time you come home, you hang your work at the door.”