Fox News Channel’s Summer replacement series “The Five” is no longer a Summer replacement. FNC has announced that the program will become the permanent 5 PM show going forward.
“The Five” launched in July as a temporary replacement in the timeslot formerly held by Glenn Beck. Since that time, it has performed well enough toe warrant a continued presence, although it is still down from the ratings peaks of Beck’s time at the channel. Of course, ratings mean nothing if advertisers are afraid of a show, and many were of Beck’s program. As has been well-documented, many advertisers asked to be shifted to other shows to avoid having ads appear on Beck’s program, resulting in FNC having less inventory.
The channel hinted at that problem in the press release announcing “The Five”‘s pickup:
“The Five’s viewership growth and unique appeal has led to the time period once again being embraced by FNC’s Blue Chip advertisers,” said Paul Rittenberg, Executive VP of Ad Sales for FNC.
The program features a revolving door of FNC talent, including Dana Perino, Bob Beckel, Eric Bolling, Juan Williams, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Greg Gutfeld and Andrea Tantaros.
“The Five is unlike any show in news and politics, from the co-hosts’ chemistry to the provocative, yet fun presentation style,” FNC CEO Roger Ailes said in a statement. “It has quickly connected with the audience, and I’m pleased to install it in our daily lineup.”