With the lawsuit filed by Judith Regan over her dismissal from News Corp., there has been a lot of talk about the so-called “too-cozy” relationship between Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani and Fox News Channel. In a story titled “Rudy Giuliani’s ties to Fox News,” Salon‘s Alex Koppelman and Erin Renzas write, “Giuliani has several personal and financial connections to News Corp. and Fox News — beginning with Fox’s top executive — and those connections seem to have proven mutually beneficial.”
Among the connections: airtime. Salon cites a Hotline report that found “Giuliani had been interviewed on Fox News during the first 196 days of 2007 for a total of 115 minutes, more than any other presidential contender, and 14 minutes more than the runner-up, the then-undeclared Fred Thompson.”
But when you look at the year-to-date figures, things change. Giuliani is the fifth most-booked GOP candidate on FNC.
• Tom Tancredo (candidacy declared April 2, 2007). Appearances on FNC year to date: 36.
• Mike Huckabee (candidacy declared Jan. 28, 2007). Appearances on FNC year to date: 33.
• Sen. John McCain (candidacy declared April 25, 2007). Appearances on FNC year to date: 24.
• Mitt Romney (candidacy declared Feb. 13, 2007). Appearances on FNC year to date: 24.
• Rudolph Giuliani (statement of candidacy with the FEC, February 5, 2007). Appearances on FNC year to date: 20.
• Fred Thompson (candidacy declared Sept. 5, 2007). Appearances on FNC year to date: 14.
• Ron Paul (candidacy declared March 12, 2007). Appearances on FNC year to date: 12.
Sources: National Journal’s Hotline; Factiva transcripts; Nexis transcripts; CQ Politics; FNC guest archive