“What Happens When The Worlds Of Bill O’Reilly & Bart Simpson Collide?”

What happens when the worlds of Bill O’Reilly and Bart Simpson collide? Fox viewers around the country are about to find out,” Michael Learmonth writes in a must-read Variety preview titled “Jolly Roger’s grand plan.” Highlights:

> “The centerpiece of Fox-under-Ailes will be expanded local news.”

> “Local news editors, producers and on-air talent have been flown to New York for intense two-day training sessions to help local news personalities abandon dry anchor-speak and adopt a more Foxian barstool conversational style.”

> “The Fox 24-hour news operation is re-tooling to become a network-style engine for new national news programs starting with Rivera’s syndicated show, but that’s just the beginning.”

> “Abernethy says he plans to help seed the local news operations with the whiz-bang production values that are the hallmark of Fox News.”

> “Other national programming initiatives include a primetime skein, ‘Crime Time,’ and a 9 a.m. talker in development that would replace the hodgepodge of syndicated shows airing on Fox stations.”