CommPRO.biz Editorial Staff

FOX News Channel announced they will be expanding the FOX & Friends franchise by an additional hour. Starting October 9th, FOX & Friends FIRST will be presented from 4-6AM/ET and FOX & Friends will continue in the 6-9AM/ET timeslot.

The 4AM hour of FOX & Friends First will be solo-hosted by Heather Childers, while the 5AM hour will be co-anchored by Jillian Mele and Rob Schmitt.

With the additional shows added to the franchise, FNC now has more women anchoring and hosting programs than any other cable news network. Also, after Fox News @ Night premieres on October 30th, FNC will have live weekday programming for 20 hours a day.

In making the announcement, Suzanne Scott, president of programming for FNC said, “As FOX & Friends continues to mark its most-watched year in network history, we are thrilled to give our viewers more of the morning franchise they love.”

FOX & Friends FIRST is presented prior to the network’s signature morning show, previewing the day ahead by covering the latest news headlines in politics, business, entertainment and health. The early morning program is the number one cable news program in its timeslot, dominating CNN and MSNBC in both total viewers and the 25-54 demographic.

FOX & Friends has been FNC’s signature morning program for more than 19 years. Co-hosted by Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade, the show has eclipsed the competition for 190 consecutive months. Featuring interviews with numerous celebrities, authors, athletes and political heavyweights, the program also includes regular stunts and musical performances both on set and outside before gathering crowds. Additionally, each hour of the show offers reports on general news, sports, weather, politics, business and entertainment provided by FOX & Friends FIRST co-host Jillian Mele.

FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well as political and business news. The number one network in cable, FNC has been the most-watched television news channel for more than 15 years and according to a Suffolk University/USA Today poll, is the most-trusted television news source in the country. Owned by 21st Century Fox, FNC is available in 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape, routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.