HO
I would point out that a gradual move to the Center is, perhaps, already happening.
Actually look at Fox News's prime time anchors, and only two of the four are clearly republicans or conservatives (O'Reilly and Hannity) - Greta Van Susteren and Megyn Kelly can both be ridiculous, extreme and right wing, but on many issues they are considerably more liberal than some of their colleagues and viewers. Megyn's ratings have been a considerable upgrade on Hannity's when he was in that same time slot a couple of years ago.
Fox News won't become like Sky News - it won't be apolitical, aim for 24 hours of straight reporting, or offer the same level of journalism. However I can fully imagine it ditching the specific right wing angle while maintaining the broader shock-and-horror style that it does so well, ideologically seeking a slightly broader and more moderate audience as it goes.
That said, this could also have happened under Roger Ailes - despite being a conservative, Roger's focus always seemed to be on the business before the politics, and indeed don't forget the roles he played early on in establishing both CNBC and MSNBC.
He was instrumental in developing the cable news models and popularity, and that shouldn't be underestimated. However, as Greta Van Susteren pointed out in an interview with TVNewser, Fox News VP Bill Shine has effectively been running the channel for several years now, so I don't expect much to change in the foreseeable future at all.
Actually look at Fox News's prime time anchors, and only two of the four are clearly republicans or conservatives (O'Reilly and Hannity) - Greta Van Susteren and Megyn Kelly can both be ridiculous, extreme and right wing, but on many issues they are considerably more liberal than some of their colleagues and viewers. Megyn's ratings have been a considerable upgrade on Hannity's when he was in that same time slot a couple of years ago.
Fox News won't become like Sky News - it won't be apolitical, aim for 24 hours of straight reporting, or offer the same level of journalism. However I can fully imagine it ditching the specific right wing angle while maintaining the broader shock-and-horror style that it does so well, ideologically seeking a slightly broader and more moderate audience as it goes.
That said, this could also have happened under Roger Ailes - despite being a conservative, Roger's focus always seemed to be on the business before the politics, and indeed don't forget the roles he played early on in establishing both CNBC and MSNBC.
He was instrumental in developing the cable news models and popularity, and that shouldn't be underestimated. However, as Greta Van Susteren pointed out in an interview with TVNewser, Fox News VP Bill Shine has effectively been running the channel for several years now, so I don't expect much to change in the foreseeable future at all.
