Fox Anchor Chris Wallace Leaving Network for `New Adventure’ – NBC 7 San Diego
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Seasoned presenter Chris Wallace signed his Fox News Sunday show after 18 years to join CNN’s new streaming service, which dealt a blow to Fox’s news operation when its opinion section rose to form.
CNN’s announcement that Wallace would join CNN + as a presenter came within two hours of its last Fox show. The streaming service is expected to hit the market in early 2022.
“It’s the last time, and I’m really sad to say this, we’ll meet like this,” said 74-year-old Wallace on his show, which airs on the Fox Network and is later repeated on the Fox News Channel. “Eighteen years ago, the bosses at Fox promised me that they would never mind a guest I booked or a question I asked. And they kept this promise. “
Wallace was a seasoned newscaster on the broadcast network who worked for both ABC and NBC News before the late Roger Ailes lured him to Fox with the promise of his own Sunday show. Methodical and never intrusive – in contrast to his father Mike, the legendary “60 Minutes” reporter – Chris Wallace was known for his methodical preparation and the willingness to ask all guests hard questions.
He became the first Fox News personality to host a presidential debate in 2016 and 2020. The debate he moderated last year fell apart when then-President Donald Trump repeatedly interrupted Democratic challenger Joe Biden.
“He’s the toughest interviewer in the television business based on intense preparation and sheer old-fashioned persistence,” said Howard Kurtz, host of Fox’s “Media Buzz”. He deals with political issues and is perhaps the best debate moderator of all time. “
Kurtz said it was “a huge loss to Fox News, no question about it”.
Wallace generally coexisted with Fox’s opinion side and rarely recorded it publicly, although in 2017 he said it was “bad” for opinion-makers to beat the media up.
“I was able to report to the best of my ability, telling the stories I think are important in bringing the leaders of our country to account,” Wallace said on Sunday. “It was a great ride.”
His announcement even surprised the guests of his Sunday show; they were not informed in advance. Fox said a number of rotating guest newscasters would take on Wallace until a permanent host is named.
Wallace was one of a prominent triumvirate of straight newscasters at Fox who contrasted with popular opinion-makers like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity. Shepard Smith left in 2019 and is now doing a newscast on CNBC. Bret Baier stays with Fox as the host of a Washington-based evening news program.
In contrast to Smith’s departure, Wallace was nearing the end of his contract with Fox, said a network manager who spoke on condition of anonymity given that the person was not empowered to discuss the matter publicly. Until a successor is named, Fox said Wallace will be replaced by a number of gas tankers, including Baier, John Roberts, Shannon Bream, Martha MacCallum, Neil Cavuto, Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer.
That fall, there was a report from NPR that Wallace and Baier had objected to Fox executives against some of the more high-pitched public opinion programs, notably Carlson’s January 6th documentary, “Patriot Purge,” which was streamed on Fox’s Service was broadcast. Two Fox employees, Jonah Goldberg and Stephen Hayes, referred to this program in their decision to leave the network.
Wallace said he wanted to “try something new, go beyond politics to all the things that interest me”.
Speaking on CNN’s announcement, he said, “I look forward to the new freedom and flexibility streaming offers when it comes to interviewing key figures in the news landscape – and finding new ways to tell stories.”
CNN said more details on Wallace’s new role will follow shortly. He’s the biggest name among new hires at CNN +, which also spawned former NBC news anchor Kasie Hunt and business journalist Scott Galloway.
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