‘Fox & Friends’: Influence comes with president’s ear

‘Scandal’ cast to visit Kimmel

NEW YORK, April 14, (Agencies): It’s the epicenter of television journalism, the most influential news show on the air. But “Fox & Friends” doesn’t feel that way.

Fox News Channel’s day-opener seems much like it has for 20 years, a peppy talk show about news that advances a conservative point of view, and is mocked by some critics for a lack of intellectual rigor.

The difference now is that one of its regular viewers is the most powerful person in the world, who takes his cues from what he sees.

“Fox & Friends” originates from a cavernous, two-story Manhattan studio that overlooks Sixth Avenue, where the push of a button sends banks of lights or even a chandelier descending from the ceiling. During a break in the show one day, Steve Doocy bites into a Chick-fil-A breakfast sandwich. Brian Kilmeade scrolls through a tablet and Ainsley Earhardt pulls on a green coat to ward off an early spring chill.

Roughly 1.5 million people watch “Fox & Friends” each day, more than its counterparts at CNN and MSNBC and less than half the audiences for “Good Morning America” or “Today.”

Donald Trump is no stranger to the three hosts — he was a weekly guest to talk about the news before he ran for president — so it doesn’t surprise them that he still follows the show.

“As much as he might like us, and I think he does, I think it’s mostly he understands our audience,” Kilmeade said. “That’s why he ran for president. He didn’t run for president to be king of New York, or king of Washington. He knows we have a lot of viewers and he relates best to our viewers.”

Trump’s tweets and actions frequently correspond with segments on “Fox & Friends.”

His move to send National Guard troops to the border with Mexico came after the show reported on a caravan of immigrants headed north. When “F&F” hosts denounced the recent spending bill as bloated the morning after it passed, Trump threatened a veto. Puzzling tweets about a US spying law up for renewal so confused lawmakers that Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia tweeted the bill “is something the President should have known about long before he turned on Fox this morning.”

It’s no exaggeration to say that “Fox & Friends” anchors and commentators have effectively become White House policy advisers, Mike Allen noted in the influential Axios newsletter.

Earhardt, the show’s newcomer, said it would be arrogant to think that the hosts are telling the president what to do.

“I guess in the back of my mind I occasionally think he could be watching,” she said. “But it doesn’t affect anything that I say, my opinions or how I report the news.”

“We give our opinion,” Doocy said. “We’re not in the policy business.”

The awareness that Trump is watching is occasionally evident on the air. “You know what, Mr. President, that’s a good point,” Doocy said after reading one of Trump’s tweets in February. Analyst Andrew Napolitano offered advice earlier this month when the topic of Trump being interviewed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller was raised. “Stay away from that, Mr. President,” Napolitano said.

Trump has spoken directly to the show, like in one tweet: “Thank you to @ foxandfriends for the great timeline on all of the failures the Obama Administration had against Russia!” And he appeared to answer when Kilmeade said Trump made a mistake to use a vulgarity to refer to African countries. Trump tweeted that morning that his words were tough but “this was not the language used.”

While some Fox personalities are known to dine with or talk regularly with Trump, the hosts say they haven’t spoken with him since he’s been president.

In Washington, lawmakers frequently try to get airtime on Fox when they are trying to get Trump’s ear on policy matters, said congressional aides who sought anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private thinking.

That’s not the only way to deliver a message. “Fox & Friends” earned nearly $9 million in advertising revenue in January, up from $7.3 million in January 2017, according to Kantar Media, a clear sign of the show’s increased stature. With demand up, Fox says it has substantially increased its rates and welcomed new advertisers.

Gavin Hadden, “Fox & Friends” executive producer who worked his way up the ranks in a dozen years with the show, said he was unaware of instances when it seemed clear a guest was trying to communicate with the president. He’s concerned it could affect the quality of the show if the president’s interest became a preoccupation.

“We put the same show on the air that we have for years,” Hadden said. “We’re trying to have a conversation with the American people. We’re not trying to lecture them. We’re trying to relay the stories to them that we think they care about most. And if one of those people happens to be in the White House listening, good for him.”

Also:

LOS ANGELES: ABC will give “Scandal” a proper send off with an exclusive sneak peak of the final episode on “Good Morning America” on April 19 at 7 a.m. ET/PT prior to the series finale that evening at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Following the episode titled, “Over A Cliff,” creator Shonda Rhimes and the entire cast, including Kerry Washington, Bellamy Young, Tony Goldwyn, Scott Foley, and Guillermo Diaz, will join “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The series finale

was written by Rhimes and directed by Tom

Verica.

Comedian Ali Wong returns to Netflix in the stand-up comedy special “Ali Wong: Hard Knock Wife” on Mother’s Day, May 13. Two years after giving birth to her daughter and with a second child on the way, Wong’s one-hour special will address topics such as the challenges of breastfeeding and having a career after a pregnancy. The show was filmed at Toronto’s Winter Garden Theatre.

Lin-Manuel Miranda will make his “DuckTales” debut as Gizmoduck (aka Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera) on the animated series on May 11 at 8 pm ET/PT on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW. The episode is part of the inaugural “Duck Week” which begins on May 6. Miranda’s character will appear in the episode titled “Beware the B.U.D.D.Y. System!” as a young scientist with Latin roots.

Kevin Blanchette has been hired as senior vice president, marketing and communications at FremantleMedia North America. Blanchette will oversee the strategic development and implementation of all marketing, publicity and corporate public relations. He will also determine the brand’s management strategy.