How Megyn Kelly’s show fits in at NBC
NBC News is firming up plans for its biggest new hire, Megyn Kelly.
Kelly, who exited Fox News earlier this month, will join NBC in May. And her new morning show will premiere this fall, according to an NBC executive familiar with the network’s plans.
Undecided, as yet: Whether Kelly will air at 9 a.m. ET/PT — bridging the gap between the first two hours of Today and the lighter fourth hour featuring Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford — or at 10 a.m., in which case Kotb and Gifford’s giggle-fest would move an hour earlier. The current 9 a.m. hour, fronted by Al Roker and Tamron Hall, will disappear by fall in either event, though both are likely to remain at the network. NBC declined to comment. Kelly’s contract at Fox was due to expire this year. It’s unclear how many Fox viewers will follow her to her new home, but her new show likely will seem familiar to her fans. “What I’m hearing is she’s doing a daytime version of what she did at Fox,” adapted for a morning format, with lifestyle and entertainment stories blended with newsmaker interviews, says Bill Carroll, analyst at Katz Television Group, who advises local stations on programming.
Carroll says that while Kelly would face less competition at 10, “it would be to her advantage to be at 9,” where Today’s lead-in and promotional ability would provide a seamless transition. “She’d be better off as an extension of something that’s working than another island.” The Kotb and Gifford hour also does not consistently air in that time period across the country.
Under the terms of Kelly’s deal, she also will contribute to the network’s political coverage and will anchor a short-term Sunday newsmagazine, though not a weekly series as had been speculated, the NBC executive said. And don’t be surprised to see her pop up over the summer as a guest host on Today to ingratiate herself with NBC viewers.