Ranking the Fox News Anchors

Like most conservatives, my news channel of choice is Fox News. And since I work from a home office, I occasionally have it on in the background if a big story is breaking. Likewise, in the evening, I try to catch a few minutes of either Jesse Watters Primetime or Hannity after my wife (who is an earlier riser than me) goes to bed.

And so, whereas I am far from a media expert, I have watched enough hours of Fox News to intelligently rank the various shows – and their respective anchors – in some semblance of order. Feel free to agree, disagree, or make a list of your own.

Over the years, Fox News has employed a number of different slogans. Among them have been “We Report, You Decide” and “Most Watched, Most Trusted”. However, the slogan most associated with Fox News is undoubtedly “Fair and Balanced”… and no one exemplifies those qualities more than Bret Baier on Special Report. In fact, Baier signs off each broadcast with a tagline he borrowed from Brit Hume, who anchored Special Report from 1996 to 2008.

“Fair, balanced, and unafraid”, Baier tells his audience as he passes the baton to Laura Ingraham at 7:00 PM each weeknight… and that’s exactly the kind of content his program offers. His “Common Ground”, “Outside the Beltway”, and “Beyond Our Borders” segments are staples as is the “All Star Panel”. Baier isn’t just a talking head; he is a true journalist, and it shows night after night.

Move to the head of the class, Bret.

Next in line, for sheer entertainment value, is Jesse Watters. No, he is not a serious journalist and no, he doesn’t pretend to be. But Watters is a breath of fresh air between Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity, both of whom are past their respective expiration dates if you ask me. I used to like Laura, but she seems to have lost her edge over the past few years. As for Hannity, if you want to watch a self-absorbed and self-promoting host who – when he’s not constantly interrupting his guests is repeating the same talking points ad nauseam – Sean’s your man.

The morning crew on Fox & Friends knows what viewers want with their coffee first thing in the morning: some news headlines intermixed with light banter and a few entertaining antics. It’s definitely not hard news, but the team of Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, Brian Kilmeade, and Lawrence Jones eases you into the day with a little help from Carley Shimkus and Janice Dean. Let’s give them an A minus.

The Five gets the same high grade, especially when Harold Ford Jr. is part of the mix. The former congressman from Tennessee is a substantial upgrade over both Juan Willaims and Jessica Tarlov as the designated liberal simply because he is both articulate and reasonable. The rest of the cast – Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino, Judge Jeanine Pirro, and Jesse Watters – have more good days than bad ones.

Speaking of Gutfeld, I like him in small doses (such as on The Five), but a full hour of him at 10:00 PM is more than I can stomach. Make me a hard pass on Gutfeld! despite its stellar ratings.

Back to Dana Perino and her 9:00 AM co-anchor, Bill Hemmer, on America’s Newsroom. For whatever reason, I really like this show, its format, and the chemistry between the two hosts. Hemmer and Perino manage to report the news and inject a little commentary without stepping on each other’s lines. I hope they remain an on-air team for many years to come.

Harris Faulkner of The Faulkner Focus is solid, but not spectacular, so let’s give her a B. Outnumbered, which follows at high noon, is hit or miss, depending on the male guest in the middle. Personally, I find the format a bit contrived, so it gets a C from me.

John Roberts and Sandra Smith from 1 to 3 PM and Martha MacCallum at 3 o’clock are in the same category as Harris Faulkner. They get the job done, but you get the feeling that they are just placeholders until the heavy hitters come on the air starting at 5 PM. Let’s give them B’s across the board and the same goes for Will Cain in the 4 PM slot recently vacated by Neil Cavuto.

I have to admit that I haven’t stayed up late to watch Trace Gallagher at 11 PM, but based on his many guest host appearances, I can’t imagine him scoring less than a B.

That brings us to the weekends, starting with Fox & Friends. Pete Hegseth and Will Cain are both gone, leaving Rachel Campos-Duffy to share the couch with Charlie Hurt. It’s probably too early to pass judgment, but I have high hopes for this pairing, especially if a third host is added to the mix.

However, the real weekend stars at Fox News are Mark “The Great One” Levin, Trey Gowdy, and Shannon Bream. All three hosts bring a sense of gravitas to their programs and Levin, in particular, becomes more entertaining the more animated he gets. Mike Emmanuel and Jon Scott are also solid performers on their respective shows, while One Nation with Brian Kilmeade is usually worth recording if you can’t watch it live.

So, there you have it, folks. My personal rankings of the various Fox News programs and the anchors who deliver the news into our living rooms 24/7.