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Greta Van Susteren Says So Long To Fox News

Greta Van Susteren may be heading back to school as a Georgetown law professor

By: Jim Williams – Washington Bureau Chief of News Talk Florida

WASHINGTON – Greta Van Susteren has abruptly quit after 14 years as a prime-time anchor at Fox News Channel, saying that Fox “has not felt like home to me for a few years.”

Starting Tuesday, she’s being temporarily replaced in her 7 p.m. ET time slot by Fox veteran Brit Hume, at least through the election.

Word of the surprise shake-up in what has been cable TV news’ most stable and successful lineup was announced only minutes after the settlement of former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson’s harassment lawsuit against deposed Fox News chief Roger Ailes.

Van Susteren, in a Facebook post, did not say what she meant by Fox News not feeling like home anymore. She had defended Ailes in an interview with The Daily Beast in the immediate aftermath of Carlson’s lawsuit, saying she had known nothing of the alleged behavior. The Washington-based lawyer said Tuesday that she took advantage of a contractual clause allowing her to leave and since it had a time limitation, she could not wait.

Fox did not explain Van Susteren’s exit, although a person close to the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity described it as a financial disagreement.

Van Susteren, who came to Fox from CNN after establishing herself among the commentators on the O.J. Simpson trial, said on Facebook that she hoped to continue her career in broadcasting.

She held down the 10 p.m. time slot at Fox for many years, but her “On the Record” show was switched to 7 p.m. when Fox wanted to make room in prime time for Megyn Kelly. Kelly took over at 9 p.m. and Sean Hannity was moved to 10 p.m.

Van Susteren’s departure came at a time many Fox watchers were focused on other potential changes at the network. Fox mainstay Bill O’Reilly, who turns 67 on Saturday, has mused publicly about the idea of retirement, and it’s unclear how Ailes’ departure will affect him. Kelly’s contract expires later this year, and Fox dearly wants to keep her. Hannity’s vocal support of Donald Trump has made him a controversial figure in the conservative media.

Hume, 73, is a senior political commentator for Fox and had been the network’s primary news anchor before stepping aside in 2008. He said he’s taking on Van Susteren’s show through the election.

Fox’s co-presidents, Jack Abernethy and Bill Shine, said in a statement that “we are grateful for Greta’s many contributions over the years and wish her continued success.”

James Williams: Jim Williams is the Washington Bureau Chief, Digital Director as well as the Director of Special Projects for Genesis Communications. He is starting his third year as part of the team. This is Williams 40th year in the media business, and in that time he has served in a number of capacities. He is a seven time Emmy Award winning television producer, director, writer and executive. He has developed four regional sports networks, directed over 2,000 live sporting events including basketball, football, baseball hockey, soccer and even polo to name a few sports. Major events include three Olympic Games, two World Cups, two World Series, six NBA Playoffs, four Stanley Cup Playoffs, four NCAA Men’s National Basketball Championship Tournaments (March Madness), two Super Bowl and over a dozen college bowl games. On the entertainment side Williams was involved s and directed over 500 concerts for Showtime, Pay Per View and MTV Networks.
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