REPORT: SHAKEUP BEGINS AT FOX NEWS CHANNEL

Signaling what Politico.com columnist Dylan Byers described as “a long-anticipated primetime shakeup” at Fox News, the cable news channel announced on Thursday that Shepard Smith will no longer anchor the 7:00 p.m. hour but will continue at his post during the 3:00 afternoon hour, which is being revamped. According too an FNC news release the new show, to be called Shepard Smith Reporting, will “rely on an extraordinary combination of technologies and social media to bring viewers the latest hard news across all FNC platforms, allowing them to witness how news is gathered.” Smith is also being handed the title of managing editor of Fox News and will oversee special reports in which Fox reporters will interrupt the channel’s political talk shows with breaking news. In an interview with Mediaite.com, Smith said that his team will also vet stories appearing in Twitter and Instagram, “scoping out that information, confirming it, and finding people to talk about it.” Producers of the talk shows, he said, will no longer have to be concerned about breaking news. Instead, he said, “my team will cut in and take care of the breaking news — the other show can then plan their analysis,” he said. Smith also made it clear that he himself will play the role of the “quarterback” as the one interrupting the shows with late news. Politico’s Byers reported on Thursday that several other changes are in the works at Fox News, including a new 9:00 p.m. talk show featuring Megyn Kelly, currently a daytime host, who will take over the hour now hosted by Sean Hannity.