Fox isn’t carrying Jan. 6 insurrection hearing live

By MixDex Article may include affiliate links

Fox’s conservative cable channel says it won’t carry the Jan. 6 insurrection hearings uninterrupted in primetime Thursday, June 9, 2022.

The channel will instead air its normal primetime lineup that is full of opinion hosts, most of whom are vocal supporters of Donald Trump. While these stars have condemned the assault on the Capitol Jan. 6, 2021, some have since spoken out against the investigation into the events and expressed sympathy for some of the alleged insurrectionists as their cases work their way through the legal system.

The network is also under scrutiny as details emerge about the alleged communication between some of its top hosts, including Sean Hannity, and those within the Trump administration even as the attack on the Capitol raged on. It’s possible that some of these alleged actions could pop up during the hearing — putting Fox in an awkward position.

Meanwhile, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC and CNN have all announced plans to carry the hearings live and uninterrupted, including special pre- and post-hearing coverage.

Fox did announce that it would carry the hearing live and uninterrupted on its sister channel, Fox Business, and that post-hearing coverage will air at 11 p.m. eastern on its primary cable channel, preempting the late-night show “Gutfeld!” The hearing will also be available on Fox’s digital and audio platforms, including streamer Fox Nation.

That said, moving it over to Fox Business appears to be largely a token gesture. CNN’s Brian Stelter pointed out that the average primetime program on Fox’s main channel has about 3 million viewers in primetime, whereas Fox Business hasn’t become nearly as dominant in the ratings, averaging around 100,000 viewers in the same time period.

It’s also probably unlikely that devoted Fox viewers will switch over from watching Hannity, Laura Ingraham or Tucker Carlson rant in favor of watching the hearing, which Fox and other conservative media has already started trying to bill as a liberal farce.

Coverage on Fox Business will be helmed by Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier, who frequently lead Fox’s major live coverage. The pair will also appear at 11 p.m. on the flagship cable channel.