Posted on 11/24/2008 8:01:58 PM PST by stillonaroll
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - After 12 years at Fox News Channel and four decades in the news business, Washington managing editor Brit Hume will leave "Special Report" and daily journalism for a quieter life, spending time with his grandchildren and following his Christian faith (the anchor still will contribute to the network as a political analyst).
Hume, 65, talked about the demands of the job and how his succession should be handled.
(Excerpt) Read more at theusdaily.com ...
I pestered our cable people until we FINALLY got Fox news. I wanted it because of Brit Hume. He is just the best. He can’t prounounce the days of the week correctly, but his down to earth reporting, without a lot of sound bites, gave Fox believability. I wish him well and look forward to any and all future appearances.
Yes — Brett Baier would be my choice. Right now he is pretty neutral — in a conservative way, but hopefully — if he does anchor, he will express himself and his opinions.
I did attend a luncheon, a year ago, where Brit was the speaker. No way was he approaching 65!! He is hunched over, but that is just his physical demeanor. He looked great!
I will miss Brit and Special Report a lot.
I say good riddance. It was him and his merry band of rinos that shoved McCain, Rudy, and Huckabee down the electorates throats while pretending no one else existed. Couple that with the fact that Fox News is utter garbage now, I just don’t have the respect for him that I used to.
**THR: YOU’VE TALKED RECENTLY ABOUT HOW YOU’VE LOST A LOT OF YOUR ENTHUSIASM FOR THE JOB. HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT IN JOURNALISM?
Hume: I think it’s the indispensable ingredient in TV news, and maybe in news in general. You see someone like Mike Wallace, who went on and on and on to a very advanced age, but he was fine because he never lost his zest for this stuff. The cycles or events didn’t seem to tire him out. I feel all the time when I’m covering the news that I’ve seen this before. That’s valuable because it may give you insight into how things are going to go or what they mean. But after awhile, it makes it less interesting. And that’s a bad thing. That makes me less valuable, I think.**
Do you sense that Brit had lost his enthusiasm? During the end of this election I think he was getting totally disgusted with the whole thing. (And rally couldn’t voice his views.)
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They are unrelated. The announcement about Brit was made a few months ago, and the article I posted was from a couple weeks ago.
Brit's contract is expiring at the end of 2008. It's possible that Brit would not have retired if Fox had offered a mega-number on a new contract. Seems a lot of media outlets have been cost cutting the last few years, so perhaps Fox figured that Special Report would be just as profitable with a younger, cheaper host. News is, after all, a business.
“”I don’t see anybody on the network that can fill his shoes.””
I know, hard to find. I do like Chris Wallace, though. No one else has Brit’s style (just as Tony Snow was one of a kind), but I think CW’s straight-up (and hey, it takes a lot of courage to be a conservative AND on FNC when your dad’s Mike Wallace, a far left (but famous) loon.
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I really hadn't noticed it until I read about his impending retirement. Maybe he was getting disgusted with how the rest of the media failed to embrace his "fair and balanced" concept of reporting. The Grapevine segments seemed to grow increasingly cynical this year, as he told of glaring MSM pro-0bama media bias.
He transfers his aging by draining Alan Colmes' vitality. Because Hume is leaving Colmes can also retire at the age of 28. :-)
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I must respectfully disagree. None of the early conservative favorites caught on: Tancredo, Hunter, Fred. All the while, Rudy led the polls for many months.
It wasn't Brit Hume's fault that conservative candidates could neither raise money nor gain widespread support. Without money or voters, a candidacy dies, thus there isn't much for a Brit Hume to report about.
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Agreed. I've a bad feeling, though, that Fox wants to go in a "younger" direction. TV networks want to appeal to the 18 to 34-year-old demographic, as youngsters like that are easier for advertisers to persuade. They probably figure that a young host gets young viewers.
I will miss Brit Hume. I liked him long before he came to Fox.
I recall the day Bill Clinton tried to knock Brit out with his anger, didn’t work. I believe the news conference was in the Rose Garden, anyway, Brit ask ole bill a question he didn’t like, ole bills face turned red, Brit stood his ground, kept his cool. From that day he has been a favorite of mine. Brit was with ABC when that happened.
...and drive to our doctor appts and get our prescriptions filled, line up our pills and then remember to take them.
Just joking. My mom is 96. She still drives great, goes to all her “meetings” and has a very active social life. I hope I can be like her the rest of my life. The key is being forward looking rather than looking back.
The only thing really bad about getting older is having younger people think you are old decades before you think you are.
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I'd heard Brit once say in an interview that (I'm paraphrasing here) he did get a sense of comfort from knowing that he'd had a good relationship with his son, so that at least things ended on good terms between them.
That's a good rule to live by. When ending a conversation with a loved one, I always try to impart a term of endearment. You never know if it will be the last time you ever speak with them.
IIRC, that was the news conference when BJ was announcing the nomination of Ruth Buzzy Ginsberg. BJ lashed out at Brit, which considerably raised Brit’s stature in my sight.
Brett Baier would be my choice. Right now he is pretty neutral — in a conservative way, but hopefully — if he does anchor, he will express himself and his opinions.
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I don't think I'd even bother to get cable if it wasn't for Brit Hume. When traveling, I will check the FNC website's hotel finder to make sure I get Fox News and thus Special Report.
Yes, I like Brett Baier, but right now he lacks Brit Hume's gravitas. Brit has the toughness of a veteran newsman, and I haven't seen enough of that yet in Brett B.
My thought is to have two hosts in a slightly revamped format. Maybe Brett could co-host with Megan Kelly?
Usually what we hear 18 months later is that the guy had cancer or somesuch family emergency.
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As will I. It's the only news on TV where I feel like I'm not getting leftist opinion disguised as impartial reporting.
Hmmm...I think not in this case. It’s probably just that his contract was up and Brit felt it was time to hang it up. There’s also something to be said for going out on top, and not descending into Dan Rather-ness.
I am very pleased to hear that. I recently turned 60 and I don’t even like the sound of that number. However, I am alive and still blessed to be with the most beautiful woman in the world, so it’s not that bad. ;>)
BTW.... she still cuts my hair too.
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Yup. It's a good plan to have a few years in your life when you can focus on both. Managing a major news organization is the kind of job that leaves little time for much else.
I certainly hope to retire while still young and energetic enough to pursue the really important stuff in life. No one says on their deathbed, "I wish I'd spend more time at the office." :)
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